ODFW release - ONTARIO, Ore.–The Fish and Wildlife Commission voted 5-1 to open a hatchery Chinook salmon season in the Coquille River, the first Chinook season since 2021, during their meeting today in Ontario.  The Coquille River will be open for fall salmon fishing from Sept. 13-Oct. 15 from the Hwy 101 bridge upstream to the Hwy 42S Sturdivant Park Bridge near the town of Coquille. The daily bag limit is two adult salmon (hatchery Chinook and coho, but only one may be a wild coho) with a season limit of 3 wild coho.  ODFW staff, the Coquille Tribe, and community volunteers from local STEP programs have worked hard to improve the performance of the hatchery program in recent years and this fishery opportunity is a reflection of the success of that work.  The Commission also adopted 2026 Sport Fishing Regulations. Changes to fishing regulations are considered every other year and so those adopted today will be in effect 2026-27. See a list of changes by zone on MyODFW.com; all changes proposed by staff were approved by the Commission.  Among the changes for 2026-27, spearfishing will be allowed in rivers and streams that are open with no limit for bass and walleye. Anglers have been requesting expanded opportunity to spearfish for bass and walleye, a popular alternative fishing method that may also help to reduce impacts of bass and walleye on native fish.  The kokanee bag limit will also change so it is clearly separate from the trout limit. Beginning in 2026, the kokanee bag limit will be 10 per day, open all year with no size limit (unless noted under Exceptions). The change removes the confusing bonus bag limit and replaces it with a standard kokanee specific limit.  Starting Jan. 1, 2026, anglers will need an Ocean Endorsement ($9 annual/$4 daily) to fish for all marine fish species (except for shellfish, salmon and steelhead) in ocean waters. The 2025 Oregon State Legislature approved this endorsement to specifically fund fish population surveys and research in Oregon's state waters. More nearshore fish population surveys are important because they give scientists assessing populations more confidence in their models, so there is better data informing management decisions. Learn more about the Ocean Endorsement at MyODFW.com. The cost of the Ocean Endorsement is the same for residents and nonresidents and it is included for free with resident Pioneer, resident Disabled Veteran, and Youth licenses.  The Commission also adopted 2026 Big Game Hunting Regulations, which include some significant changes to Eastern Oregon deer hunts. Starting in 2026, deer hunts in the region will be structured based on Deer Herd Ranges, not WMUs, to reflect mule deer biology and allow for more accurate monitoring and management. This change will align hunting effort and associated harvest with Oregon's mule deer populations and management goals, improve monitoring of population trends, and allow for quicker management responses/accurate evaluation of management actions.  Many hunters won't see significant impacts to their hunt except for a hunt name change. In other areas, boundaries for new hunts will be different than past hunts. Tag numbers will change slightly to manage hunter pressure and numbers could fluctuate over the next few years as hunters and ODFW adapt to these new hunt areas. All the areas that have been open to deer hunting will remain open.  There is also no change to the preference point system under the new hunt structure. But, as always when there are new hunts, hunters should expect a period of uncertainty regarding how many hunters choose to put in for a hunt and the number of preference points needed to draw a tag for a given hunt area. Hunters will want to be aware of this uncertainty when deciding how to use preference points over the next few years. Hunters are encouraged to visit the MyODFW.com Eastern Oregon Deer Hunting page for more information, including maps showing old vs new hunt boundaries.  The Commission also approved the updated "Greater Sage-Grouse Conservation Assessment and Strategy for Oregon" and amended associated rules as proposed by staff. The plan provides greater clarity on ODFW's approach to sage-grouse management. It emphasizes the biggest threats to sage-grouse in Oregon (fire, invasive annual grasses, and conifer encroachment) and includes an improved population model to help track population abundance and trends and updated Core and Low-Density Habitat maps.  All other agenda items were approved by the Commission as proposed by staff, see the agenda for details.