Proposed 2026 Wild Coho Regulations
Wild coho fisheries are proposed for 10 coastal basins in addition to the 3 lake populations (Siltcoos, Tahkenitch, and Tenmile lakes), with season dates ranging from mid-September through December depending on the basin. The 2026 forecasted ocean abundance of Oregon Coast Natural (OCN) coho is 218,600 fish, down from a forecast of 289,000 fish in 2025. All basins open to wild coho retention in 2025 are provisionally proposed to be open in 2026 in some capacity, except for the Alsea basin, and the bag limits remain at 1 fish per day/3 per season in the river systems and 1/5 for the three lake populations. The Alsea and Umpqua basins did not meet criteria for implementing a wild coho fishery because projected returns are below "full seeding" levels established in the PFMC salmon fishery management plan (see Amendment 13). Seeding refers to the number of coho spawners necessary to seed available freshwater habitat. Modifications to these proposals may occur prior to the Commission meeting based on additional analysis of expected returns and fishery impacts and consultation with the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS). Because OCN coho are listed under the federal Endangered Species Act, wild coho salmon fisheries in coastal streams are subject to annual review and approval from NMFS.
See the 2026 Oregon Sport Fishing Regulations for hatchery coho bag limits and seasons. The Nehalem, Tillamook, Umpqua, and Rogue basins have hatchery coho programs.
Summary of Proposed 2026 Wild Coho Regulations
Basin | Season Dates | Bag Limit(per day/season) | Changes from 2025 |
| Nehalem | 9/9-10/28 (We, Sa, & Su only) | 1 / 3 | Days open increased: 21 → 22 |
| Tillamook | 9/9-10/28 (We, Sa, & Su only) | 1 / 3 | Days open increased: 21 → 22 |
| Nestucca | 9/9-10/28 (We, Sa, & Su only) | 1 / 3 | Days open increased: 21 → 22 |
| Siletz | 9/19-11/7 | 1 / 3 | Days open decreased: 65 → 50 |
| Yaquina | 9/19-10/25; 11/1-11/7 | 1 / 3 | |
| Beaver Creek | 11/1-11/30 | 1 / 3 | |
| Alsea | closed |
| Days open decreased: 53 → 0 |
| Siuslaw | 9/19-10/13 | 1 / 3 | Days open decreased: 32 → 25 |
| Umpqua | closed |
| |
| Coos | 9/19-10/18 | 1 / 3 | Days open increased: 28 → 30 |
| Coquille | 9/19-10/18 | 1 / 3 | Days open decreased: 33 → 30 |
| Floras/New | 11/1-12/31 | 1 / 3 | Days open increased: 30 → 61 |
Background
Wild Chinook
Management of fisheries for wild fall Chinook in Oregon coastal rivers is guided by the Coastal Multi-Species Conservation and Management Plan (CMP) for rivers from the Elk River northward and the Rogue Fall Chinook Conservation Plan (RFCCP) for rivers south of the Elk River.
The CMP established a tiered sliding scale approach for managing Chinook fisheries. Based upon the prior year's return and the current year's forecast, daily and seasonal bag limits may be reduced or increased for a set of rivers within the same geographic area—or fishing may be closed entirely at a certain critical threshold. Likewise, the RFCCP specifies management objectives and regulatory measures based on abundance though some provisions differ from the CMP.
The Plans recognized that adaptive management would be necessary due to unavoidable uncertainty. In recent years, rapid climate and ocean change is undermining assumptions and increasing forecast uncertainty for wild Chinook. Populations on neighboring rivers, despite similar freshwater and marine conditions, are performing substantially differently in some cases. Spawner abundance has shown large variations, with 11 of 14 monitored populations at or below the critical threshold for one or more years since the CMP was adopted. Finally, a generally increasing freshwater harvest rate in some rivers (vs. generally decreasing ocean harvest rate) may indicate increasing vulnerability to harvest.
Due to these factors, more conservative management and restrictive bag limits and seasons than what the Plan originally called for have been necessary in recent years.
