Naselle Hatchery reopens to anglers as an active construction site

The Naselle Hatchery in Pacific County reopened to public fishing on Oct. 16. That is the same day the section of the Naselle River near the hatchery opened to salmon retention. The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife says the hatchery is still a major construction site and is asking anglers to stay out of the work areas.

John Larson, WDFW’s Coastal Region hatchery operations manager, said anglers must stay outside all construction areas and inside the marked pedestrian access areas. If people don’t follow the boundaries, the agency could close public access. Signs at the facility show where to park and how to reach the river. WDFW says the hatchery is one of the few public access points on this part of the river, and that is why it is keeping access open during the work. The restricted areas will change during the season, so anglers should follow the posted signs, the barriers and what hatchery staff tell them.

Boaters should be very careful around the new diversion structures in the river near the hatchery. WDFW says the layout and conditions there have changed.

The current second phase of the renovation is building a new fish weir, an adult fish ladder, and adult collection, sorting and spawning facilities. It also upgrades equipment for passing natural-origin fish. That phase started in May and is expected to finish in fall 2027. A third phase will add a pollution abatement pond, an incubation building and rearing ponds.

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

Source: WDFW — Anglers asked to respect construction boundaries at Naselle Hatchery (news release, Oct. 16, 2026).