WASHINGTON DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND WILDLIFE     Print Version
NEWS RELEASE
600 Capitol Way North, Olympia, WA 98501-1091

OLYMPIA -- The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) has enacted emergency conservation sport and commercial regulations for Puget Sound herring fishing.

The sport regulation immediately closes personal use fishing for herring from waters in Catch Record Card Area 7 (San Juan Islands) north and west of a line projected from Gooseberry Point to Point Migley on Lummi Island, then to the northernmost point of Patos Island, then due west to the intersection of the U.S. - Canada boundary.

The other regulation closes the commercial fishing for herring from June 1 to August 31 in Marine Fish/Shellfish Catch Reporting Area 20A. A season was scheduled to open on June 1.

WDFW fish biologists asked for the closure because herring stocks are declining in the area.

Bruce Crawford, who heads WDFW's Fish Management Program, said it is crucial to preserve and protect Puget Sound's herring stocks because they are one of the basic food items for salmon, sea birds, and other marine species.