Public comment is being sought by the Pacific Fishery Management Council (PFMC) on March 24 on three proposed total allowable catch (TAC) alternatives for Chinook and coho salmon during the upcoming Oregon salmon seasons.
Options under consideration for north of Cape Falcon include TACs of 120,000 Chinook and 130,000 coho, 112,500 Chinook and 120,000 coho, and 97,500 Chinook and 90,000 coho, respectively.
The hybrid public meeting is set for 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Gladys Valley Marine Studies Building in Newport.
Final salmon season recommendations are to be determined at the PFMC meeting in Portland from April 8-12. Those recommendations will be sent to the U.S. Department of Commerce for approval by May 15, said Justine Kenyon-Benson, project leader for the agency's ocean sampling project, on March 13. These recommendations go into effect once they are published in the Federal Register, she said.
Commercial troll opportunity from Cape Falcon to the Oregon/California border in all three PFMC's alternatives are similar to or slightly improved from a year ago, with open periods ranging from May through October and coho retention allowed in September.
Fall forecasts for Chinook salmon returning to the Sacramento and Klamath rivers this year are higher than for 2025. Management constraints for Klamath River fall Chinook were still a factor in the season setting process, according to the PFMC. Coho abundance forecasts are generally similar to a year ago, resulting in a range of coho seasons comparable to 2025.
