OLYMPIA – Salmon fishing in Marine Area 11 (Tacoma-Vashon Island) is open daily through June 30 and daily limit increases beginning June 21 to two hatchery Chinook salmon, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) announced today.
Estimates of the catch through June 15, indicate the fishery has reached 30% of the hatchery Chinook quota (425 of 1,423), 13% of the total unmarked wild fish encounter (122 of 910) and 2% of the sublegal fish encounter (41 of 2,608) agreed to in the List of Agreed Fisheries.
The June season was originally scheduled to be open Wednesdays through Saturdays only from June 5-30, but slower catch rates will allow for additional days of fishing in June. The daily limit is two salmon, and anglers may retain up to two hatchery Chinook. Chinook minimum size limit is 22 inches. Release chum and wild Chinook. In Marine Areas 5 through 13, it is illegal to bring salmon aboard a vessel if it is unlawful to retain that salmon. “Aboard a vessel” is defined as inside the gunwale (upper edge of the side of a boat) and is to reduce further stress or possible mortality.
“Monitoring data collected to date indicates that we are in a position to add additional opportunity not originally planned for pre-season fishing. It is exciting, and reminiscent of historic June fisheries we’ve seen in past years where anglers are not encountering a lot of juvenile fish,” said Christina Iverson, WDFW’s Puget Sound Salmon Manager.
The 2024 hatchery Chinook retention fishery in Marine Area 11 – from the northern tip of Vashon Island to the northernmost part of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge – is split into two distinct seasons to allow for additional summer fishing.
Salmon fishing in Marine Area 11 will reopen July 18-20. The allowable catch quota during the second half of the season is 3,379 hatchery-marked Chinook and a total sublegal encounter limit of 5,907 fish. WDFW will assess the Chinook catch after the initial three-day opener. Additional Chinook openings in Marine Area 11 may occur in late July based on available quota, and it is currently planned to open for Chinook on Aug. 1.
State fishery managers indicate the two summer segments were modeled separately due to the stock composition found in Marine Area 11 during June and the July to September time frames. This allowed fishery managers to meet all management objectives for stocks of concern and add time on the water. This type of management planning for summer fisheries also occurs in other marine areas. To view the Puget Sound salmon fishery guidelines and quotas, visit WDFW webpage.
Puget Sound salmon seasons are a result of an annual collaborative state and tribal salmon season-setting process known as North of Falcon and information can be found on the WDFW North of Falcon webpage.
Several other marine areas are currently open for salmon fishing and refer to the WDFW webpage or the 2024-25 WDFW regulation pamphlet for details. You can also follow in-season salmon management updates this summer and fall, by going to the WDFW’s “The Salmon Fishing Current” blog.
The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife works to preserve, protect, and perpetuate fish, wildlife and ecosystems while providing sustainable fish and wildlife recreational and commercial opportunities.
Stay informed during the summer and fall salmon fishing season with WDFW’s The Salmon Fishing Current. The work by WDFW fishery managers doesn’t end once the salmon seasons are approved, and the continued efforts to provide marine and freshwater fishing opportunities and in-season updates span nearly every day of the year.
The blog is a way to provide regular updates of any in-season fishing rule changes, emergency closures or other related developments in Puget Sound, the coast and Columbia River. We hope this blog provides a better understanding of why those changes could occur.
The latest blog covers WDFW’s decision to open the Marine Area 11 (Tacoma-Vashon Island) salmon fishery daily through June 30 and increase the daily catch limit to two hatchery Chinook per angler.