Columbia Sturgeon Managers To Consider Closing Retention On John Day Pool
With a huge bite taken out of the small quota in just six days of fishing, sturgeon retention on the John Day Pool would close starting this Saturday, January 10, under a proposal Columbia River managers will consider during a conference call tomorrow.
Final Draft Of Updated WDFW Game Management Plan Available Online
WDFW has posted a final draft of its updated Game Management Plan ahead of Friday’s Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission meeting featuring a briefing on the 215-page document meant to guide how the agency manages hunted critters in the coming years.
WDFW Reports On Private CWD Test Results On Ferry County Mule Deer; Officially ‘Inconclusive’
Muscle tissue from a mule deer harvested last October in Ferry County tested positive for chronic wasting disease at a private lab but inconclusive at the WSU lab because provided samples didn’t include brainstem portions, which are required for official testing.
Columbia Salmon Managers Issue 2026 Fall Chinook Outlook
The Washington and Oregon Departments of Fish and Wildlife have published their initial 2026 fall Chinook outlook for the shared Columbia, as well as how well 2025’s fall runs up the big river performed compared to forecasts issued at this time last year. To wit: Columbia River Fall Chinook
2025 Northwest Fish And Wildlife Year In Review
A record run, a record flood. Local salmon restorations, national frustrations. Increasing fees, less paperwork. Commission compassion, commission controversies. Those were just some of the highs and lows when it came to Northwest fish and wildlife in 2025.
Ocean Gave Off Mixed Signals For West Coast Salmon Stocks
NMFS reports on what 2025’s ocean indicators may mean for the health of juvenile Chinook and coho at sea.
New Year’s Razor Clam Digs Greenlighted; Tentative Jan-March Dates Set
Washington shellfish managers OKed a seven-day razor clam dig starting New Year’s Eve on select Washington Coast beaches, and pencilled in late January, February and early March dates for more harvest opportunities.
2026 Columbia Smelt Return Forecast Issued
It’s waaaaay too early to get that long-handled net down, but the 2026 Columbia River smelt forecast at least holds out the potential for an opener and tentative dipping dates for the Cowlitz have been set.
Reminder: New Fishing Fees Coming For 2026 In The Northwest
Many Washington and Oregon anglers will see new fees to fish starting January 1, 2026. That’s the day a pair of endorsements go into effect for certain waters – the Columbia and its tributaries in the former state, the Pacific Ocean in the latter. They’re not blanket requirements, however.
2 Identified In Suspected Poaching Of Blacktail Near Sweet Home
Oregon fish and wildlife troopers want to talk to a couple of men caught on trail camera dragging an apparently poached blacktail out of the woods last week on the eastern side of the Willamette Valley.
2026 Umpqua Spring Chinook Limits Set By ODFW
ODFW sets 2026 spring Chinook limits on the Umpqua system, including a wild harvest ban on the mainstem and one-fish daily and 10-fish seasonal limit on the North like 2025, with hatchery springers open for harvest on both.
NWPCC Looking For Comments On New Draft Of Columbia Basin Fish And Wildlife Program
The Northwest Power and Conservation Council is taking public comment on a new draft of its Columbia River Basin Fish and Wildlife Program, which includes consistent hydropower system operations supporting smolt outmigration, cooler water temps, maintaining hatcheries and fish screens, addressing predation by nonnative fish, and continued habitat restoration.
US House Passes Lower 48 Wolf Delisting Bill
The US House of Representatives has passed a bill that would redelist gray wolves throughout the Lower 48 states.
‘Severe Impacts On Salmon’ Anticipated From Record-setting Washington Floods: WDFW
Record flooding across parts of Western Washington dealt some WDFW facilities a blow, with significant damage reported to a fishway and a pair of boat ramps, while some coho smolts at a hatchery self-released early after their rearing pond was overtopped by high water, but the big concern is for how it affected wild salmon spawning beds.
It’s Official: No Two-rod Endorsement For Willamette’s 2026 Springer Fishery
Oregon salmon managers make official what last week’s Willamette River spring Chinook forecast reveal foretold: With fewer than 34,000 hatchery fish expected, the two-rod endorsement won’t be allowed.
ODFW Commission Sets 2026 Rockfish Limit At 4, Ups Lingcod Bag To 3
ODFW reports on the December 12 meeting of the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission, which set 2026 groundfish limits, heard about Columbia hook issues, and saw two new members in action for the first time.