As of Friday, anglers fishing off Westport and Neah Bay can keep up to two chinook salmon as part of their two-salmon daily limit, the state announced earlier today.

With that change, anglers will be allowed to keep two chinook per day in ocean waters off Westport (Marine Area 2), LaPush (Marine Area 3) and Neah Bay (Marine Area 4). Those fishing Marine Area 1 (Ilwaco) will continue to be limited to one chinook as part of their two-salmon daily limit.

All ocean areas are open to salmon fishing seven days a week. Wild coho must be released in all four areas.

Pat Pattillo, salmon policy coordinator for the state Department of Fish and Wildlife, said the department initially limited anglers in these two area to one chinook as part of a two-salmon daily limit to ensure that the fisheries would remain open for the entire season.

“We’ve kept a close watch on the pace of catches for these fisheries, and it now appears that enough of the quota remains to allow anglers two chinook per day in Areas 2, 3 and 4 without exceeding the recreational catch quota,” Pattillo said in a prepared statement.

The ocean salmon fisheries are scheduled to run through Sept. 23 in areas 2-4, and through Sept. 30 in area 1.