Salmon Comeback: Proposed Plan to Rebuild Queets River Chinook Stocks
Published Date: 2/19/2026
Proposed Rule
Summary
The government is rolling out a plan to help the Queets River spring/summer Chinook salmon bounce back from being overfished. This means fishing rules off the West Coast will change to protect these salmon until their numbers grow healthy again. Fishermen and coastal communities should get ready for new limits starting soon, with public comments open until March 23, 2026.
Analyzed Economic Effects
4 provisions identified: 3 benefits, 0 costs, 1 mixed.
Closure North of Cape Falcon Was Rejected
The Council considered an alternative (Alternative II) to suspend all non-Tribal treaty ocean salmon fisheries in the EEZ north of Cape Falcon but did not recommend it. The Council concluded that such a suspension would cause considerable negative impacts to fishing communities while providing little to no improvement in rebuilding probability.
Clear Rebuilding Triggers and Status
The Salmon FMP sets SMSY for Queets sp/su Chinook at 700 and MSST at 350; a stock is rebuilt when the 3-year geometric mean spawning escapement equals or exceeds SMSY (700). The 2019-2021 3-year geometric mean was 314 (below MSST of 350), NMFS notified the Council on October 13, 2023, the overfished finding was published June 28, 2024, and on May 1, 2025 the status was changed to "not overfished-rebuilding."
Status-Quo Rebuilding Plan Adopted
NOAA proposes to approve and implement the Pacific Fishery Management Council's rebuilding plan for the Queets River spring/summer Chinook salmon. The Council recommended Alternative I (the status quo), so the plan will guide development of annual ocean salmon fishery management measures until the stock is determined rebuilt.
Small Vessels Not Expected to Lose Revenue
NMFS says this proposed rule would directly affect the west coast ocean salmon commercial troll fishery but would not change harvest policy. In 2024 there were 241 distinct commercial vessels landing salmon north of Cape Falcon with ex-vessel value of $6.1 million, and no vessel met NMFS' $11 million small business threshold.
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