The Pacific Fishery Management Council on April 10 tentatively adopted proposed 2025 ocean salmon management measures for analysis and asked the Salmon Technical Team to model several state and tribal options before final action next week.

The council’s tentative packages cover three geographic lanes: north of Cape Falcon (Washington), Cape Falcon to the Oregon–California border (Oregon), and the California coast (Oregon–Mexico). Each state’s representatives moved the council to adopt the management measures for their portion of the coast; the council also received treaty‑area proposals from several coastal tribes and a separate set of treaty options from Makah and Quinault tribal representatives.

The council’s action will not itself open fisheries. Staff and the Salmon Technical Team (STT) will analyze the tentative packages to estimate stock impacts and to check that proposed seasons meet conservation objectives. Those results will be reported back to the council for possible modification and final adoption.

Why it matters: West Coast ocean salmon seasons are set each spring by the council in consultation with states, tribes and NOAA Fisheries. The 2025 process comes amid very low forecasts for several key stocks, large recent reductions in harvest opportunity, and requests from coastal communities and fishing sectors for limited access designed to balance access and protection.

What the council adopted and who proposed it

- North of Cape Falcon (Washington): Council members adopted the SAS‑developed regulation framework for the north‑of‑Cape‑Falcon area and set tentative total allowable catch (TAC) and subarea quotas for analysis. The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife moved the measure with specified pre‑ and post‑trade TACs for Chinook and marked coho and a commercial–recreational trade to improve season duration; the motion passed and the STT will incorporate the values for modeling.

- Cape Falcon to Oregon–California border (Oregon): Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) moved the Cape Falcon–south package for STT analysis. The ODFW motion passed with several abstentions recorded. ODFW said its version responds to public comments asking for more recreational opportunity in June and July while keeping impacts within conservation ceilings.

- Oregon–California border to U.S.–Mexico border (California): California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) moved the California package (including constrained fall‑season options and harvest guidelines tied to a 7,000–7,500 fish statewide guideline for several open dates); the motion passed.

Tribal and treaty proposals

Treaty tribes presented separate treaty‑area options for the 2025 treaty troll fishery. The Makah Tribal Council proposed a 45,000 Chinook / 40,000 coho quota split, with 50% of Chinook in the May–June period and 50% in July–September. The Quinault Treaty Area tribes proposed a 40,000 Chinook / 35,000 coho package, with a May–June Chinook fishery and a July–September fishery that would close September 15. Both treaty proposals were adopted by the council for STT modelling and analysis.

Public and tribal concerns heard during consideration

Council members heard extensive public testimony over two days. Tribal representatives emphasized that treaty and treaty‑protected fisheries must be protected, criticized long‑standing mitigation shortfalls for blocked habitats and high predator losses, and urged caution on open‑ocean impacts to already weak inriver stocks. Colville and Columbia Basin tribes told the council their members face very small allocations and urged lower ocean impacts on upper Columbia summer Chinook. Commercial, recreational and community speakers described deep economic losses after multiple closed seasons and advocated limited, carefully monitored opportunity targeted to hatchery‑origin fish where possible.

What the STT will do next

The STT will combine the tentative alternatives and the state and tribal numeric proposals into analytical runs to estimate stock‑by‑stock impacts (including spawner reduction rates), and will return results at the next council meeting. The council asked that the STT explicitly model key uncertainties — notably the Klamath River fall Chinook framework — and report any implications for risk and for in‑river fisheries.

Outlook and next steps

Council staff said tentative adoption is the standard step to give managers and the STT a firm working package to analyze; final action and legal rulemaking follow later if the council adopts a final package. Several council members and state and tribal representatives emphasized the likelihood of further intersession negotiations among co‑managers as the STT analysis becomes available. The council scheduled STT results for the next council session and said it will use those analyses to refine and finalize 2025 measures.

Ending: The council did not set final seasons; it directed technical analysis and agreed to return to the issue after the STT completes the requested modeling and draft regulatory text. Quotes in this story come from the transcript of the April 2025 council meeting and are attributed to speakers who spoke on the record at the meeting.