Recreational fishing rule making and season-setting

North of Falcon

Each year state, federal and tribal fishery managers gather to plan the Northwest's recreational and commercial salmon fisheries. This pre-season planning process is often referred to as the "North of Falcon" process and involves a series of meeting between federal, state, tribal management entities, industry representatives, and other concerned citizens.

The North of Falcon planning process coincides with the March and April meetings of the Pacific Fishery Management Council (PFMC), the federal authority responsible for setting ocean salmon seasons 3 to 200 miles off the Pacific coast. In addition to the two PFMC meetings, the states of Washington and Oregon and Washington’s treaty tribes hold additional meetings to discuss alternative fishing seasons that meet conservation and allocation objectives, with input from the public. Fishery managers generally refer to the entire set of pre-season meetings as North of Falcon. The name refers to Cape Falcon in northern Oregon, which marks the southern border of active management for Washington salmon stocks.

For Meeting schedules, forecasts and model runs, season summaries, and how to comments visit our North of Falcon page.

Rulemaking timeline: Annually, January through June.

Columbia River Compact

Rules for Columbia River commercial fisheries have congressional and statutory authority to develop and adopt seasons through the Compact process. In recent years, recreational fisheries have been included to the Compact and consists of the Oregon and Washington agency directors, or their delegates, acting on behalf of the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission and the Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission. The Columbia River treaty tribes have authority to regulate treaty Indian fisheries in which the states establish rules for buyers to purchase commercially caught treaty fish. Salmon fisheries are sometimes closed by emergency regulation if the allowable catch is met before the normal closure date for a specific area.

For meeting information and fact sheets, visit our Columbia River Compact page.

Rulemaking timeline: Coincides annually with North of Falcon, and occurs year-round.

Similar to salmon, sturgeon fishing rules for the shared waters of the Columbia River are developed through the Columbia River Compact process. The Compact consists of the Oregon and Washington agency directors, or their delegates, acting on behalf of the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission and the Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission. The Columbia River treaty tribes have authority to regulate treaty Indian fisheries in which the states establish rules for buyers to purchase commercially caught treaty fish. Sturgeon retention fisheries are sometimes closed by emergency regulation if the catch quota is met before the normal closure date for a specific area.

For meeting information and fact sheets, visit our Columbia River Compact page. To see information about sturgeon harvest and regulations, visit the Columbia River white sturgeon page.

Rulemaking timeline: Coincides annually with North of Falcon, and occurs year-round.

Pacific halibut are managed by the International Pacific Halibut Commission (IPHC) and through the Pacific Fishery Management Council’s (PFMC) Catch Sharing Plan, a framework that describes how the allowable catch will be divided off the West Coast. The PFMC considers changes to regulations governing season for Washington, Oregon, and California each year at the September and November Council meetings. The IPHC adopts the total allowable catch at their annual meeting the following January. In addition to the two PFMC meetings, the states of Washington, Oregon, and California hold additional meetings to discuss alternative season dates necessary to meet conservation and allocation objectives, with input from the public.  The National Marine Fisheries Service adopts federal rules for Pacific halibut and State rules are generally adopted to match these rules.

Rulemaking timeline: Annually, September through March.

Similar to salmon, management of coastal marine fish is facilitated by the Pacific Fishery Management Council (PFMC), the management entity with jurisdiction over fisheries in federal waters (3-200 miles offshore). Coastal bottomfish are managed through a biennial cycle starting in September of odd-numbered years. The PFMC’s three-meeting process occurs at the September, November, and June PFMC meetings.  In addition to those three meetings, the states of Washington, Oregon, and California hold additional meetings to discuss alternative fishing management tools such as, catch quotas, season length, daily limits, and size limits that meet conservation and allocation objectives, with input from the public. The National Marine Fisheries Service adopts regulation for recreational fishing for bottomfish in federal waters and state rules are generally adopted to match these rules. 

Rulemaking timeline: Every two years, September through June.

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife annually amends recreational clam and oyster season rules on some public tidelands. Such amendments are designed to perpetuate shellfish resources and respond to shellfish population changes, shifts in recreational effort, conservation issues, and negotiations with treaty tribes and other state agencies such as the Department of Health and Washington State Parks. Public meetings are held to solicit proposals, collect input on plans, and hear preferences on alternatives.

Rulemaking timeline: Annually, November through February

Razor clam populations are annually monitored by WDFW to ensure conservation needs are met and to determine the amount of harvest opportunity available for the coming season. Tentative razor clam season dates are developed following annual stock assessment, state/tribal negotiations, and public engagement. Razor clam season openings occur only after clam samples have been tested for marine biotoxins by Washington Department of Health and are found to be safe for human consumption. 

Rulemaking timeline: In-season rules only

The coastal recreational crab season is opened year-round with pot gear allowed between Dec. 1 and Sept. 15, except inside Willapa Bay where pot gear can be used starting Nov. 15.

Rulemaking timeline: Every two years during agency sport rule-change process.

Rulemaking in 2021 will focus primarily on critical conservation needs for recreational sport fishing. These may include rule changes for gamefish and select food fish statewide, marine finfish, forage fish and shellfish for Puget Sound and coastal saltwater. Proposed rules will be made available for public comment later this summer to take effect July 1, 2022.

Sportfishing rules can also be enacted through a legislative bill that becomes law. WDFW must meet requirements established under such legislation.

License types and fees are set by the Washington state Legislature, and changes require legislative action. For current license types and fees, visit our fishing licenses webpage.