2026 West Coast Rec Fish Roundtable Summary

The recreational coordinators from the West Coast Region (WCR), Southwest Fisheries Science Center (SWFSC), and Northwest Fisheries Science Center (NWFSC) hosted a West Coast recreational fisheries roundtable on April 9, 2026, in conjunction with the Pacific Fishery Management Council meeting in Portland, Oregon. The NOAA Assistant Administrator for Fisheries, Eugenio Piñeiro Soler, attended as well as Russ Dunn, NOAA’s Senior Recreational Fisheries Policy Advisor and leaders from each of the West Coast NOAA offices. The meeting was well attended by over 60 individual private anglers and related associations, guides, charter vessel owners/operators and associations, landing owners, state fish and wildlife agencies, Pacific Fishery Management Council members, and Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission (PSMFC) members. 

Assistant Administrator Piñeiro Soler and SWFSC Director Kristen Koch opened the meeting by welcoming participants and recognizing the social, economic, and cultural importance of recreational fishing to our coastal communities.

Following their welcome, Jason Edwards from PSMFC’s Recreational Fisheries Information Network (RecFIN) announced a project to develop an online Angler Data Portal. This project is intended to make recreational fishing data, such as catch and effort, easier for anglers to find, understand, and use. RecFIN is soliciting feedback to guide the project and shape the development of reports, charts, and tools to better serve the fishing community.

The discussion covered several key areas: attendees' primary concerns ("What’s keeping you up at night?"), technologies relevant to recreational fisheries, and potential themes for the Spring 2027 National Saltwater Recreational Fisheries Summit. Notes were taken during the conversation and note pads were passed around the room for attendees to provide us with additional ideas, concerns, and thoughts if we didn’t get to it during the allotted time. We extend our sincere appreciation to the attendees for their time and candid discussion.

What’s keeping you up at night?

Primary concerns centered on the decline of salmon stocks, notably underscored by three consecutive years of absent or severely restricted ocean salmon fishing opportunities for California recreational fisheries, and resultant impacts on other salmon fisheries. Declining trends and missed escapement goals indicate an area requiring focused attention. Participants advocated for a transparent renegotiation process for the Pacific Salmon Treaty (PST), as it is currently under review, emphasizing the impact of ocean fisheries and the need for inclusion of steelhead, a species frequently overlooked in anadromous fish discussions. Attendees also noted the poor condition of inland water resources and associated management conflicts, highlighting a distinct lack of coordination between federal and state water managers in crucial areas such as the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers. They proposed that minor adjustments to water release protocols could yield significant benefits for salmon without adversely affecting agricultural interests. Strong support was voiced for expanding hatchery production across the entire West Coast as an essential mechanism for rebuilding salmon biomass to historical levels. It was noted hatchery production effort is currently hampered by warm water quality issues, necessitating investment in water cooling infrastructure. Other environmental threats, particularly major predation by pinnipeds and birds, were cited as critical factors, leading to calls for expanded authority for pinniped removals and for addressing the conflict that arises when pinnipeds, which are protected under Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA),  are feeding on salmon protected under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). Furthermore, anglers stressed the need for increased investment in fisheries-independent data, including angler intercept surveys, juvenile salmon and outmigration surveys, and growth rate analyses, along with a broader review of stock impacts attributable to changing environmental conditions. It was shared that existing surveys capture critical information for predicting abundance of salmon stocks. There were also appeals for greater consideration and utilization of anglers' on-the-water observations through citizen science or cooperative research initiatives, citing examples such as a developing sport angler science program in Oregon and a previous vermilion/sunset rockfish genetic study.

Systemic issues within fisheries management were a significant source of frustration, with the federal process described as slow and rigid. They noted that implementation of changes to Fisheries Management Plans can be protracted, hindering managers' ability to respond adequately and timely to events such as an El Niño event. A universal need for increased financial resources was expressed, requesting additional funding for NOAA and the States to enhance management efficacy and provide improved fishing opportunities. To improve data quality and timeliness, attendees called for greater investment in data collection, including more frequent stock assessments, particularly for groundfish to mitigate large catch limit fluctuations, as well as the expansion of citizen science programs, as indicated above, to more accurately reflect the reality of the fishing experience. Suggestions for broader systemic reform also included modernizing the Magnuson-Stevens Act (MSA) and exploring the possibility of sport access to underutilized commercial quotas, specifically mentioning Canary rockfish. Furthermore, National Standard 4 of the MSA was raised indicating that a standardized sharing or allocation framework is needed for fisheries anticipating a shrinking resource. The importance of recognizing recreational fisheries in the context of international or cross-boundary negotiations was also emphasized.

Technologies, National Saltwater Recreational Fisheries Summit, and Other Topics

Other key topics covered included the impact of technology and the importance of international cooperation. New technologies like high-resolution seafloor mapping, sea-surface temperature charts, and fish finders are enabling anglers to fish in areas they haven’t historically. Skilled captains are able to use available fish finder and chart technology to find habitat, and identify the species of fish and willingness of it to bite before even dropping a hook in the water, improving selectivity. It was noted that underwater cameras can be used to view the bottom habitat and use that to identify species-specific hot spots to either avoid or target. Kayaks, both human and motor propelled,also created more accessible opportunities for people without access to larger boats or other motorized watercraft for coastal fishing; they also provided additional nearshore fishing opportunities in areas with less boat access (i.e., far from launch ramps). Electric reels are also making fishing at greater depths more accessible where these areas have traditionally been only commercially accessible. Support was expressed for the National Weather Service forecasting tools and reports along with ocean bar, or harbor/river entry point, cameras to observe conditions. There was also a request for increased international cooperation with Mexico regarding cross-border stocks such as sand bass, California yellowtail, and Pacific Bluefin tuna. 

When considering National Saltwater Recreational Fisheries Summit agenda items, participants highlighted the need to examine international and cross-jurisdictional issues, speed up the process and amount of federal disaster funding, and quantify the intrinsic or "surplus value" of recreational fisheries, which is currently difficult to convey in international negotiations or incorporate into stock assessments. Depredation was another significant issue raised, noting that related-interactions between ESA and MMPA-listed species occur throughout the nation. There was also a request to discuss the equitable sharing provision of the MSA, highlighting the difficulty of allocation discussions and the need for a standardized national framework.