Fishing issues on Skokomish, Nisqually and Puyallup rivers topic of meeting tonight

Jeff Mayor; Staff writer • Published March 19, 2013

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The state is holding a meeting tonight to discuss potential changes in fishing rules to curb illegal fishing practices, particularly on the Skokomish River.

The meeting is set to run from 6-8 p.m. in Room 172 of the Natural Resources Building, 1111 Washington St. S.E., Olympia.

The state Department of Fish and Wildlife scheduled the meeting to discuss this year’s salmon returns and potential fishing seasons in southern Puget Sound as part of the season-setting process, also known as North of Falcon.

Attendees will have the chance to talk to fishery managers about the pre-season forecasts and potential recreational salmon fisheries in south Puget Sound, particularly in the Puyallup, Nisqually and Skokomish rivers.

At the March 1 meeting when the preseason salmon run forecasts were released, fishery managers talked of potential changes in the rules. They want to take steps to cut down on the illegal taking of fish and leaving behind garbage and human waste in hopes of avoiding shutting down a fishery.

While the issue is reaching a crucial level on the Skokomish, it also is becoming a concern on the Nisqually River, Larry Phillips, district fishery biologiist for Pierce and Thurston counties, said at the March 1 meeting.

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