Ocean salmon fishing season for Marine Area 1 is forecasted to open June 25, and the opening day of fall salmon fishing in the lower Columbia River is slated for Aug. 1 the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife announced.
Statewide, anglers can expect similar salmon fishing opportunities in 2025-26 compared to the previous year. But a strong Puget Sound pink salmon return is forecasted.
The 2025-26 salmon fishing seasons, cooperatively developed by the WDFW and tribal co-managers, were tentatively set Tuesday at the week-long Pacific Fishery Management Council (PFMC) meeting held in San Jose, Calif.
The ocean salmon seasons include a recreational Chinook quota of 53,750, up from 41,000 in 2024, and a marked coho quota of 99,720, up from 79,800 in 2024.
Marine Area 1 (Ilwaco) will open seven days per week for all salmon fishery beginning June 25 and running through Sept. 30.
Marine Area 2 (Westport to Ocean Shores) will open seven days a week beginning June for all salmon except coho, and then open for all salmon fishing from June 29 to Sept. 15.
Species and size restrictions are dependent on the area. WDFW fishery managers will monitor the number of salmon caught in-season and may close areas earlier than scheduled if quotas or guidelines are met.
Fall fisheries in the Columbia River from Buoy 10 to the Highway 395 Bridge in Pasco are slated for an Aug. 1 opening, with different dates by area for Chinook and coho. This includes steelhead restrictions throughout the river.
The coho run size is expected to provide similar fishing opportunities as last year. The Chinook run size is slightly improved from last year.
The Columbia River sockeye forecast of 350,200 is about half of last year’s record return. However, this year’s forecast remains slightly higher than the average return over the past 10 years.
The 2025 Puget Sound pink salmon forecast is 7.76 million, up 70 percent from the 10-year cycle average. The run is predicted to be the third largest total return on record, up from a 2023 forecast of 3.95 million with an actual return of 7.22 million.
The Green and Nisqually rivers are expected to have strong pink returns.
With the expected strong return of pinks, the WDFW added two additional pinks to the daily limit for all inner-marine areas except Marine Area 8-2 (Ports Susan and Gardner) through Sept. 30. Pink daily limits in freshwater areas will be watershed specific.
The tentative 2025-2026 statewide salmon season recommendations adopted by the Council will now move forward for approval by the National Marine Fisheries Service.
Final rule making, including additional opportunity for public comment and consideration of those comments will be taken this spring. A link to provide public comment will be posted in May on the WDFW public meeting webpage. Salmon fishing regulations are scheduled to be adopted in early June.
