Oregon Central Coast September Coho Quota Increased

State and federal salmon managers used leftover summer hatchery coho in an “impact-neutral rollover” to boost the available number of wild and hatchery silvers available for harvest this September off Oregon’s Central Coast.

There are now 26,800 coho in the quota between Cape Falcon and Humbug Mountain for the nonselective fishery that runs from the 3rd through the 30th, unless the quota is filled beforehand.

Information from ODFW indicates that there were 57,186 hatchery coho remaining in the summer quota (originally 100,000) for ocean waters from Wheeler down through Port Orford, including the popular ports of Garibaldi, Depoe Bay, Newport and Charleston.

Rolling the leftover fish into the September quota boosted it by 9,800.

ODFW explained it thusly:

“In most years, a provision is included in the adopted regulations to allow for the transfer of quota remaining from the summer hatchery selective coho season to the September non-selective coho season on an impact neutral basis. Assessment by the Pacific Fishery Management Council’s Salmon Technical Team resulted in an allowable impact neutral allowable transfer of 9,800 coho to the Cape Falcon to Humbug Mt. coho season which opens on September 3. The most constraining stock in the transfer this season was the Oregon Coast Natural Coho which was projected to have a 14.95% overall exploitation rate in 2022.  That rate is not exceeded by this transfer.”

Last week, a similar impact-neutral rollover was used on the Washington coast to transfer uncaught Marine Area 1 summer hatchery coho to the September fishery, which allowed for the opening of wild coho retention there.