Ocean Workgroup

Species

• Albacore
• Chinook
• Coho
• Halibut
• Lingcod
• Rockfish

Overview

The Pacific Ocean off the Oregon coast is a dynamic and bountiful fishery, stretching across 363 miles of rugged shoreline and offering world-class opportunities for salmon, tuna, halibut and bottomfish. Each summer, albacore tuna arrive in offshore waters, drawing sport and charter boats from ports like Newport and Coos Bay, while spring and fall chinook salmon migrate along the coast, fueling a legendary ocean fishery. Nearshore reefs and rocky structures harbor lingcod and diverse rockfish species, and deeper grounds yield prized Pacific halibut in a fishery renowned for its intensity and skill. From the surf-zone pursuit of surfperch to multi-day offshore adventures, the ocean and its coastal bays like Coos, Yaquina and Tillamook form a vital, wild corridor where saltwater meets river, sustaining both thriving fisheries and coastal communities. The ODFW Central Coast is served primarily by our Mid-Valley chapter.

Our Accomplishments

• 1991: Fought high seas drift net fishing that targeted salmon and steelhead beyond territorial water.
• 2012: Helped limit impacts of marine reserves on sport fishing.
• 2016: Forage fish protections: ANWS started a campaign to protect the food web for salmon and steelhead from overharvest in 2012 with funding from the PEW Foundation helping ANWS participate in NOAA’s Pacific Fisheries Management Council meetings from Los Angeles to Seattle. PFMC approved protections in 2016, followed by ODFW’s Commission applying protections the same year.

Goals

Our Ocean Ambassador will establish our goals for the future of the Pacific Ocean, to be posted here.

Threats and Challenges

Our Ocean Ambassador will track threats and challenges to the Pacific Ocean, to be posted here.