To protect declining populations of wild steelhead, Olympic National Park is closing the Queets, Salmon and Quinault Rivers to sport fishing on Nov. 27. 

Due to low forecasted returns, these conservation closures are necessary to eliminate any sport impacts to wild steelhead making their way to spawning areas inside and outside the park. Olympic Peninsula steelhead were recently petitioned for listing under the Endangered Species Act. 

The sport fishing closures are due to low forecasted returns, anticipated commercial harvest outside of the park, and declining trends in total run size with chronically low escapements of wild steelhead.

“Given the low numbers, we are compelled to use the one remaining tool to minimize impacts on wild steelhead – pausing sport fishing inside the park,” said Olympic National Park Superintendent Sula Jacobs. “We understand that these closures affect sport anglers and fishing guides, and we appreciate their cooperation in helping to protect these precious wild resources.”

Olympic National Park has significant conservation concerns for wild steelhead in these rivers based on long-term declines in annual run sizes and escapements dating back to 1980. Notably, record low returns of wild steelhead were recorded in the Queets and Quinault systems in the last few years.

Of additional concern is that wild steelhead have failed to reach the state and National Park Service escapement goals in eight of the last 10 years in the Queets and six of the last 10 years in Upper Quinault.