NOAA tightens salmon limits, closes coho retention off Washington, Oregon and California

Commercial trollers and recreational anglers fishing off Washington, Oregon and California face new limits and closures starting this week, after NOAA Fisheries issued three inseason actions in an Aug. 12, 2026, West Coast Region fisheries bulletin.

For commercial trollers fishing between the U.S.-Canada border and Cape Falcon, the per-vessel landing limit drops to 40 Chinook salmon and 100 marked coho salmon per landing week (Thursday through Wednesday) starting at 12:01 a.m. Thursday, Aug. 13, 2026. A week later, at 12:01 a.m. Thursday, Aug. 20, 2026, that limit falls again, to 15 Chinook salmon and 100 marked coho salmon per vessel per landing week.

Recreational anglers lose access to part of the Columbia River starting at 12:01 a.m. Thursday, Aug. 13, 2026: the portion of the subarea north of 46°15' N and east of 124°08.667' W closes to salmon fishing entirely.

Farther south, coho retention closes from Cape Falcon to the Oregon-California border at 11:59 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2026. NOAA Fisheries said that once that closure takes effect, the stretch from Cape Falcon to Humbug Mountain remains open for all salmon except coho, with a two-salmon daily bag limit through Oct. 31, 2026. A separate, non-mark-select coho fishery (one that does not require a fin-clip check) is scheduled to open there Sept. 1, 2026.

From Humbug Mountain to the Oregon-California border, fishing for all salmon except coho remains open through Aug. 31, 2026, with a two-salmon daily bag limit. Coho retention is prohibited there for the rest of the year.

The three actions, numbered 17, 18 and 19 in the bulletin, fall under NOAA Fisheries' final rule for the 2026-2027 West Coast ocean salmon specifications and management measures. That rule governs fisheries off Washington, Oregon and California under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act.

Anglers and trollers with questions about the changes can contact Shannon Penna of NOAA Fisheries' Anadromous Harvest Management program at (562) 980-4239.