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ILWACO — Local ports and charter offices are brimming with optimism as commercial and sport anglers gear up for two of the area’s most important fisheries, including the start of the recreational ocean salmon season and the anticipated annual arrival of schooling albacore tuna.

Each fishery will kick into high gear in the coming days and weeks, starting with recreational salmon this Saturday, June 22.

The commercial tuna season doesn’t have a designated start date, but will begin when tuna arrive in favorable numbers offshore, potentially by early July.

Coastal recreational salmon

The 2024 recreational ocean salmon fisheries reflect forecasts for Columbia River Chinook that are similar to 2023. The number of hatchery coho expected to return to the Columbia River is lower than 2023 but should provide good opportunities, according to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. WDFW fishery managers agreed to recreational ocean quotas of 41,000 Chinook and 79,800 marked coho. The Chinook quota is up slightly from 39,000 in 2023.

“We’re blessed with a quota that’s about equal to what we caught last season,” said Sea Breeze Charters owner Steve Sohlstrom.

“If we can do an exact repeat, we should have ample opportunity to get well past Labor Day weekend. The season is officially on the books until Sept. 30, if all goes well and the quota holds on. But we think we can at least get past Labor Day (Sept. 2), which is a big win for us. We’re very optimistic, starting June 22 it’s seven days a week with two salmon per day — exactly the same season we had last year.”

Marine Area 4 (Neah Bay), Marine Area 3 (La Push), and Marine Area 1 (Ilwaco) will open for salmon retention beginning Saturday, June 22. Marine Area 2 (Westport-Ocean Shores) opens June 30-July 11 on Sundays through Thursdays only, and then opens daily beginning July 14. Marine Areas 2, 3 and 4 are scheduled to remain open until Sept. 15 or until quotas are met. Marine Area 1 is scheduled to remain open until Sept. 30 or until quotas are met. Species and size restrictions are dependent on the area.

Local charter offices have been busy booking customers by phone, online and in-person in recent weeks.

“We’re coming out of the gate with a robust reservation book,” said Sohlstrom, who has seen growth and benefits since implementing online booking a couple of years ago. “We receive 53% of all sales online. People can go onto our website, point, click and pay without having to pick up the phone to call us. Every day and every night reservations are coming in.”

Commercial tuna

After a tough tuna season last summer, when fish failed to show in significant numbers and markets fizzled, fishermen are hopeful for a rebound this year.

Only 2,016 metric tons of albacore were caught by commercial fishermen in Washington in 2023, less than half the total of 2022 (4,411 metric tons). The 2023 tuna catch was among the lowest totals in the past 25 years for Washington — less than half the 10-year average (5,500 metric tons) — while mirroring record lows in 2021 (1,910 metric tons) and 1999 (2,081 metric tons).

Washington commercial albacore landings languished through the 80s, reaching a high of only 1,903 metric tons in 1988. The catch rate continued to climb through the 90s, reaching a decade high in 1998 (6,643 metric tons). The highest Washington commercial tuna landing total occurred in 2003 (10,793 metric tons).

As a migratory species, Pacific albacore tuna catch is highly sporadic season-to-season, often dictated by oceanic conditions offshore.

Water temperature is a major factor in determining where the tuna are targeted, typically in blue water with surface temperatures 60 degrees or above. Ideally they can be reached within 50 miles offshore, a reasonable distance for daily charter vessels and day-boat tuna fishermen.

Considered a sustainable species, there are two stocks of Pacific albacore tuna: the North Pacific stock and the South Pacific stock, neither of which face overfishing, according to NOAA stock assessments.

North Pacific albacore, particularly juveniles (two to four years old), typically begin their expansive migration in the spring and early summer in waters off Japan, according to NOAA. They move into inshore waters off the U.S. Pacific Coast by late summer, then spend late fall and winter in the western Pacific Ocean.

El Niño impact

Some of the best albacore tuna seasons off the Washington coast have occurred during moderate El Niño years, when climate patterns produce above-average sea temperatures in the Pacific. The three highest annual catch totals on record occurred during El Niño years, including 2003 (10,793), 2004 (8,309) and 2014 (8,281). The 2014 to 2016 El Niño, considered among the ‘strongest’ on record, produced the highest three-year tuna catch on record for Washington, averaging more than 8,000 metric tons each season.

The latest 2023-2024 El Niño event concluded in May, with a transition to La Niña, or a period cooling of Pacific surface temps, by late summer, according to the latest observations by NOAA. For now, however, above-average sea temperatures are still lingering off our local shore.

“It looks like the water might be a little warmer than usual this time of the year,” said Shake N Bake charter owner Mike Colbach.

“Pretty sure the El Niño means an early tuna season — my guess is we see tuna by the Fourth of July,” he said.

The helpful ocean temperature-monitoring site nvs.nanoos.org/TunaFish on June 18 showed a large area of comparatively warm 60-degree water roughly 100 miles west of the mouth of Willapa Bay.

Bustling boatyard

Sparks have been flying at the Ilwaco Boatyard this week as commercial and recreational vessels undergo final preparations for the busy summer fishing season.

In the covered buildings, local fabricators cut sheets of aluminum and bent stainless steel hand railings for vessels built for future fishing endeavors.

Among them was Nomad Fabrication owner Ian Rittenberg, who was busy measuring and cutting aluminum sheets of metal for a fuel tank, part of a “total remodel” of an all-aluminum vessel F/V Flagship, intended for future use in commercial crabbing. Rittenberg has been working on the rebuild the last couple of months for a local commercial fishing family.

“We tore up all the decks, replaced rotten material and resealed the compartments,” Rittenberg said. “It was a total gutting of the inside, pulling out all the electronics and cabinetry. Everything that goes back into the boat is going to be new.”

Meanwhile outside, Tanner Bonawitz, owner of the F/V Condor II, a 1926 wooden vessel built by famous boat builder Joseph ‘Josie’ George, had his vessel hauled out in May to begin work, including replacing some ribs in the fish hold, fixing the sponson and “replacing a few rotten planks” with help from shipwright Earl Soule, in preparation of the upcoming commercial albacore tuna season.

Nearby, resting on blocks was the F/V Four Sea’Sons, a 49-foot charter vessel awaiting a steering shaft replacement. The vessel, owned by the Schenk family, is named after the four boys that worked on the boat. “My dad bought it and had four sons that worked on the boats. Then I got it and had four sons that worked on the boats,” said Dan Schenk.

Halibut season heating up

Recreational halibut fishing, which started May 2, has been heating up in recent days, charter offices reported, with several ‘jumbos’ exceeding 35 pounds getting wrestled to the decks.

“The halibut fishing has been excellent,” Sohlstrom said.

“We’re well past the halfway point now for halibut. We’ve caught our limit or near limit on every trip so far this season. The only thing we’ve suffered is losing about six days due to weather out of the roughly 24 days we’ve had.”

The halibut catch has been particularly impressive over the past week.

“We had our single best halibut day yesterday (June 16). The weather and ocean was perfect, the drift was moderate and we caught 12 beautiful halibut, so the fishing has been good. About four days ago, we caught a 32-, 38- and a 42-pounder all on the same day; just a beautiful grade of big, thick halibut. It was exciting to see some jumbos come on the deck,” Sohlstrom said.

The Sea Breeze charter fleet, which includes the F/V Salty Dog, F/V Sea Breeze, F/V Legacy, F/V Dolphin, F/V Bluefin and F/V Four Sea’Sons will utilize a few new skippers and crew this season. Robbie Norman will run the F/V Legacy and Mark Blymyer will operate the F/V Four Sea’Sons, with deckhand Avalon Sullivan assisting on the F/V Salty Dog.