OLYMPIA - Two sections of the lower Snake River in southeast Washington will open for fall chinook salmon fishing Sept. 1 with some changes from last year's season, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) announced today.

A good return of upriver bright chinook this year will allow the department to open the fishery on marked, hatchery-reared fish, said Glen Mendel, district fish biologist for WDFW.  

The hatchery chinook fishery, which is not listed in WDFW's Fishing in Washington sportfishing rules pamphlet, is scheduled to remain open through Oct. 15, but could close earlier if the allowable incidental impact to wild chinook is reached. The fishery is allowed under a federal permit that prescribes strict limits on the incidental catch of wild salmon protected under the federal Endangered Species Act (ESA).

SEATTLE — A 25-foot response boat crew from Coast Guard Station Neah Bay, Wash., boarded this 18-foot boat Thursday, Aug. 27, 2009, and found a duffle bag containing approximately 60,000 tablets of Ecstasy, worth approximately $720,000. The suspect operating the boat was detained by the Coast Guard boarding team and later arrested by members of the Coast Guard Investigative Service before being transported to the Clallam County jail. The drug seizure was made in cooperation with Makah Tribal Enforcement. (U.S. Coast Guard photo)

SEATTLE – The U.S. Coast Guard, Washington Department of Ecology and the Islands’ Oil Spill Association (IOSA) continue to monitor the area for oil spills where the fishing vessel Anna J capsized and sank about a half-mile south of Eagle Cove, San Juan Island, Friday evening.

The most recent fly-over at approximately noon Saturday did not note any sheen in the water. A two-mile long, light-colored sheen was reported during a flight earlier that morning. Small drops of diesel and other oil have been floating to the surface slowly. 

The agencies have assessed the beach and have found no spill impact. Hazardous debris from the vessel have been retrieved.

At this time, the agencies will continue to monitor the situation and had another over-flight planned for first light Sunday morning. Wave action, wind and sunlight are helping dissipate the oil drops naturally with minimal environmental impact.   

Westport, WA - The Washington Department of Ecology (Ecology) is providing nearly $1.4 million to help 12 Washington communities fund projects to prevent future damages from floods.