June 14, 2025 7:00 a.m.

On Friday, the Fish and Wildlife Commission of the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife adopted a limited fall Chinook fishing and retention season on the mainstem Umpqua, Smith and North Fork Smith rivers.

An ODFW release said this came after receiving many public comments and hearing from a Douglas County Commissioner, business owners and local anglers concerned about a proposed closure.

The season will be open Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays starting July 1st until a quota of 500 wild Chinook is reached. The bag limit will be one Chinook – either hatchery or wild – per day and per season. Boundaries for the three rivers will remain as in permanent regulations.

The release said the days-per-week approach should extend the fishery later into the season and allow ODFW to better evaluate when the quota is reached.

This is the first time the Umpqua River has dropped below the Critical Abundance Threshold since the Coastal Multi-Species Conservation and Management Plan was adopted in 2014. Last year’s return of fall Chinook on the Umpqua was the lowest on record since 1980. The CMP calls for discontinuing wild harvest when populations fall below CAT but allows for adaptive management such as the approach in the Umpqua River this fall.

ODFW Deputy Fish Administrator for Inland Fisheries Tom Stahl said, “We have talked for a couple years now about how conditions in the Umpqua River are very concerning for salmon and steelhead due to impacts from wildfire, drought, warming streams and non-native predators”. Stahl said, “The outcomes from these conditions are now being felt with last year’s extremely low return and discussions over how this affects the fishery are difficult for everyone”.

This quota system will be a new approach for inland coastal Chinook salmon and maintains the fishing opportunity on the Umpqua River while still meeting the management direction of the CMP.

All other fall Chinook seasons were adopted as originally proposed by staff. Except for a few other locations, most other river basins will have the same regulations as last year. For more information about coastal fall Chinook seasons, go to:  Fall coastal salmon management | Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife