Forum Index > Trail Talk > Emergency Closure of Recreational Fishing in Most Rivers of Olympic National Park 10/06/21
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PostWed Oct 05, 2022 3:55 pm 
Wednesday, Oct.5 1 2022 Olympic National Park News Release Emergency Closure of Recreational Fishing in Most Rivers and Streams of Olympic National Park to Begin on October 6 To protect several fish populations during the ongoing severe low-flow conditions, an emergency closure of recreational fishing will begin on October 6 at 12:01 am. The following river systems within Olympic National Park will close to all recreational fishing until further notice: Ozette, Bogachiel, South Fork Calawah, Sol Duc, North Fork Sol Duc, Dickey, Quillayute, Hoh, South Fork Hoh, Queets, Salmon, and Quinault Rivers (including East Fork, North Fork, Main Stem). Additionally, Cedar, Goodman, Kalaloch, and Mosquito Creeks within Olympic National Park are closed as of 12:01 AM October 6, 2022. This year’s severe drought conditions have reduced river flows to at or near historic low levels. This emergency closure is designed to protect fish in areas where severe conditions have reduced river flows to historical low levels. Low water conditions may impede upstream spawning migrations and also increase the vulnerability of salmonids to angling as fish concentrate in smaller and smaller pools. The broad application of this closure is necessary to address angling pressure during these extreme low-flow conditions to better protect Pacific salmon, steelhead trout, and federally threatened bull trout in the park’s rivers and creeks. This closure is consistent with our cooperative managers. Olympic National Park sport fishing regulations for 2022-2023 are available on the park’s website at https://www.nps.gov/olym/planyourvisit/fishing.htm as well as at park visitor centers, fee booths, ranger stations, and area fishing stores. - NPS -

"I shall wear white flannel trousers, and walk upon the beach. I have heard the mermaids singing, each to each."
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PostWed Oct 05, 2022 3:57 pm 
Queets down to 364 CFS 10/05/22 @ 15:30 PDT frown.gif

"I shall wear white flannel trousers, and walk upon the beach. I have heard the mermaids singing, each to each."
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RumiDude
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PostWed Oct 05, 2022 8:38 pm 
I believe this is the second time they have closed fishing because of low flow in the last three or four years. I'm not saying it's climate change but ... climate change. Rumi

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Cyclopath
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PostWed Oct 05, 2022 8:45 pm 
frown.gif Thanks for letting us know.

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PostWed Oct 05, 2022 9:18 pm 
Rumi, this has been going on for decades now. I contacted USGS years ago to get the record high and record low for the wikipedia page. Lowest flow recorded for the Queets was September 25-28, 2005 when it was running at 281 cfs. I was up there that year. The ford at Sams was ankle deep. There were little kids playing in the middle of the river. Little kids. Toddlers. In the Queets. 364 is kind of scary. Fish are laying off the coast at the mouths of the rivers waiting to smell that rain hit those rivers and they're not getting any younger. But hey, there's no such thing as global warming or climate change, right? wtf do I know about the Queets, anyway? dizzy.gif

"I shall wear white flannel trousers, and walk upon the beach. I have heard the mermaids singing, each to each."
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PostWed Oct 05, 2022 9:58 pm 
I was up the Queets last Friday (September 30). It was running at about 440 cfs then after getting a bit of rain the day berfore. https://waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis/uv?cb_00060=on&cb_00065=on&format=gif_default&site_no=12040500&period=9&begin_date=2022-09-29&end_date=2022-10-06 While putting on my shoes after crossing the Queets, I noticed a single salmon in the river. It looked like it was having difficulty moving because the water level was so low....

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PostThu Oct 06, 2022 3:12 am 
Anadromous fish undergo some pretty radical changes on their way back to their spawning beds. Here's a few struggling their way up Swan Creek a few years ago. They get all beat to hell moving upstream. By the time they're up to Alta/Hee-Hee they've got their dorsal fins shredded and only maybe half a tail.

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Get Out and Go
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PostFri Oct 07, 2022 11:29 am 
A sad situation up the coast in B.C. frown.gif https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-us-canada-63136680

"These are the places you will find me hiding'...These are the places I will always go." (Down in the Valley by The Head and The Heart) "Sometimes you're happy. Sometimes you cry. Half of me is ocean. Half of me is sky." (Thanks, Tom Petty)

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altasnob
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PostFri Oct 07, 2022 12:55 pm 
Get Out and Go wrote:
A sad situation up the coast in B.C. frown.gif https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-us-canada-63136680
Interesting. That river is way up there. Looks closer to Alaska than Vancouver. At some point as you move north you go from drier than normal conditions to wetter than normal. Alaska is getting hammered by rain and is not in any current drought (the entire state). Washington is only "abnormally dry" and "moderate drought" at the moment.

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PostThu Dec 01, 2022 4:19 pm 
Thursday December 1, 2022 15:07 PST Olympic National Park News Release Sport fishing regulation changes in Olympic National Park will protect wild steelhead The Queets, Salmon, and Quinault Rivers will be closed to recreational fishing to protect fish populations. PORT ANGELES, Wash. – Due to significant and ongoing conservation concerns, the Queets and Salmon Rivers will remain closed to sport fishing to protect wild steelhead populations. Additionally, the Quinault River within Olympic National Park will be closed to fishing on December 1, 2022. The decision to close these three rivers to recreational fishing is based on a low forecasted return of wild steelhead below the escapement goal of 4,200 fish, chronic low abundances of wild steelhead resulting in the failure to meet the escapement goal in each of the last six years dating back to the 2016-17 season, and projected in-river commercial harvest levels of approximately 19% of the wild run, resulting in an estimated 1,000 fewer adult wild steelhead than expected. In August 2022, coastal steelhead in Washington were petitioned for listing under the Endangered Species Act. This is a challenging time for recreational anglers in Olympic National Park, following prolonged closures earlier this fall due to historic low river flows and additional closures on the Queets and Salmon Rivers due to higher than expected harvest levels of Fall Chinook salmon. Fisheries within Olympic National Park are managed to provide diverse fishing opportunities, allow for the harvest of hatchery steelhead, and preserve wild salmonid populations. The National Park Service appreciates the cooperation and understanding of recreational anglers and guides during this time. Olympic National Park is implementing the following in-season changes: Queets River: Closed to recreational fishing beginning December 1, 2022 Salmon River: Closed to recreational fishing beginning December 1, 2022 Quinault River (upper bridge downstream to park boundary): Closed to recreational fishing beginning December 1, 2022 On November 30, 2022, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) announced sport fishing closures on sections of the Queets and Quinault Rivers managed by the WDFW. The sport fishing regulations in Olympic National Park are implemented in cooperation with the WDFW. The Queets, Quinault, and Salmon Rivers within Olympic National Park are expected to reopen to recreational angling on June 1, 2023. For current fishing regulations and information, please visit the park website here. -NPS-
Chinooks. Smith Place - Queets Valley - ONP - 09/28/03
Chinooks. Smith Place - Queets Valley - ONP - 09/28/03

"I shall wear white flannel trousers, and walk upon the beach. I have heard the mermaids singing, each to each."

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PostMon Dec 05, 2022 4:48 pm 
I don't fish much (I'd like to!), but this is sad. Hope the situation gets better (edit: for the recreational fisher) and not worse, but after hearing some thoughts from a friend who spends quite a bit of time fishing on the ONP, it doesn't sound like they will.

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