Hanford Reach wild adult Chinook must be released starting today

Washington is switching the Hanford Reach fall Chinook fishery to mark-selective rules today. A FishingWA regulation update posted Sept. 22, 2026, carrying the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife action, closes retention of wild (unmarked) adult Chinook beginning Sept. 23.

Two zones, two calendars. From the Highway 395 bridge at Pasco upstream to the Old Hanford Townsite powerline crossing — catch record card areas 534 and 535 — the rule runs Sept. 23 through Dec. 31. The daily limit stays six salmon, including no more than one adult, and wild Chinook have to go back. From that powerline crossing up to 650 feet below the Priest Rapids Dam fish ladder (CRC 536), the same daily limit and wild-Chinook release apply, but only through Oct. 15.

WDFW said in-season estimates of unmarked fall Chinook harvest, and the impact on natural-origin fish, are high enough to stop keeping wild adults. The change is meant to leave hatchery fish available while cutting pressure on the natural-origin run. Adult Chinook are 24 inches or longer. Once an angler has kept the adult daily limit, salmon fishing stops for the day. Salmon that are not part of the limit stay in the water and go back unharmed, and every fish kept has to be written on the card right away.

Anglers 15 and older still need the Columbia River salmon and steelhead endorsement on top of a fishing license. Check emergency rules before you launch. Questions: Todd Miller, WDFW South Central Region, 564-263-8636.

This is a The Gillnet news desk summary, not a reprint.

Source: FishingWA — Hanford Reach fall Chinook fishery update (Sept. 22, 2026).