OLYMPIA - The public boat launch at Pleasant Harbor near Brinnon on Hood Canal will be closed twice in early September while the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) wraps up an improvement project at the site.

Sport halibut season to open in Marine Area 1, Marine Area 4 East of the Bonilla-Tatoosh Line and shoreward of 30 fathoms in Marine Areas 3 and 4

Action: Open recreational fishing for halibut in Marine Areas 3 and 4 shoreward of a line approximating 30 fathoms from the Bonilla-Tatoosh line south to the Queets River, all of Marine Area 4 East of the Bonilla-Tatoosh Line and Marine Area 1.

Fishery Remains Open for Hatchery Coho and Steelhead

Action: The mainstem Columbia River from Buoy 10 upstream to the Rocky Point/Tongue Point line will close to chinook retention effective Monday, Aug. 25, 2008, but will remain open for hatchery coho and steelhead.

Salmon fishing is going strong at the mouth of the Columbia River, catch rates remain steady off the coast and the popular Elliott Bay chinook fishery in Puget Sound will open for one more weekend, Aug. 22-25.

Visitors to Salmon Lake State Park on Saturday, Aug. 23 will be able to discover the Atlatl at a special evening program. Considered the first true weapon system developed by humans, the Atlatl’s origins date back over 30,000 years.

OLYMPIA - As part of a joint clean-up effort, 20 members of the U.S. Army Dive Company are taking to the waters of Puget Sound to remove hundreds of old tires located offshore at Saltwater State Park near Des Moines.

Action: Open recreational fishing for halibut in Marine Area 1 (Ilwaco). Prohibit fishing for, retention, and possession of all bottomfish except sablefish and Pacific cod, when halibut are onboard the vessel.

OLYMPIA - The recreational fishery in Marine Area 9 (Admiralty Inlet) is scheduled to re-open for the retention of hatchery chinook salmon Tuesday (Aug. 12) through Friday (Aug. 15), the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) announced today.

Action: Allows retention of hatchery Chinook salmon in Catch Record Area 9 from Aug. 12 through Aug. 15. Closes all salmon fishing in Area 9 south of a line from Foulweather Bluff to Olele Point through Aug. 15.

Who: Through a cooperative effort between the FishAmerica Foundation, National Oceanic Atmospheric Association (NOAA) Restoration Center, and North Olympic Salmon Coalition, the media along with Members of Congress have been invited to tour the newly restored Salmon Creek Estuary in Port Hadlock, Washington, and learn how federal, state and nonprofit groups worked to restore this degraded estuary, damaged by wood waste from a lumber mill.

OLYMPIA - The recreational fishery in Marine Area 9 (Admiralty Inlet) is scheduled to re-open for the retention of hatchery chinook salmon Tuesday (Aug. 12) through Friday (Aug. 15), the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) announced today.

North Puget Sound

Fishing: Anglers fishing for hatchery chinook salmon in Admiralty Inlet have been racking up some of the highest catch rates of the season, but time is running out. With the 4,000-fish catch guideline fast approaching, Marine Area 9 is now scheduled to close for retention of all chinook salmon at the end of the day Sunday, Aug. 10.

But We All Have to Look Out for One Another

With summer nearing the halfway point, Washingtonians are scrambling to make the most of their time outdoors. For some, the choice about where to go and what to do is clear.

Effective dates: Aug. 11 through Aug. 15, 2008.

Species affected: Chinook salmon.

Location: Catch Record Area 9, Admiralty Inlet.

Reasons for action: Hatchery Chinook harvest is projected to exceed the 4,000 fish guideline.

OLYMPIA - Modifications to salmon and steelhead hatchery operations on the lower Columbia River will be discussed at four public meetings this month in southwest Washington.

The public meetings will begin at 6 p.m. and are scheduled for:

For the first time since 2004, Lake Wenatchee sockeye salmon fishing will open tomorrow (Aug. 6).

The daily fishery will close when the harvest quota is reached, likely on short notice, said Jeff Korth, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) north-central region fish program manager.

Action: Opens Lake Wenatchee for sockeye salmon fishing.

Effective date/time: Aug. 6, 2008 until further notice.

Species affected: Sockeye salmon

Daily limit: The daily limit per angler is two sockeye 12 inches in length or greater.

OLYMPIA - The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) is accepting letters of interest through Sept. 30 for membership on the department’s Master Hunter Advisory Group.

The group, which represents master hunters statewide, advises WDFW on issues and opportunities affecting master hunters and the Master Hunter program.

Action: Opens salmon fishing on the Entiat River (Chelan County).

Effective dates: Aug. 1 through Aug. 31, 2008.

Daily limit: Daily limit six summer Chinook salmon, minimum size 12 inches. Only two adults may be retained. Bull trout, coho and steelhead must be released unharmed.