My name is Ted Smith and I am an assistant regional manager with Washington State Parks. I’m responsible for natural and cultural resource issues for all the Washington state parks in State Park’s Northwest Region.

I read with interest your article about fishing closures (News-Times, Dec. 12). I am responsible for the closure proposal for Fort Casey State Park. First, let me correct a serious misconception found in your article. There is no proposal to close fishing along the state park portion of the beach on Admiralty Head. Had you researched a little more thoroughly you would have found that the proposed closure begins at the north boundary of the park and extends north along the beach controlled by Casey Campus and SPU for .6 miles. It then heads due west 400 yards, then due south .6 miles and then due east 400 yards back to the point of origin. None of this proposed closure (.15 sq. miles) effects the state park portion of Admiralty Head.

The closure proposed for Fort Casey State Park is from the jetty on the south side of Keystone Harbor to the old military wharf which is located approximately 600 feet south of the jetty. This closure is listed as extending 100 yards offshore but will likely be amended to extend 220 yards off shore.

We proposed this closure for a couple of reasons. Much of the area offshore of Fort Casey State Park is designated as an underwater park. Most of this is classified as Recreation Area which means it is open to various recreational activities. The portion we are proposing to close is classified as a Natural Area. This classification restricts the number of recreational activities that can occur there.

In the past few years we have had numerous complaints from recreational divers about the danger of diving in the Natural Area when people are heaving buzz bombs and jigs off the jetty. We have also had numerous complaints about spearfishing in the Natural Area. First because it is a Natural Area and harvest activities are potentially inconsistent with that classification, and secondly because the visibility is often poor and divers get a little spooked when they hear spearguns and can’t see the person doing the spearing. The vast majority of divers using this small area are there to observe and not to harvest. In order to improve their safety and to enhance the bio-diversity they might encounter we proposed that this small area be closed to all harvest.

So,only a very small portion of the beach at Fort Casey is proposed for closure to angling and I think that most folks would agree that closure is well justified.

Smith lives in Olympia.