Chinook Retention Opportunities On The Coast

Anglers have a lot to look forward to this fall: many coastal basins will see expanded

opportunity for wild fall Chinook harvest compared to last year, and wild coho fisheries will continue across much of the coast, offering a strong season ahead.

The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) did not authorize a wild coho season in the Alsea Basin for 2026 because escapement is not projected to meet full seeding requirements as required in the Oregon Coast Coho FMEP. Wild coho retention will remain closed in the Alsea Basin for the entire 2026 fall coastal salmon season.

For fall Chinook, wild Chinook retention will be open in 18 coastal basins, with increased bag limits in the Necanicum, Nehalem, Tillamook, Siuslaw, and Umpqua basins—providing more opportunity than in 2025. The Nestucca Basin will see a decrease, and the Coquille and Elk rivers will remain open only for hatchery Chinook retention due to conservation considerations.

Anglers can also continue to target hatchery Chinook and hatchery coho in many basins, with those seasons set separately in the Oregon Sport Fishing Regulations.

Wild coho opportunity also remains strong. In 2026, retention will be open in 10 coastal basins, along with the Siltcoos, Tahkenitch, and Tenmile lake populations.

Nearly all basins open to wild coho retention last year are proposed to remain open in 2026, with the exception of the Alsea Basin, which did not meet the criteria this year. The opportunity for wild coho harvest is thanks to decades long effort to address limiting factors paired with a world class monitoring program.

Overall, the 2026 seasons offer more wild fall Chinook opportunity than last year and maintain broad access to wild coho fisheries where sustainable—great news for anglers gearing up for the fall salmon season.