Wednesday October 29, 2025
Flannery Publications —
Salmon returns to Willapa Bay hatcheries are exceptionally strong, with the Naselle and Nemah hatcheries officially meeting their 2025 Chinook broodstock goals. The robust returns, particularly of Coho, have allowed the Department of Fish and Wildlife to expand commercial fishing opportunities in certain areas.
Hatcheries Secure Future Chinook Stocks
The region’s three main hatcheries have seen tens of thousands of Chinook salmon return, successfully securing the necessary eggs for future generations.
At the Naselle River Hatchery, a total of 13,150 adult and jack Chinook have been recruited into the facility. From these, staff have spawned 1,866 female Chinook and collected 5,598,000 eggs, successfully meeting the facility’s 2025 goal. Additionally, 853 natural origin (NOR) Chinook were planted upstream above the hatchery to spawn naturally.
Similarly, the Nemah River Hatchery has reached its goal after 7,850 adult and jack Chinook returned. The hatchery has collected 3,699,000 eggs from 1,233 female Chinook spawned so far. Staff also released 428 NOR Chinook upstream.
Meanwhile, the Forks Creek Hatchery has seen 2,302 Chinook return and has already collected 240,000 eggs, putting it at 54.5% of its total broodstock goal.
Commercial Fishery Expanded Due to Coho Returns
The commercial fishery, open since September 14, has shown high harvest numbers through October 23. A total of 4,490 hatchery Chinook salmon have been landed, along with 41,073 Coho and 47,480 Chum.
Due to this strong showing, the Department issued an emergency regulation on October 23 to open additional fishing time in areas 2N, 2M, and 2R. This decision was based on the in-season update model estimating higher natural and hatchery Coho returns than were originally predicted preseason. Areas 2T and 2U remain closed.
Regulatory Watch and Weather Alert
The Department continues to monitor the commercial fishery closely. Officials note that significant rain and wind are predicted over the next several days, which is expected to affect salmon movement in the rivers and may prevent staff from conducting spawner surveys as river flows rise.