Fisheries Off West Coast States; West Coast Salmon Fisheries; 2026 Specifications and Management Measures; Correction
Key claim: NOAA is fixing a May 2026 West Coast ocean salmon rule so recreational fishing rules for the Monterey area are complete and bag limits and early-2027 measures for the San Francisco area are clear.
Abstract
(Rule · Commerce Department, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) NMFS established 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 final rule, published in the Federal Register on May 19, 2026, included an error in the management measures for recreational ocean salmon fisheries in the subarea from Pigeon Point to the U.S./Mexico border (Monterey). This action corrects an error by adding the text that was accidentally omitted from the May 19, 2026 rule and clarifies the applicability of bag limits and early 2027 management measures in the area from Point Arena to Pigeon Point (San Francisco).
Why this matters
NOAA is fixing a May 2026 West Coast ocean salmon rule so recreational fishing rules for the Monterey area are complete and bag limits and early-2027 measures for the San Francisco area are clear.