2014 Oregon Sport Fishing Regulations Now Available
OutdoorHub 11.25.13
The 2014 Oregon Sport Fishing regulations are now available on-line, at ODFW offices and at most places that sell hunting and fishing licenses.
One of the most significant changes in this year’s regulations is a number of new license options that include the Columbia River Basin endorsement. Beginning Jan. 1, 2014, the new endorsement will be required for all anglers fishing for salmon, steelhead and sturgeon within the Columbia River Basin – an area that includes the Willamette, Central and Northeast angling zones, as well as a handful of Columbia River tributaries in the northern edge of the Northwest Zone.
The 2014 endorsement, along with all other licenses, will go on sale Dec. 1, 2013. Anglers can purchase the $9.75 annual endorsement in conjunction with a fishing license, a combined fishing and hunting license, or sports pac. The endorsement also can be purchased separately at a later date, though anglers will have to pay an additional $2 transaction fee.
“If your 2014 plans include fishing for salmon, steelhead or sturgeon in the Columbia River or its tributaries, we encourage you to buy the endorsement at the same time you get your license,” said Mike Gauvin, ODFW recreational fisheries manager. “Not only will you save two dollars, you will have one less fishing document to fit in your wallet.”
For daily licenses, the endorsement will be $1 per day. Holders of free resident disabled veteran, pioneer and youth-under-14 licenses will be issued a free Columbia River Basin endorsement upon request.
The Columbia River Basin endorsement was approved by the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission in October 2013 as part of a larger package of management reforms for fisheries on the lower Columbia River. Under this new management regime, non-tribal commercial gill nets are being transitioned off the lower mainstem Columbia River into off-channel areas, and the sports share of available salmon harvest is increasing.
The endorsement will fund the transition of non-tribal commercial gill nets out of the mainstem Columbia River into enhanced off-channel areas, freeing up additional salmon and steelhead for sport fishing.
Visit the ODFW Website for more information about the Columbia River Basin endorsement.
