Chinook salmon fishing in Area 9 will close at end of the day August 10

OLYMPIA - The recreational fishery in Marine Area 9 (Admiralty Inlet) will close to the retention of hatchery chinook salmon at the end of the day Sunday, August 10, when the catch is expected to reach or exceed the season guideline for that area, according to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW).

The closure of the mark-selective fishery for hatchery chinook does not affect recreational fisheries for hatchery coho salmon and other species in Marine Area 9.

Marine areas 9 and 10 (Seattle/Bremerton) are managed under a combined quota of 7,000 hatchery chinook. Within that quota, 4,000 chinook can be harvested in Marine Area 9.

As of Aug. 3, anglers had harvested an estimated 4,041 fish in the two marine areas, of which 3,470 were caught in Marine Area 9.

"We expect to reach and possibly exceed the guideline by Sunday night," said Steve Thiesfeld, Puget Sound recreational salmon manager for WDFW. If the 4,000-fish guideline for Marine Area 9 is exceeded, the fishery for Marine Area 10 will be managed to remain within the 7,000-fish quota for both areas, he said.

The 7,000-fish quota for the two areas reflects constraints established under the Endangered Species Act.

The portion of Marine Area 9 south of a line from Foulweather Bluff to Olele Point that was closed during the chinook fishery to protect mid-Hood Canal chinook, will also re-open for hatchery coho, pink, and sockeye.

More information on fishing regulations is available on WDFW's website http://wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/regulations.