[ODFW-News] Central coast closes to coho angling Tuesday evening

[ODFW News]

Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife 	
Information and Education Division
Contact: 	Anne Pressentin Young 
Cell: (503) 804-0841 (Portland) 
Portland: (503) 872-5264 x5356 (Through Aug. 14, 2003)
Salem: (503) 947-6020  (Beginning Aug. 18, 2003)
Internet: www.dfw.state.or.us  Fax: (503) 872-5700
	
For Immediate Release	Thursday, August 14, 2003

Central coast closes to coho angling Tuesday evening

PORTLAND - State and federal fishery managers today decided to close the central coast to the harvest of adipose fin-clipped coho effective 11:59 p.m., Tuesday, Aug. 19, because the 88,000 coho quota will be met. The central coast will remain open to chinook angling.

"This year's coho fishery was a great success. We had nearly two full months of fishing compared to less than four weeks last year," said Curt Melcher, an ocean salmon biologist with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Hatchery-bred coho returned in higher numbers this year compared to recent years, which allowed fishery managers to increase the quota and the number of fishing days. 

Beginning Wednesday, Aug. 20, the central coast from Cape Falcon, near Manzanita, south to Humbug Mountain will be open for all salmon except coho. The daily bag limit is two salmon or steelhead per day with a minimum length of 20 inches. The season will stay open through Oct. 31. 

Additional information about the ocean salmon rules may be obtained at http://hmsc.oregonstate.edu/odfw/salmon/index.html .

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Information and Education Division
Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife
(503) 872-5264 ext 5528