Cliff Notes version:

Guide community requested modeling what a one-fish bag does for saving wild coho to hopefully extend the Chehalis basin coho season thru December. Region 6 did the mathematical gymnastics over the past 10 days and came up with a large reduction in the harvest of hatchery coho with a savings of only 30 wild coho.

They also received comments from other stakeholders that a 2 fish bag during the money months of Oct and Nov was more important than a longer season into December.

Season stands as presented at the April 17 meeting.


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Full explanation from the lead bio below...

"Another suggestion provided at the April 17 meeting was reduce the bag limit during freshwater salmon season from a two fish adult bag limit to a one fish adult bag limit in order to extend freshwater recreational salmon opportunity into the month of December. Similar to the open-dates change, our analysis of the reduction in bag limit would reduce the total harvest of hatchery Coho and would further reduce total impact to wild Coho by approximately 30 fish.

Catch Record Card (CRC) data indicates that 78% of the total Coho harvest occurs within the October to November period (Figure 1). Conversely, only 6% of the total Coho harvest takes place during the first two weeks of December.

It is also worth noting that regional WDFW staff have received comments during and after the April 7th advisory meeting from recreational fishers that they would not be in support of reducing the bag limit in order to extend salmon fishing opportunity within the Grays Harbor Basin. After careful consideration of the input received, Commission policy on salmon management in the Grays Harbor Basin, conservation objectives, and the additional analysis summarized above, the WDFW intends complete the rule-making process to implement the season described during the April 17 meeting; see season detail below.

MARINE AREA 2.2
Humptulips North Bay Fishery: August 1 – September 15, daily limit 2 (combined), Release wild Coho
East Grays Harbor Fishery: October 1 – November 30, daily limit 1, release Chinook

FRESHWATER
Lower Chehalis River (mouth to Hwy 107 Bridge): October 1 – November 30, daily limit 6 only 1 adult may be retained, release adult Chinook

Chehalis River and Tributaries: October 1 – November 30, daily limit 6 only 2 adults may be retained, release adult Chinook and adult wild Coho

Humptulips River: September 1 – September 30, daily limit 6 up to 2 adults may be retained of which only 1 may be a wild Chinook, release wild Coho

Humptulips River: October 1 – November 30, daily limit 6 only 1 adult may be retained, release wild adult Chinook and wild Coho

SPRING CHINOOK
Chehalis River (to Hwy 6 Bridge near the town of Adna): May 1 – June 30, daily limit 1 adult

JACK FISHERY
Chehalis River (to South Elma Bridge): August 1 – September 15, daily limit 6, release adults