Category: Salmon

First Chinook fishery since 2021 proposed for Coquille River thanks to success of Coquille Tribe-ODFW partnership, volunteer efforts

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NEWS RELEASE 

Oregon Fish and Wildlife 

Coquille Indian Tribe 

 

Contact 

Tim Novotny, Coquille Indian Tribe, (541) 751-7491, timnovotny@coquilletribe.org 

Michelle Dennehy, ODFW, (503) 931-2748, Michelle.N.Dennehy@odfw.oregon.gov 

 

 

 

Photo: Caption: ODFW Director Debbie Colbert (at podium) and Coquille Tribe Chairwoman Brenda Meade (to the right in black sweatshirt) on July 31, 2025 in Bandon, Ore. to announce a major step forward in their combined management effort on salmon recovery in the Coquille River. The first fall Chinook fishery since 2021 will be proposed for the Coquille River following the efforts of the Coquille Tribe, ODFW staff and STEP (Salmon Trout Enhancement Program) volunteers to improve the performance of the hatchery program. (photo credit: Coquille Tribe)

 

July 31, 2025 

  

BANDON, Ore.— Leadership of the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife and the Coquille Indian Tribe came together near the mouth of the Coquille River today to announce a major step forward in the combined management effort on salmon recovery.

 

ODFW is proposing to restart Chinook salmon fishing in the Coquille River this fall following the efforts of the Coquille Tribe, ODFW staff and extensive community volunteer work to improve the performance of the hatchery program. 

 

Under a Chinook proposal to be considered by the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission on Sept. 12 in Ontario and a wild coho proposal to be considered Aug. 15 in Salem, the following regulations would be in effect on the Coquille River this fall:

  • Open for salmon fishing Sept. 13-Oct. 15 from the Hwy 101 bridge upstream to the Hwy 42S Sturdivant Park Bridge near the town of Coquille  
  • Daily bag limit of two adult salmon (hatchery Chinook and wild coho only, but only one may be a wild coho) and a season limit of 3 wild coho

 

If approved, the season would mark the first fall Chinook opportunity on the Coquille River since 2021 and add to wild coho fishing opportunities that returned in 2024. Members of the public can comment on the proposals via the ODFW rulemaking page. 

 

Fall Chinook fisheries on the Coquille River have primarily been supported by abundant wild populations. But wild Chinook returns to the Coquille River fell dramatically in 2018 due to the illegal introduction and spread of smallmouth bass, a voracious predator of juvenile salmon. Warming river temperatures, low flows and poor ocean conditions also played a role. 

 

The long-running hatchery program, which relied heavily on wild broodstock, also experienced several setbacks. ODFW was unable to collect sufficient broodstock/eggs, so fewer smolts were released.  

 

ODFW and the Coquille Tribe signed a historic Memorandum of Agreement in June 2022 to collaborate, share resources and work as partners to enhance fish and wildlife

populations. They quickly leaned into their relationship and started working together more closely, alongside volunteers from local STEP (Salmon Trout Enhancement Program) groups. 

 

This broader effort increased brood collection efforts so more hatchery fish could be spawned and more smolts released. Improvements in design and operations at the Ferry Creek broodstock collection trap helped meet broodstock collection targets. A new smolt acclimation and adult collection site was also developed on the Tribe’s Lampa Creek property.   

  

The effort is just one of several actions ODFW, the Coquille Tribe, and volunteers are taking to restore fisheries in the Coquille River. Other efforts include: 

  • Habitat restoration and protection: Collaborative projects between the Tribe, ODFW, SWCD in Coos County and other partners using federal and other grant funds to improve fish passage and restore habitat. 
  • Electrofishing to remove smallmouth bass: Nearly 40,000 smallmouth bass have been removed from the Coquille River. 
  • Conservation hatchery program: An additional hatchery program to supplement the wild population is underway, rearing some fish at Elk River Hatchery and releasing them in the upper basin at a size and time when they are less vulnerable to smallmouth bass. 
  • Experimental hatchboxes: Unfed fry are being released from hatchboxes (aka streamside incubators) at several locations with genetic sampling of adult returns planned to help determine the experimental program’s effectiveness.  

 

During a press conference announcing the proposals today in Bandon, Ore., ODFW Director Debbie Colbert and Coquille Indian Tribe Chairwoman Brenda Meade expressed their commitment to continuing to work together to enhance salmon and steelhead populations and fishing opportunities. They say given the unique past, current, and anticipated future conditions of the Coquille system, a unified, holistic management approach is essential to achieve this mission. 

 

“Coquille people have a sacred duty to care for fish and wildlife that aligns with the mission of the ODFW well,” said Chair Brenda Meade.  “Our shared vision is that the Coquille and Coos systems will be widely recognized as a premier salmon and steelhead fishery and a cornerstone of the cultural, social and economic well-being of the region. We are calling this the “Hot Zone” – a Harvest Opportunity Zone. Our MOA and work we do under it is not only about government-to-government work and respect, but also about truly listening to this community and involving the community in our work as valued partners with knowledge, ideas, and contributions to give too.”

 

“We needed to act after the Coquille River reached a tipping point a few years ago with the drastic decline of wild Chinook from an average of about 10,000 returning adults to just 300 in 2019 due to low flows, warming river temperatures and invasive predators,” said ODFW Director Debbie Colbert. “The situation called for an all-out effort to pull Coquille River’s salmon and fishing opportunities back from the brink.” 

 

I’m thrilled we can celebrate this positive step in the right direction,” Colbert continued. “I hope the collective efforts of the Tribe, ODFW and volunteers bring more results for salmon in the future, including for wild runs which remain very low.” 

 

ODFW and the Tribe remain committed to management actions and projects that grow salmon and steelhead abundance and enhance harvest opportunities, with both natural and hatchery produced salmon playing an important role.  

 

Northwest Sportsman Magazine – July 31, 2025

KMTR-TV – July 31, 2025

KEZI.com – July 31, 2025

KPIC-TV – July 31, 2025

Jefferson Public Radio – July 31, 2025

Tribal Business News – August 2, 2025

OPB – August 2, 2025

MSN – August 2, 2025

Underscore Native News – August 8, 2025

The World Newspaper – August 9, 2025

Oregon Capital Chronicle – August 11, 2025

 

 

 

Coquille Tribe puts millions in federal funding to work

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The Coquille Indian Tribe will soon be putting nearly $8 million in federal grant funding to work on salmon recovery and watershed projects, the tribe said Monday in a media release.

The tribe received two major NOAA grant awards this year, including a $4.249 million Barrier Removal Grant and a $3.608 million Pacific Coast Salmon Recovery Fund Grant.

 

KCBY11 – September 9, 2024

KOBI-TV – September 10, 2024

KVAL-TV – September 12, 2024

Operation Save the Salmon underway with the 3rd annual Smallmouth Bass Derby

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The 3rd annual Smallmouth Bass Derby is underway, and the public has a chance to win up to $5,000 for the bass they catch.

Hosted by Coquille River STEP Association and in partnership with the Coquille Indian Tribe, the derby is helping the recovery of salmon and other important species by ridding the river of invasive smallmouth bass.

KTVL-TV – July 30, 2024

Millions more earmarked for Northwest fish passage projects

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  • The Coquille Indian Tribe will restore fish passage at four culvert and tide gate barriers in the Coquille River watershed. This will open significant habitat for threatened Oregon Coast coho, Coquille River fall Chinook, and Pacific lamprey—species that are culturally important to the Coquille Indian Tribe and the community of Coos Bay. The work will help reduce the impacts of climate change by providing functioning floodplains and upgrading a major road and tsunami evacuation route. ($4.2 million)

Northwest Sportsman – May 22, 2024

Press Release

2022 fall Chinook salmon run

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Ryan Couture, hatchery coordinator for ODFW, grabs a male salmon that is ready for spawning.

Bandon hits the salmon jackpot in 2022

Nov. 10, 2022

BANDON, Ore. – The mood is festive this fall in the Bandon Hatchery’s cramped spawning room.

“How can you not have a smile on spawning days?” said Helena Linnell, biological operations and planning manager for the Coquille Indian Tribe.

That’s especially true in 2022. After years of sparse salmon returns in Bandon’s Ferry Creek, this fall brought more than 150 breeding pairs of hatchery Chinook salmon – the most in at least 20 years.

 Spawning is continuing through November, with 2022’s plentiful broodstock yielding hundreds of thousands of fertilized eggs. This bumper crop of new salmon brings fresh hope for the Coquille River’s imperiled Chinook population.

“We’re really blessed with the number of fish that came back this year,” said tribal Chair Brenda Meade. “The hard work and dedication of so many people is what brought us successes this year.”

A coalition of the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, the Coquille Tribe and community volunteers collected about 300 adult salmon in Ferry Creek over the past several weeks. Some of the fish were caught in a fish trap, others were netted in the creek, and some made their way to the hatchery on their own.

“People have really stepped up,” Meade said. “We’re getting so many volunteers from the community.”

The number of collected salmon far exceeds ODFW’s goal of 75 breeding pairs. It’s even more impressive in comparison with recent years. Only three pairs were spawned at the Bandon Hatchery in 2020. The number rose to 24 last year – an eightfold improvement, but far too few  to sustain the Coquille River fishery.

After learning of the salmon’s plight in mid-2021, the Coquille Tribal Council declared an emergency. Municipal governments, local ports and community volunteers stepped up to help ODFW and the tribe combat predators, gather broodstock, and enhance salmon habitat.

This year’s breeding bounty reflects both natural and human factors. Along with better ocean conditions in 2022, Ferry Creek has new and better broodstock harvesting equipment, thanks to the tribe, the Port of Bandon and volunteers from the Coquille Salmon and Trout Enhancement Program (STEP).

The fertilized eggs will be kept in incubation tanks for several weeks before being moved to Cole Rivers Hatchery in Trail, Ore. There the juvenile salmon will hatch and mature until they are large enough to be acclimated into the Coquille River system.

Improved hatchery production is just one part of the story. In a separate project, two wild fall Chinook females recently were spawned at the hatchery, producing about 3,400 eggs each.

Spawning these wild salmon at the hatchery launches a groundbreaking “conservation hatchery” program on the Coquille River. The new program will collect adult salmon from the naturally spawning population, protecting them from predators until they can be spawned.

Those wild salmon will be kept separate from the regular hatchery population, and their offspring will be released with unclipped fins in the Coquille River basin’s upper reaches. (Clipped adipose fins indicate a hatchery pedigree.)

The goal is to build a more robust population of “wild” fish that eventually will return to spawn in the upper basin, far removed from their hatchery-bred cousins.