Editor’s Note: Information has been added to the article regarding Indigenous people’s right to fish before, during and after this closure.
BELLINGHAM, WA (MyBellinghamNow.com) – Changes to fishing in Whatcom County are forthcoming.
The state Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) will prohibit fishing on all parts of the Nooksack River in the western half of Whatcom County.
This includes the Mainstem, North, Middle and South forks of the river. The department said the closures will take effect starting Saturday, May 25.
The Nooksack River will be closed from the Lummi Reservation boundary to its meeting with the North and South forks. From there, North Fork will be closed all the way to Nooksack Falls and the South Fork is closed to Skookum Creek. The Middle Fork is closed from the mouth to former Bellingham diversion dam.
While the mainstem will close through July, the forks will likely all stay closed until Sept. 30.
WDFW said the closures are to protect the wild steelhead trout and critically endangered spring Chinook salmon over the summer.
WDFW’s Chase Gunnell said that closures like this are seasonal but this year it is more expansive and includes more restrictions than past years. He added for anglers to check on WDFW’s website for updates as some sections of the river will reopen later in the summer to limited fishing of species like coho salmon.
Gunnell added in an email that tribal fisheries are not under WDFW jurisdiction. Instead, they and other U.S. agencies co-manage catch allocation and sustainable practices with the tribes as part of their sovereign status. Indigenous people in the county with a permit can continue to fish on the Nooksack.
