Saving Ala Spit

Published 4:35 pm Monday, September 19, 2011

Projects designed to help recover salmon runs quite often are bad for anglers in the short-tern because they frequently shut down any fishing.

That’s the case of a project in Island County that started today, but it looks like the closure will be well worth it.

I’m talking about Ala Spit on the north part of Whidbey Island, part of the Island County park system.

The spit was purchased in 1995 as a passive park for people who want to go clamming or fish. In addition to the eight-acre spit in Puget Sound is about four acres of upland property.

Construction work began today on the removal of large boulders and concrete structures that have served as a riprap revetment on the spit since the mid-60s. The riprap is creating erosion along the neck of the spit.

Removal should protect the spit and public access as well as restore habitat for juvenile salmon. The area will be closed from Sept,. 19 until Oct. 31.

I wrote recently about how fishing from the beach is one of the few ways to avoid the crowds on lakes and rivers these days. I haven’t fished on Ala Spit, but it’s on my list to check out.

Located on Skagit Bay five miles from the mouth of the Skagit River, it’s described as a migration corridor for juvenile and adult salmon. It has 5,000 feet of beach and tidelands as well as the spit.

I don’t know if the spit is in the migration path of Chum salmon, but it’s reopening will be about the right time to find out.

To learn more about the project, Click here