More input invited on proposed sport fishing changes

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife has extended to Thursday, Nov. 12, the public comment period on proposed 2016-17 sport-fishing rule changes fish and wildlife commissioners will discuss at their November meeting and take action in December.

Prompting this extension were additional conservation-oriented regulation modifications, recommended by a regional citizen advisory group, principally affecting steelheading on north coast streams.

This suite of possible rule changes includes requiring release of wild steelhead and rainbow trout, restricting use of bait, mandating barbless hooks and banning fishing from boats on certain stream reaches on the Olympic Peninsula.

These new rules plus the original package of 50 proposed changes, including some that apply to Whatcom County streams can be view at wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/regulations/rule_proposals/.

This story was originally published October 31, 2015 at 5:23 PM with the headline "More input invited on proposed sport fishing changes."