Salmon Fishing Opportunities Increase Along the Washington Coast Beginning Aug. 26
August 26, 2008
OLYMPIA – Anglers will be able to fish for salmon seven days a week along most of the Washington coast beginning Tuesday, Aug. 26, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) announced today.
The new rules will increase fishing opportunities at Westport (Marine Area 2), La Push (Marine Area 3) and the portion of Neah Bay (Marine Area 4) that lies east of the Bonilla-Tatoosh line. Ocean waters west of that line in Marine Area 4 will be closed to all salmon fishing beginning Aug. 26, said Doug Milward, WDFW ocean salmon manager.
“Angler participation has been down along the coast likely due to higher gas prices,” Milward said. “For that reason, we can provide anglers who are fishing at these three ports with additional opportunities without exceeding recreational harvest quotas.”
Fishing had been restricted to five days a week since the season opened.
Anglers fishing at Westport and La Push may retain two chinook salmon as part of their daily limit, but those fishing in Neah Bay may retain only hatchery coho salmon, Milward said. All wild coho must be released in all three areas.
Salmon fishing is scheduled to continue through Sept. 13 if sufficient numbers remain in the quota, Milward said.
Although salmon fishing in Ilwaco (Marine Area 1) closed Aug. 17, fishing continues for hatchery coho at Buoy 10 just south of Ilwaco, Milward said.
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Bay Scallop Season Opens July 1
June 26, 2008
The recreational harvest season for bay scallops begins July 1 and continues through Sept. 10. Open scalloping areas on Florida’s Gulf Coast extend from the west bank of the Mexico Beach Canal in Bay County to the Pasco-Hernando county line near Aripeka.
Bay scallops may be taken only within the allowable harvest areas. It is illegal to possess bay scallops while you’re in or on state waters outside the open harvest areas, or to land bay scallops outside the open areas.
There is a daily limit of 2 gallons of whole bay scallops in the shell or 1 pint of bay scallop meat per person during the open season. In addition, no more than 10 gallons of whole bay scallops in the shell or one-half gallon of bay scallop meat may be possessed aboard any vessel at any time.
You’re allowed to harvest bay scallops only by hand or with a landing or dip net, and bay scallops may not be harvested for commercial purposes.
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) biologists review the status and health of the bay scallop fishery each year.Â
“We are seeing recovery of scallop populations along the West Coast of Florida relative to their status in the early 1990s,” said Bill Arnold, an FWC research scientist.
“Harvesters should adhere to scallop-fishing regulations, especially the daily bag limit,” Arnold said.
You also should collect only the amount of bay scallops you are willing to clean.
More information on bay scallops is available online at MyFWC.com/marine/bayscallops.htm and http://research.myfwc.com/features/category_sub.asp?id=2598
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Summer Crabbing Season To Open in Puget Sound
June 9, 2008
OLYMPIA – Sport crabbers planning to fish for crab in Puget Sound this summer will find the upcoming season similar to last year’s, including catch-reporting procedures required by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW).
Starting June 18, crab fishing will open seven days a week in the western Strait of Juan de Fuca and southern Puget Sound. Most other marine areas will open July 2 on a Wednesday-through-Saturday schedule, although some waters north of Anacortes will not open until later in summer.
Puget Sound recreational crabbing areas will open at 7 a.m. on the following dates:
June 18: Marine areas 4 (Neah Bay east of the Bonilla-Tatoosh line), 5 (Sekiu) and 13 (south Puget Sound) will open seven days per week through Jan. 2, 2009.
July 2: Marine areas 6 (eastern Strait of Juan de Fuca), 7 South (San Juan Islands), 8-1 (Deception Pass to East Point), 8-2 (East Point to Possession Point), 9 (Admiralty Inlet), 10 (Seattle/Bremerton), 11 (Tacoma/Vashon) and 12 (Hood Canal) will open Wednesdays through Saturdays only, plus the entire Labor Day weekend and will close the evening of Sept. 1 for a catch assessment. These areas will reopen in the fall if recreational harvest quotas have not been met.
July 16: Marine Area 7 East (Bellingham and Samish bays) will open Wednesdays through Saturdays only, plus the entire Labor Day weekend and will close the evening of Sept. 27.
Aug. 13: Marine Area 7 North (Lummi Island/Blaine) will open Wednesdays through Saturdays only, plus the entire Labor Day weekend and will close the evening of Sept. 27.
This is the second year sport crabbers in Puget Sound will be required to record their Dungeness crab catch on two separate catch record cards – one for the summer season and one for the fall/winter season, said Rich Childers, WDFW shellfish policy coordinator.
Sport crabbers will again have the option of reporting their catch on the Internet or by mailing in their catch cards. Either way, it’s important for crabbers to report their crab information, Childers said.
“Catch reports are an important tool in managing the Puget Sound crab fishery,” Childers said. “We need to hear from everyone – including those who didn’t catch any crab – because more data provides greater accuracy in estimating the catch and developing future fishing seasons.”
To submit catch reports, crabbers may either send their catch record card to WDFW by mail, or file their report on a special webpage on the department’s licensing website from Sept. 2-15.
As an incentive, sport crabbers who submit their catch reports by the Sept. 15 deadline will be entered in a raffle to win one of 10 free 2009 combination licenses, which allow the holder to fish for a variety of freshwater and saltwater species.
Childers reminds fishers that crab catch record cards are separate from the multi-species card used for recording catches of salmon, halibut and other fish. Also, catch record cards are not required to fish for Dungeness crab on the Washington coast (marine areas 1-4).
In addition to catch-card requirements, anyone fishing for crab in Puget Sound must purchase a $3 license endorsement, which is free to fishers under age 15, although dealer fees may apply. All fishers age 15 or older must also carry an applicable Washington fishing license in order to fish for crab anywhere in Washington.
The daily catch limit in Puget Sound is five Dungeness crab, males only, in hard-shell condition with a minimum carapace width of 6ÂĽ inches. Fishers may catch six red rock crab of either sex per day, provided those crab measure at least 5 inches across. Additional information is available in WDFW’s Fishing in Washington pamphlet on the website at http://wdfw.wa.gov/fish/regs/fishregs.htm.
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No License Required This Weekend For Shellfish
June 4, 2008
NEWPORT – Can you dig it? Yes you can! With some of the lowest tides of the year and Oregon’s Free Fishing Weekend, it’s a great time to try your hand at harvesting clams.
Free Fishing Weekend, June 7 and 8, is your opportunity to try fishing, clamming and crabbing anywhere in the state, without having to buy a license. We hope you’ll discover a sport that you’ll want to do again and again. If you have a friend who’s never fished before, this is your opportunity to introduce him or her to a great outdoor activity.
A minus tide series with the lowest tides of the year happens this week. June 4 and 5 will have tides of -3.0 near Newport, the lowest of the year. Friday is almost as low at a -2.7 shortly after 9 a.m. Saturday and Sunday have low tides of -2.1 and -1.3 around 10 a.m. and 10:45.
To find out how and where to dig clams or drop a crab trap, check out the recreational shellfishing pages on the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife Web site at http://www.dfw.state.or.us/MRP/shellfish/. They contain everything you need to know for identifying and harvesting Oregon’s shellfish.
Here are a few good clamming areas along the Oregon coast:
- Alsea Bay: Cockle, softshell clams
- Coos Bay: Gaper, cockle, softshell, butter and littleneck clams
- Coquille River near Bandon: Softshell clams
- Nehalem Bay: Softshell clams
- Nestucca Bay: Softshell clams
- Netarts Bay: Gaper, butter, cockle, littleneck, razor
- Suislaw River, near Florence: Softshell, gaper, pittock, cockle clams
- Tillamook Bay, Gaper, littleneck, butter, cockle, razor, softshell clams
- Umpqua River: Gaper, softshell clams
- Yaquina Bay: Gaper, cockle, butter, softshell clams
The recreational harvest of all shellfish, including all clams and mussels, is open coast wide but harvesters should check for current closures on the ODA shellfish safety page at http://www.oregon.gov/ODA/FSD/shellfish_status.shtml or call the shellfish hotline, 503-986-4728 or 1-800-448-2474. Waters can be closed on short notice because of contaminated waters due to coastal flooding and because of elevated levels of naturally occurring toxins.
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Gulf Red Snapper Sport Season Reopens in Federal Waters
May 28, 2008
The recreational harvest season for red snapper in Gulf of Mexico federal waters opens on June 1 and will close on Aug. 5. Gulf federal waters extend beyond nine nautical miles from shore off of Florida.
The red snapper sport harvest season opened on April 15 in Gulf state waters and will close on Nov. 1. Florida Gulf waters extend from shore out to nine nautical miles.
The daily red snapper bag limit for sport anglers in all Gulf waters off of Florida is two fish per person, and the captain and crew of for-hire vessels in the Gulf may not keep the recreational bag limit.
The minimum size limit for recreational red snapper in the Gulf is 16 inches total length.
More information about red snapper management and regulations is available online at MyFWC.com/marine/.
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Snook Season Closes Statewide
May 27, 2008
The recreational harvest season for snook closes on June 1 in all Florida waters. Snook season will reopen statewide on Sept. 1.
Seasonal harvest closures protect Florida’s valuable snook populations and help sustain and improve the fishery for the future.
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Snook season closes May 1 in Gulf, Everglades and Monroe County waters
April 25, 2008
The recreational harvest season for snook will close May 1 in Florida’s Gulf of Mexico, Everglades National Park and Monroe County coastal and inland waters. The harvest season for snook will remain closed until Sept. 1 in these areas.
These seasonal harvest closures protect Florida’s valuable snook populations and help sustain and improve the fishery for the future.The recreational harvest season for snook will remain open until June 1 in Florida’s Atlantic coastal and inland waters, including Lake Okeechobee and the Kissimmee River. Anglers may keep one snook between 28-32 inches total length per day from these waters.
Contact: Lee Schlesinger, 850-487-0554
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