Officials from the Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife are expecting low returns of silver/coho salmon.

Salmon fisheries will be constrained in several areas this year because of the low projections of wild and hatchery coho, said WDFW salmon fisheries policy lead John Long, in a news release. The forecast of about 256,000 Puget Sound coho, for example, is about one-third the size of the run predicted in 2015.

“Unfavorable ocean conditions led to fewer coho salmon returning last year than we anticipated,” Long said. “We expect to see another down year for coho in 2016 and will likely have to restrict fishing for salmon in a variety of locations to protect wild coho stocks.”

The 2016 return of chinook (king) salmon is also expected to be lower in Puget Sound with about 165,000 fish returning, most of them hatchery fish.

The public is encouraged to participate throughout the salmon season-setting process by attending public meetings and providing feedback online about proposed fisheries.

“We’re going to have to be creative in order to provide fisheries in some areas this year,” Long said. “We would appreciate input from the public to help us establish priorities.”

An online commenting tool, a meeting schedule, salmon forecasts and information about the salmon season-setting process are available on WDFW’s website at http://wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/northfalcon.