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Commission delegates Columbia River management authority to director for 2026 amid policy nonconcurrence with Oregon
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Summary
After a staff review of Columbia River fisheries and allocation, the commission authorized the director to work with Oregon to seek concurrent regulations for 2026 and to vary policy when necessary to manage in season. The move follows a multi‑year, multi‑stakeholder review and ongoing non‑concurrence on gear and allocation topics.
The Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission granted the department director delegation authority for Columbia River salmon management for 2026, empowering staff to work with Oregon counterparts and the tribes to try to achieve concurrent regulations and jointly manage shared fisheries this season.
Staff synopsis and context: Department staff presented a five‑year review of Columbia River policy 3630, covering allocation tables by species (spring and summer Chinook, sockeye, coho, chum), current gear guidance, monitoring approaches and an emerging commercial fishery (limited individual fisher quotas for pound nets and seines). The review noted continued nonconcurrence with Oregon on gear and some allocation issues and summarized staff’s policy “report card” on outstanding items.
What the delegation does: Commissioner Barbara Baker moved that the director be authorized to work with Oregon’s director to achieve concurrent fishing regulations, which “may require the director to vary from policy and jointly manage waters of the Columbia River for 2026.” The commission seconded and approved the delegation unanimously. The delegation gives the director authority to negotiate operational, in‑season measures and use director delegations where appropriate to maintain harvest constraints and manage catch balancing with treaty tribes.
Why it matters: Columbia River salmon management involves multiple layers — international treaty constraints, Pacific Fishery Management Council decisions, co‑manager agreements and state commission policies — and nonconcurrence with Oregon has constrained some commercial opportunities and complicated in‑season management. Staff emphasized select‑area fisheries remain the primary site of commercial spring harvest and that an emerging, mark‑selective commercial fishery has begun under limited IFQ authorization.
Direct quotes: Dr. Charlene Hurst, who led the review, said the department is “able to manage the places of commonality between the states” and that staff would continue to seek practical solutions where concurrence is possible. Commissioner Baker, who moved the delegation, said the director has “done a very good job” working with staff and Oregon in prior years.
Next steps and conditions: The delegation covers 2026 operations; staff will report in season via compact hearings and provide updates to the commission. The commission stressed the need for clearer staff briefings on hatchery/wild composition and the monitoring data staff use for allocation decisions.
Provenance: Staff presentation and discussion occurred during the Columbia River Salmon Management Policy agenda item and the delegation motion and vote are recorded in the meeting transcript on Feb. 13.
