Washington State Marine Area 4B

Comments by Doug Wilson, Monroe, WA.

As a Washington resident who has fished Marine Area 4 and 4B, both as a sport fisherman and as a licensed commercial hand-line jigger at times over the past 45 years, I would like to make some observations about the fishery, the economic impact of the fishery and tourism to the area.

Much of the concern about Marine area 4B is related to bottomfish, primarily Rockfish, Lingcod, and Cabezone.
Concerns about Rockfish populations appear to be the major issue.

Gone are the days when Rockfish were considered scrap fish. They have become an integral part of the fishery at the western end of the Strait of Juan DeFuca where populations are still healthy according to WDFW.

Reductions of bag limits instituted in 2010 in Marine Area 4 are a wise, if somewhat conservative move to protect this valuable resource.

I recall the early days of my fishing there when rockfish limits were 25 fish per day and many people didn’t even realize that there were set limits. Being a salmon oriented culture very few sport anglers’ targeted rockfish in the 1960’s, considering them a nusience fish.

Salmon anglers were warned; “stay away from Duncan Rocks, those blankety-blank sea bass will drive you nuts and run you out of bait”.

As our salmon fisheries became more restricted in the 1980’s, rockfish became a more targeted fish, particularly in Puget Sound.

Since Demersal Rockfish were the primary species in Puget Sound, intensive fishing resulted in vastly reducing the population, resulting in out present day condition of rockfish no longer being legal to retain in Puget Sound, the San Juan Islands and the eastern Strait of Juan DeFuca.

There is no doubt in my mind that we closed the barn door too late in regard to fisheries management of rockfish populations in Puget Sound and the San Juan Islands.

However, current management of rockfish in Marine Area 4B provides a
viable fishery with reasonable retention limits. We should be able to have a sustainable resource fishery without further restrictions or closed areas in 4B.

I propose that there are three factors to be considered in area 4B.

Under current regulations on pelagic rockfish Sebastes melonops and Sebastes mystinus, commonly known, as Black and Blue rockfish are the only rockfish legal to retain.

These pelagic rockfish are migratory and unlikely to be over-fished due to the fact that they, unlike Demersal rockfish move throughout the year at times great distances.
In future regulation settings, I would recommend that Yellowtail and Widow RF which are also pelagic be included in the sport fishing limit in open Washington waters.

A second factor in area 4B is the weather. Weather conditions in the western Strait of Juan DeFuca limit the number of days of effectively fishing the area.

Reasonable retention limits currently in effect should provide a sustained sport fishery without closing sections of Marine area 4B.
There currently are proposals to close sections of 4B and make it non-consumptive areas.

It is my understanding that these areas would hopefully attract tourism in the form of scuba diving activities. Since there is ample opportunity for divers to visit these areas already, closure to fishing does not seem justified, particularly when the economic impact of lost revenue to the communities and businesses on the Olympic Peninsula from Port Angeles to Neah Bay may occur. In fact the economic impact may indeed effect a greater portion of Washington State.

How much revenue would the Washington State Ferry System suffer if fishermen stopped going to area 4B or area 4?

The money that I and others spend in the Seattle area where I live, then on the WSF, then in Port Angeles, Sekui and Neah Bay could be lost if portions of Marine area 4B were no longer available and I and other anglers said, it isn’t worth going.

The groceries I buy in Port Angeles, the meals in Clallam Bay and Neah Bay won’t happen if I don’t go, nor will the resorts and charter boats see any money that I might spend.

Restricting fishing areas in 4B will only result in economic suffering for businesses in the region. It is unlikely that it will increase other tourism to offset these losses.

The area in 4B offers safer fishing conditions for small boats at times when the open ocean is dangerous, which can be frequently. Eliminating areas from Tatoosh Island and eastbound will negatively effect safe areas for small boaters that cannot safely fish the open ocean of area 4 during difficult weather.

For these reasons, I urge the WDFW Commission and WDFW to stay with the current regulations and designations for Marine area 4B.

Respectfully,

Doug Wilson

Doug Wilson is a Monroe, Washington freelance outdoor writer who has fished rockfish from northern California to the Gulf of Alaska. He is the co-author of New Techniques for Catching Bottom Fish, published in 1977 and an advocate of shallow water fishing for rockfish.