OLYMPIA – Starting Friday, Aug. 18, 2006 anglers will have four more days to catch and keep hatchery chinook salmon in the western Strait of Juan de Fuca, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) announced.

The chinook fishery, which closed today for a catch assessment, will reopen at 12:01 a.m. Friday, Aug. 18, 2006 though Monday, Aug. 21, 2006 from Ediz Hook to the mouth of the Sekiu River.

“Catch estimates indicate that anglers can catch and keep hatchery chinook salmon for a few more days without exceeding the quota,” said Tim Flint, WDFW salmon resource manager. “There are still some nice king salmon out there waiting to be caught.”

As of Aug. 14, anglers had caught an estimated 3,167 hatchery chinook since the fishery opened July 1 in Marine Area 5 and the western portion of Marine Area 6, Flint said. The chinook quota for those areas is 3,500 fish.

Under selective fishing rules, anglers must release any wild chinook, wild coho or chum salmon they intercept. Hatchery fish can be identified by a missing adipose fin with a healed scar.