Fisheries Off West Coast States; West Coast Salmon Fisheries; 2026 Specifications and Management Measures
Abstract
Through this final rule, NMFS establishes fishery management measures for the ocean salmon fisheries off Washington, Oregon, and California for the season beginning May 16, 2026, until the effective date of the 2027 management measures which we expect to be May 16, 2027 (the 2026 ocean salmon fishing season), under the authority of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (MSA). The fishery management measures include fishing areas, seasons, quotas, legal gear, recreational fishing days and catch limits, harvest guidelines, possession and landing restrictions, and minimum lengths for salmon taken in the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) off Washington, Oregon, and California. These measures are intended to prevent overfishing while achieving, on a continuing basis, the optimum yield from the fishery, to provide for the exercise of federally recognized fishing rights by West Coast Indian Tribes, to allow a portion of the salmon runs to escape the ocean fisheries in order to provide for spawning escapement, and to apportion the ocean harvest reasonably among non-Indian commercial and recreational fisheries.
Federal Register Source
This document is published by the Office of the Federal Register, National Archives and Records Administration. Access the full regulatory text, preamble, and docket comments below.
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Other Rules from Commerce
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the 2026-09973 Federal Register document?
Document 2026-09973 is a Final Rule published by the Department of Commerce in the Federal Register on May 19, 2026, with an effective date of May 16, 2026. Through this final rule, NMFS establishes fishery management measures for the ocean salmon fisheries off Washington, Oregon, and California for the season beginning May 16, 2026, until the effective date of the 2027 management measures which we expect to be May 16, 2027 (the 2026 ocean salmon fishing season), under the authority of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (MSA). The fishery management measures include fishing areas, seasons, quotas, legal gear, recreational fishing days and catch limits, harvest guidelines, possession and landing restrictions, and minimum lengths for salmon taken in the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) off Washington, Oregon, and California. These measures are intended to prevent overfishing while achieving, on a continuing basis, the optimum yield from the fishery, to provide for the exercise of federally recognized fishing rights by West Coast Indian Tribes, to allow a portion of the salmon runs to escape the ocean fisheries in order to provide for spawning escapement, and to apportion the ocean harvest reasonably among non-Indian commercial and recreational fisheries. View the original at https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/05/19/2026-09973/fisheries-off-west-coast-states-west-coast-salmon-fisheries-2026-specifications-and-management.
Is document 2026-09973 an economically significant rule?
No. Document 2026-09973 is not classified as economically significant under Executive Order 12866. Economically significant rules require OIRA review and are estimated to have impacts of $100 million or more per year.