Here’s why fishing along part of Whatcom Creek is ending more than six weeks early

Fishing along a portion of Whatcom Creek will end more than six weeks early in 2018 in response to low chum salmon returns this fall.

The Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife announced in a press release Wednesday that all fishing from the mouth of Whatcom Creek to the markers below the footbridge downstream from Dupont Street in Bellingham will close Thursday, Nov. 15.

Fishing along Whatcom Creek usually remains open until Dec. 31, according to the 2018-19 Washington Sport Fishing Rules.

The closure was necessary because the return of chum to Whatcom Creek is currently below the number needed for egg harvesting at the hatchery there, the release said.

The fishing season will reopen if egg-take projections show goals will be met, the release said. More information on future fishing seasons changes will be available at the WDFW website.

According to the Nov. 8 WDFW in-season hatchery escapement report, 20 adult chum have been counted at the Whatcom Creek hatchery. The Nov. 16, 2017, report counted 946 adult chum.

Chum salmon returns also were low in 2017, Sara Smith, an instructor in fisheries and aquaculture sciences at Bellingham Technical College, told The Bellingham Herald last December.

BTC’s Whatcom Creek hatchery counted only 1,378 fish in 2017, dramatically down from 10,089 in 2016, Smith said. Egg take in 2017 also was less than half of the 2.5 million goal, with 834,750.

“It looks like a really drastic decline but salmon runs are naturally highly variable from year to year,” Smith told The Herald. “It’s not a dire situation, but it was pretty darn low.”

Chum, also known as dog salmon, is the most abundant salmon species in Washington state, according to the WDFW, and has shown resilience at a time when other species in Washington waters have struggled.

This story was originally published November 14, 2018 at 9:57 AM.