SALEM, Ore.— Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) set 2026 groundfish regulations during their meeting in Salem today.
The daily catch limit for lingcod will increase from 2 to 3 fish next year, since, in their words, “Lingcod populations are healthy and bycatch of yelloweye rockfish (a protected species) is still low”.
The daily limit for general marine bag limit (rockfish, greenlings, cabezon, etc.) would stay at 4 fish all year in 2026, with a sub bag limit of 2 canary rockfish (up from 1 fish last year). The 4-fish daily limit is necessary due to continued high effort and catch rates for rockfish. In 2025, a planned 5-fish summertime bag limit had to be reduced back to 4 in August and then to 3 fish in September as the popular fishery approached the harvest guideline much earlier than expected…