Pacific Fishery Management Council adopts 2025 ocean salmon measures after week of disputed forecasts

Pacific Fishery Management Council members voted April 15 to adopt final ocean salmon management measures for 2025 after a week of technical briefings, advisory‑body recommendations and public testimony.

The measures approve distinct packages for (1) waters north of Cape Falcon, (2) Cape Falcon to the Oregon–California border, (3) Oregon–California border to the U.S.–Mexico border, and (4) treaty troll measures. The council recorded motions and votes to send all four packages to the U.S. Secretary of Commerce for review and implementation as appropriate.

Why it matters: Forecasts for key stocks — notably Klamath River fall Chinook and Sacramento River fall Chinook — remained low this year, forcing tradeoffs among tribal, commercial and recreational priorities. Council members, state and tribal co‑managers, and advisory panels debated short recreational openers, quota‑style limits, and whether to allow tribal treaty troll fisheries to extend through late September.

The council adopted measures for waters north of Cape Falcon with a modification shortening some recreational and commercial closure dates to Sept. 15 in selected subareas and adding a pre‑June‑25 possession prohibition in the Columbia River subarea. Kyle Addicks moved the North‑of‑Cape‑Falcon package (seconded by Butch Smith); the motion passed (record: “Motion passes unanimously”). The council next approved the Oregon (Cape Falcon to Oregon–California border) package as presented by John North; that motion passed with four members recorded as voting no. The California package (Oregon–California border to the U.S.–Mexico…