Feds turn down ODFW request for Alsea River coho fishery this fall

There will be no keeping of wild coho salmon on the Alsea River this fall.

The Oregon Fish & Wildlife Department announced Tuesday that the National Marine Fisheries Service rejected its request for a 30-day wild coho season in the Alsea River and its tributaries because returns are below the forecasts believed necessary to sustain the fishery.

The Oregon Fish & Wildlife Commission in June approved fishing regulations and seasons for fall Chinook and coho on the Oregon coast – and voted unanimously to ask the federal government to approve a short coho fishery on the Alsea River.

The retention of wild coho on the Alsea had been open the past two years, with fishermen able to keep one fish a day and three fish for the season.

ODFW staff had initially recommended no coho season on the Alsea this fall because catches were too high and low escapement for spawning.

The state’s request to the National Marine Fisheries Service was for a 30-day season with a limit of one coho per day and three for the season. The suggested bag limit was the same as the last two years, but the season would have been much shorter.