Oregon Coast Recreational Salmon Seasons, April 19

ODFW release – OCEAN SALMON ACTION NOTICE: The Pacific Fishery Management Council finalized their recommendations for 2021 ocean salmon seasons late in the evening on Thursday, April 15. Copies of the adopted seasons will be available at the PMFC’s website in the near future (www.pcouncil.org) in PreSeason Report III, and graphics of the recreational and commercial troll seasons have already been made available on www.dfw.state.or.us/mrp/salmon/. Seasons from May 16 on are not official until final approval by the Secretary of Commerce, and adopted by the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission for waters within 3 nautical miles of shore.  Klamath River fall Chinook salmon was a severely constraining stock on seasons from Cape Falcon through California. This year’s Columbia basin hatchery Coho salmon abundance is forecast to be one of the best since the late 1970s, and recreational coho quotas and seasons reflect this big increase. North of Cape Falcon, Chinook quotas were most restricted by tule fall Chinook from the Columbia, while the most constraining stock of wild coho were from the Queets River along the North Washington Coast. Recreational Season Summary: Ocean waters off the Columbia River from Leadbetter Pt., Washington to Cape Falcon, Oregon will be open for recreational salmon fishing for all salmon except coho from June 19-26 with a one fish daily bag limit and a 22” minimum length.  The all salmon season North of Cape Falcon will open on June 27 and continue through the earlier of September 15 or quota with a hatchery mark selective coho quota of 42,400. There is also a Chinook guideline in this area of 7,200. The daily bag limit will be two salmon, but no more than one Chinook and all coho must have a healed adipose fin clip. Minimum length for Chinook is 22” and the coho minimum length is 16”. Recreational Chinook seasons on the central Oregon Coast from Cape Falcon to Humbug Mt. opened on March 15 and will continue through October 31. The area from Humbug Mt. to the OR/CA Border open for recreational Chinook beginning on June 19 and continue through August 15. The Chinook minimum length in all seasons from Cape Falcon to the OR/CA Border is 24”. The hatchery mark selective coho salmon season from Cape Falcon to the OR/CA Border will be open from June 12 through the earlier of August 28 or the quota of 120,000 adipose fin-clipped coho. There will be also be a much more limited non-selective coho season from Cape Falcon to Humbug Mt. in September. The September non-selective season will open on September 10, and be open each Friday, Saturday, and Sunday through the earlier of September 30 or the quota of 14,000 non-mark selective coho. The open days in September may be adjusted in season. Coho minimum length of 16”. All recreational anglers are limited to no more than 2 single point barbless hook per line when fishing for salmon, and for any species if a salmon is on board the vessel.