Fisheries

Frequently Asked Questions

When does the Quilcene River open?

  • SUBSISTENCE: Opens August 16th–31st with a daily limit of 6 coho. From Sept 1st –October 15th, no limit. From October 16th — November 30th a daily limit of 6 fish. All chinook and chum must be released through October 30th. All subsistence fishing is limited between Rogers Street and Highway 101.
  • HANDHELD COMMERCIAL: Managed in-season, but usually opens around September 1st.
  • SPECIAL HATCHERY HOLE OPENERS: Managed in-season. Openings depend on coho returns to the hatchery. Alternating fishing schedule (PGST/Jamestown and Skokomish/Elwha). No guarantee that this fishery occurs every year.

*Always confirm opening dates with the current regulation as they can vary year to year.

Boys with salmon

Where can I fish for Chinook?

  • Area 9 from June 1st—September 30 (with a bag limit of 6), and Area 9a (Port Gamble Bay) from October 1st—April 30th, are the only areas that are open for subsistence Chinook. All catch must be recorded on your subsistence cards. See the subsistence regulation for further details.

When is Halibut Open?

  • The Halibut fishery has up to 3 openers a year. The first fishery is unrestricted, the second fishery is a restricted fishery (trip limit) and the third fishery is a mop up if there are any pounds left.
  • Subsistence is open year-round except for the 2 weeks prior to the international commercial opening date (usually early March). During commercial fisheries, only 4 fish per vessel is allowed with the tail clearly marked. Any other time is 2 fish per fisher. See regulations for further details.
  • Logbooks are required for any vessel over the size of 26 feet and are recommended for smaller vessels. The data gathered from logbooks allows managers to estimate the number of halibut are in the waters. Due to the low returns of logbooks, the 13 halibut tribes are at risk to losing some of their quota. The logbooks help illustrate the success of our fishery.