The Coquille Indian Tribe’s restoration efforts have brought Chinook salmon fishing back to the Coquille River, with the first season since 2021 proposed for this fall.
The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife announced the plan to reopen fishing from Sept. 13 to Oct. 15, crediting the tribe’s hatchery improvements and collaborative restoration work.ODFW made the announcement alongside tribal leaders at a press event near the river’s mouth.
The proposed season would cover the area from the Highway 101 bridge upstream to the Highway 42S Sturdivant Park Bridge, with a daily limit of two adult salmon and a seasonal limit of three wild coho.
Chinook runs in the Coquille River dropped sharply beginning in 2018, falling to just 300 fish in 2019 from historic levels of thousands. Low water flows, warming temperatures and invasive smallmouth bass contributed to the decline.
The Coquille Tribe and ODFW signed a formal agreement in 2022 to collaborate on recovery efforts, after ODFW struggled to collect sufficient fish for breeding. The partnership led to expanded broodstock collection, hatchery upgrades and a new acclimation site on tribal land along Lampa Creek.
“Coquille people have a sacred duty to care for fish and wildlife that aligns with the mission of the ODFW well,” Coquille Tribal Chairwoman Brenda Meade said in a statement. “Our shared vision is that the Coquille and Coos systems will be widely recognized as a premier salmon and steelhead fishery and a cornerstone of the cultural, social and economic well-being of the region.”
Recovery efforts include habitat restoration projects, a conservation hatchery program and removal of nearly 40,000 smallmouth bass through electrofishing.
“We needed to act after the Coquille River reached a tipping point a few years ago,” ODFW Director Debbie Colbert said in a statement. “The situation called for an all-out effort to pull Coquille River’s salmon and fishing opportunities back from the brink.”Â
Commissioners will consider coho rules Aug. 15 and Chinook regulations Sept. 12. Public comments are being accepted on the ODFW website.
