The Wenatchee and Icicle rivers are open to steelhead fishing today, Feb. 8. Plus the Wenatchee River will open today to fishing for whitefish.

Fishing area locations and effective dates: Areas that will open to fishing for steelhead one hour before sunrise on Feb. 8 until further notice include: Wenatchee River: From the mouth to 400 feet below Tumwater Dam, including the Icicle River from the mouth to 500 feet downstream of the Leavenworth National Fish Hatchery Barrier Dam.

Areas that will open to fishing for whitefish one hour before sunrise on Feb. 8 until further notice include: Wenatchee River: From the mouth to the Highway 2 bridge at Leavenworth.

Reason for changes: Recent analyses of the ongoing steelhead fisheries in portions of the upper Columbia River have revealed sufficient impacts to natural origin steelhead still remain under the NOAA-issued ESA section 10 permit. Re-opening steelhead fisheries in both the Wenatchee and Icicle Rivers will help to reduce the proportion of hatchery fish on the spawning grounds, where their offspring may compete with natural origin juvenile salmon. Opening these areas to steelhead angling also allows whitefish angling opportunity.

Areas that will continue to be closed for steelhead and whitefish angling until further notice include: Mainstem Columbia River: From Wells Dam to the Highway 173 bridge at Brewster. Entiat River: Upstream from the Alternate Highway 97 Bridge near the mouth of the Entiat River to 800 feet downstream of the Entiat National Fish Hatchery. Methow River: From the mouth to the confluence with the Chewuch River in Winthrop.

General rules for all locations open to steelhead fishing: Mandatory retention of adipose fin-clipped steelhead, daily limit two hatchery steelhead, 20-inch minimum size. Hatchery steelhead are identified by a missing adipose fin with a healed scar in its location.

Adipose present steelhead must be released unharmed and cannot be removed from the water prior to release. Night closure and selective gear rules remain in effect. Whitefish anglers must follow selective gear rules in areas open to steelhead fishing, no bait is allowed

Other angler information:

Anglers should be aware that fishing rules are subject to change and that rivers can close at any time due to impacts on natural origin steelhead. Adhering to the mandatory retention of adipose clipped steelhead is vital in allowing the fishery to continue and to provide the maximum benefit to natural origin fish.

Anglers are required to possess aColumbia River Salmon/Steelhead Endorsement as part of their valid fishing license.

March 1 opener three weeks from today.

Hunting

Hunters and other members of the public can comment through Feb. 15 on changes to hunting rules proposed by Fish and Wildife. There are 17 proposals for comment, including: Expanding spring black bear hunting opportunities in the northern Puget Sound area to reduce bear damage to trees in commercial timberlands; Allowing the use of illuminated arrow nocks for archery equipment and Restoring antlerless elk opportunities for archery hunters in Yakima County, specifically in Game Management Units 352 (Nile) and 356 (Bumping).

Also moose seasons and permit quotas. The purpose of the proposal and its anticipated effects, including any changes in existing rules: This amendment clarifies that the exemption from the once-in-a-lifetime moose restriction is also applicable if the hunter applies in the future for a hunt in the permit categories of antlerless moose: raffle, auction, or master hunter. Additionally, this amendment reduces the number of master-hunter moose permits.

The proposed change in language reduces ambiguity regarding who may apply for a moose permit. The reduction in master hunter moose permits reflects the expected number of hunters needed in 2013 and beyond, based on the experience of recent years.

Written comments may be emailed to wildthing@dfw.wa.gov or mailed to: Wildlife Program Commission Public Comments, 600 Capitol Way N., Olympia, WA 98501.

Upcoming hunting season

The spring turkey season will open April 15.

Public hearing on proposed sportfishing rules scheduled

The Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission will take public comment on proposed changes to the state's sportfishing rules during a public meeting Feb. 8-9 in Olympia.

Fish and Wildlife is recommending that nearly 70 proposed sportfishing rules move forward for public comment, including proposals that would: Allow the use of two fishing poles, with the purchase of a two-pole endorsement, on 50 additional lakes throughout the state. Also remove the daily catch limit for channel catfish and the daily catch and size limits for bass and walleye in portions of the Columbia and Snake rivers and their tributaries to assist recovery efforts for salmon and steelhead. A second option under that proposal would also remove existing daily limits for those fish, but restrict anglers to three bass larger than 15 inches in length and one walleye larger than 24 inches in length. The proposed changes are designed to increase the harvest of abundant bass, walleye and channel catfish, which prey on juvenile salmon and steelhead that are listed for protection under the federal Endangered Species Act.

Increase catch limits for walleye on Lake Roosevelt and the Spokane Arm of Lake Roosevelt, where there is an overabundance of the species. The proposed change is designed to allow a variety of other fish species to grow in numbers by reducing the walleye population through an increase in recreational fishing opportunities.

To review the proposed rules, as well as the comments already received, visit WDFW's website athttp://wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/regulations/rule_proposals/..

Commission approves policy to revamp Columbia River fisheries

The Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission today unanimously adopted a policy that establishes a new management framework for salmon fisheries on the lower Columbia River.

The commission took action after completing a series of public meetings that began in October 2012. In all, the commission received about 1,000 public comments on the broad-based proposal.

Key provisions of the new policy will allocate more of the catch to sport fisheries, gradually shift non-tribal commercial gillnets to off-channel areas stocked with more hatchery salmon, and spur development and use of new selective gear for commercial fisheries on the mainstem Columbia River.

The new policy also requires anglers to use barbless hooks when fishing for salmon and steelhead in the Columbia River.

The new policy is designed to support conservation of wild salmon and expand the economic benefits the state derives from sport and commercial fisheries.

The changes are based on recommendations made by representatives from the Washington commission and its Oregon counterpart and comments received during the extensive public review. The Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission approved a similar management framework for Columbia River fisheries last month.

For nearly 100 years, the two states have managed Columbia River fisheries under a reciprocal agreement. Without a common framework, effective management of those fisheries would be impossible.

The changes outlined in the policy will allocate more salmon and steelhead to recreational fisheries, but will not necessarily reduce the incidental catch of wild salmon and steelhead protected under the federal Endangered Species Act.

In other business, the commission approved the sale of the state's Colville Fish Hatchery to Stevens County, which plans to use it as an educational and vocational learning center. Fish and Wildlife closed the 95-year-old facility last June in response to state budget cuts and plans to sell it to the county for its appraised value of $150,000.