West Coast Salmon Seasons Get a Mild Tweak
Published Date: 3/20/2026
Rule
Summary
The government is updating salmon fishing rules along the West Coast from the U.S.-Canada border down to California’s Pigeon Point for 2024-2026. These changes affect both commercial and recreational fishers by adjusting fishing seasons and catch limits to keep salmon populations healthy while still letting people fish. The new rules kick in on specific dates and stay until new updates come along, helping balance fun and conservation.
Analyzed Economic Effects
4 provisions identified: 1 benefits, 2 costs, 1 mixed.
May 2025 commercial trip limit cuts
If you operate a commercial salmon troll vessel north of Cape Falcon, OR, landing and possession limits were cut starting May 8, 2025 (e.g., the entire area limit was reduced from 250 to 125 Chinook per vessel per landing week; some subareas reduced from 70 to 60 or from 250 to 125). On May 15, 2025, limits were further reduced (NOF-wide 125 → 60 Chinook per vessel per landing week; combined subareas to 50 Chinook).
Recreational closures and one-day reopenings (Aug–Oct 2025)
If you fish for salmon recreationally on the West Coast, several subareas were closed and briefly reopened in August–October 2025: the Columbia River subarea was closed August 19–29, 2025, reopened for one day on August 30, 2025 (two salmon per day, no more than one Chinook; coho must be adipose-clipped), then closed again August 31–September 30, 2025. Washington subareas (La Push, Neah Bay) and California subareas (Point Reyes to Pigeon Point / Point Sur) had closures in late August–September 2025, and California fall season dates in late September and October 2025 were closed after the statewide fall guideline of 7,500 Chinook was exceeded (CDFW estimated 12,000 Chinook taken by 12,400 anglers).
Chinook up, coho down: July–August 2025 changes
For the NOF commercial troll fishery in late July–August 2025, NMFS raised Chinook weekly limits (for example, July 31–August 7, 2025: Chinook 50 → 80 per vessel; August 7–20, 2025: 80 → 100 per vessel) while reducing adipose-marked coho limits (July 31–August 7, 2025: 60 → 45 per vessel).
September 2025 coho quota rollover adds 3,930 fish
An impact-neutral rollover increased the non-mark-selective coho quota for September 2025 from 30,000 to 33,930 coho (an added 3,930 coho) effective September 1–30, 2025, allowing additional non-mark-selective fishing opportunity in the SOF fishery (Cape Falcon to Humbug Mountain).
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Key Dates
Department and Agencies
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