March 8, 2020 RECREATIONAL OCEAN SALMON ACTION NOTICE: The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) in consultation with the Pacific Fishery Management Council (PFMC), the State of Oregon, and the State of California met this afternoon in Rohnert Park, California and have reviewed the scheduled March and April recreational ocean Chinook salmon openings off Oregon:

ACTION TAKEN:  The planned ocean Chinook salmon (all-salmon-except coho) season will open as scheduled from Cape Falcon to Humbug Mt. on March 15, 2020.  The bag limit will be two salmon, except closed to retention of coho, with a minimum size of 24” for Chinook and a minimum size of 20” for steelhead.

RATIONALE:  The recreational ocean fishery off Oregon in March, April, and early May typically has very low effort and Chinook catch.  Fishery managers and industry representatives agreed that this opening would not create any difficulty in developing the remainder of the ocean seasons for the 2020 fishing year.   Seasons from May 6, 2020 through early May 2021 are currently being developed. Season alternatives will be reviewed and a final season recommendation made at the Pacific Fishery Management Council public meeting April 4-10 in Vancouver, Washington.