Some questions on Grays Harbor bag limits. The two fish bag limit is the traditional normal bag limit. Now the timing of the season can move around dependant on the harvestable numbers. Some years if we fish full bag early on the takes out the Nov & Dec fisheries. In general it has been accepted that time on the water is more important than a larger bag limit. So a Oct. 15 to Dec 31 one bag trumps Oct. 15 to Nov 15 two bag limit. You can even have a reduced bag on a particular stream if the returns cannot support a full bag. This can get a bit testy though as an example bay / tidal harvest is OK on these fish but then comes conservation on the inland fisheries. Thus far I think R-6 have navigated this OK but it will come around again as individual stream escapements are always an issue.

The bag limit can be greater if the numbers and GHMP sharing guidelines permit. Say Coho is way up, Chinook down, Chum normal. That would get you 3 fish bag of which only can be one Chum and release Chinook. So let us do Coho are above average, Chum way up, Chinook average. That gets you 3 bag limit of only two can be Coho release Chinook.

Then you look to the GHMP for such things as the 3/5 clause that limits harvest impacts to 5% of any salmon species that fails to make escapement. ( Humptulips natural Coho and Chehalis Chinook have been perennial restrictors ) Then you have the fact that WDFW manages the Hump and Chehalis separately but PFMC and the Nation manage to the aggregate of all Grays Harbor streams, which messes with the numbers. Now add to the mix the sharing with the Nation required by the courts. The Nation is entitled to 50% of the harvest of fish that enter Wash St waters. So the ocean catch by NT charters, Rec, trollers counts in the Non Treaty ( NT ) Grays Harbor sharing. Tribal ocean fisheries count against the Nations share. That is how you get the proposed two week shut down for inriver Rec and reduced bay fisheries. The aggregate Grays Harbor Coho escapement was not a issue only sharing with the Nation and as always Hump Coho.

As complex and confusing this all sounds it really is not. It is more like checking boxes which steer you to the next question. You could take 10 different sets of numbers for each species, work your way through the GHMP guidelines, tribal requirements, and end up with different Rec bag limits. Starting point for Rec fishers is 2 bag limit and then you add or subtract fish / species driven by the above mentioned requirements.