Washington announces unprecedented full closure of coastal steelhead fishing

OLYMPIA, Wash. — The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife announced a full closure of coastal steelhead fishing on Wednesday.

The unprecedented move is being made to help support conservation efforts.

The closure begins Tuesday, March 1, and will be in effect for all sport fishing throughout the Washington coast and the Strait of Juan de Fuca.

The closure follows indications of lower returns than fishery managers expected.

“With this preliminary data in hand that now suggests coastal steelhead returns are significantly lower than we expected, we need to take bold, swift actions for the future of these runs,” said Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife fish program director Kelly Cunningham.

WDFW will be forming a long-term management plan to protect the native and hatchery-produced steelhead. The plan will be submitted to the legislature by the end of 2022.

For more information about coastal steelhead management, visit wdfw.wa.gov/coastal-steelhead.

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