It is that time of year for NOF and Barbara sent this out for all of us.

Hello Everyone,

As many of you know, we are in the middle of our annual North of Falcon (NOF) salmon season setting process for 2026. Statewide forecasts were shared on Feb 27th, the ocean options for Chinook and coho salmon were set by the Pacific Fishery Management Council (PFMC) during their meeting March 4 – 9, and WDFW held a virtual public meeting specific to coastal areas on March 12th. For information regarding these meetings, please see our website at North of Falcon | Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife.

As we continue to move through the NOF process, we will have a coastal breakout session during our North of Falcon #2 meeting scheduled for next Tuesday, March 31st in Lynnwood, WA. WDFW staff will be in person in Lynnwood for this meeting, but the meeting is hybrid with a virtual option. The coastal breakout session has been scheduled after the larger morning session, which will likely end late morning. This will be your next opportunity to provide your comments or suggestions for salmon fisheries in coastal areas from Willapa Bay, Grays Harbor, and North Coast.

If interested in participating in this meeting virtually, you can preregister on our website at 2026 North of Falcon public meeting schedule | Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife. Find the date for the meeting and click on the ‘Event Page’ link for that meeting. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing the information on how to join the meeting virtually.

If you cannot attend the virtual portion of NOF #2 next week, you can continue to provide your fishery suggestions through our online portal using the first link listed above.

Thank you -
Barbara



Barbara McClellan
WDFW Region 6
Coastal Fisheries Lead Biologist
Office: 360-249-1213
Cell: 360-470-3459
Barbara.Mcclellan@dfw.wa.gov