WDFW FISHING RULE CHANGE
Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife
600 Capitol Way North, Olympia, WA 98501-1091
http://wdfw.wa.gov
Note: This e-mail contains five individual rule changes
February 12, 2010
Nooksack River to close to fishing
Action: Close the Nooksack River and all forks to fishing.
Effective closure dates: Feb 18 through June 4, 2010.
Species affected: All game fish species.
Locations:
[ul]
[li]Nooksack River from the mouth to the confluence of the North and South Forks.[/li][li]North Fork Nooksack from the mouth to Nooksack Falls.[/li][li]South Fork Nooksack from the mouth to Skookum Creek.[/li][li]Middle Fork Nooksack from the mouth to headwaters. [/li][/ul]
Reasons for action: The closure will reduce incidental hooking mortality on wild steelhead. The Nooksack River basin wild steelhead returns have been trending downward and is thought to be well below escapement goals.
Other information: These rivers will reopen to fishing on June 5, 2010, as will be listed in the 2010/2012 FISHING IN WASHINGTON sport fishing rules pamphlet.
Information Contact: Brett Barkdull, District 14 Fish Biologist, 360-466-4345 x 270, Brett.Barkdull@dfw.wa.gov
February 12, 2010
Puyallup River system to close to fishing
Action: Close the Puyallup, Carbon and White rivers to fishing.
Species affected: All game fish species.
Locations and effective closure dates:
[ul]
[li]Puyallup River from the 11th St. Bridge in Tacoma upstream to Electron Power Plant Outlet, Feb 18 through June 30, 2010[/li][li]Carbon River from the mouth to Voights Creek, Feb. 18 to August 31, 2010.[/li][li]Carbon River from Voights Creek to Hwy.162 Bridge, Feb. 18 through June 30, 2010. [/li][li]White (Stuck) River from the mouth to R Street Bridge in Auburn, Feb. 18 through Sept. 30, 2010.[/li][/ul]
Reasons for action: The closure will reduce incidental hooking mortality on wild steelhead. The 2009/2010 forecasted return of wild winter steelhead to the Puyallup River system is expected to be below the escapement goal of 2000.
Other information: The rivers will reopen to fishing as listed in the 2010/2012 FISHING IN WASHINGTON sport fishing rules pamphlet.
Information Contact:
[ul]
[li]Mike Scharpf, District 11 Fish Biologist, 360-902-2710, Mike.Scharpf@dfw.wa.gov [/li][li]Kirt Hughes, Region 6 Fish Manager, 360-249-1204, Kirt.Hughes@dfw.wa.gov [/li][/ul]
February 12, 2010
[SIZE=4]Samish River to close to fishing [/SIZE]
Action: Close the Samish River to all fishing.
Effective closure dates: Feb 18 through June 4, 2010.
Species affected: All game fish species.
Closure Location: The Samish River from the mouth to the Hickson Bridge.
Reasons for action: The closure will reduce incidental hooking mortality on wild steelhead. The 2009/2010 return of wild winter steelhead to the Samish River is expected to be below the escapement goal.
Other information: The river will reopen to fishing on June 5, 2010, as will be listed in the 2010/2012 FISHING IN WASHINGTON sport fishing rules pamphlet.
Information Contact: Brett Barkdull, District 14 Fish Biologist, 360-466-4345 x 270, Brett.Barkdull@dfw.wa.gov
February 12, 2010
[SIZE=4]Portions of Snohomish River system to close to fishing [/SIZE]
Action: Close the Snohomish River, lower sections of the Skykomish, and Snoqualmie rivers and some tributaries to fishing.
Effective dates: Feb. 18, through June 4, 2010
Species affected: All game fish species.
Closure locations:
[ol]
[li]The Snohomish River from the mouth (Burlington-Northern railroad bridges) to the confluence of the Skykomish and Snoqualmie rivers including all channels, sloughs, and interconnected waterways.[/li][li]The Snoqualmie River from the mouth to the boat launch at Plum Landing (~1/4 mile below Tokul Creek).[/li][li]The Skykomish River from the mouth to the forks .[/li][li]The North Fork of the Skykomish from the mouth to Deer Falls (about ? mile upstream of Goblin Creek).[/li][li]The South Fork of the Skykomish from the mouth to the Sunset Falls Fishway.[/li][li]The Pilchuck River from the mouth to the Snohomish city diversion dam.[/li][li]The Sultan River from the mouth to the diversion dam at river mile 9.7.[/li][li]The Tolt River from the mouth to the confluence of the North and South Fork.[/li][li]The Raging River from the mouth to the Highway 18 Bridge.[/li][/ol]
Reason for action: To reduce incidental mortality of wild steelhead. The 2009-2010 forecast of wild steelhead returning to the Snohomish River is well below the escapement goal of 6,500 steelhead. This action will reduce the incidental hooking mortalities of wild steelhead.
Additional information: The Wallace River, Tokul Creek, and the Snoqualmie River above the boat ramp at Plum Landing will remain open until Feb 28, 2010 as listed in 2009/2010 Fishing in Washington Sport Rules Pamphlet.
Information contacts: Jennifer Whitney, District 13 fish biologist, (425) 775-1311; Annette Hoffmann, Region 4 Fish Program manager, (425) 775-1311.
February 12, 2010
[SIZE=4]Stillaguamish River system to close to fishing [/SIZE]
Action: Close the Stillaguamish River to fishing.
Effective dates: Feb. 18 through June 4, 2010.
Species affected: All game fish species.
Closure locations:
[ul]
[li]The Stillaguamish River from sloughs south of Marine Drive to forks.[/li][li]The North Fork of the Stillaguamish from the mouth to Swede Heaven Bridge.[/li][li]The South Fork of the Stillaguamish from the mouth to the Mt. Loop Hwy. Bridge (above Granite Falls).[/li][li]Canyon Creek from the mouth at the South Fork of the Stillaguamish to the forks.[/li][/ul]
Reason for action: This action will reduce the incidental hooking mortalities of wild steelhead.
Information contacts: Jennifer Whitney, District 13 fish biologist, (425) 775-1311; Annette Hoffmann, Region 4 Fish Program manager, (425) 775-1311.
[SIZE=1][FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Fishers must have a current Washington fishing license, appropriate to the fishery. Check the WDFW “Fishing in Washington” rules pamphlet [FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]for details on fishing seasons and regulations. Fishing rules are subject to change. Check the WDFW Fishing hotline for the latest rule information at (360) 902-2500, press 2 for recreational rules. For the Shellfish Rule Change hotline call (360)796-3215 or toll free 1-866-880-5431. [/FONT][/SIZE][/FONT]