New Fishing Law Requires Endorsement For Columbia River Anglers

As of January 1st, 2026, there's a new law in place that pertains to fishing. Specifically, the Columbia River Recreational Salmon and Steelhead Endorsement Program that you'll need on top of a fishing license if you're 15 or older starting this year and from here on out.

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Columbia River Recreational Salmon and Steelhead Endorsement Program

HB 2003, as of now, started January 1st, 2026, you'll need an endorsement to fish for salmon and steelhead in the Columbia River or any of its tributaries if you're 15 or older.

This is in addition to your fishing license. If you're planning on fishing for salmon and/or steelhead in the Columbia River, you'll need both a fishing license as well as this new endorsement.

This isn't necessarily a new idea. Something similar was in place during the 2010s.

PROS

The funds from this endorsement go directly to fund and support the Columbia River salmon and steelhead programs like hatcheries, monitoring, and more.

Since this isn't coming from state budgets with fear of cuts, it would fund throughout.

CONS

The added fee is never fun. Fishing licenses had already gone up in price and now there's an additional fee for this endorsement.

Because there's an additional fee, many may opt to not fish in the Columbia River in favor for somewhere else which could hurt those tourism dollars in the long run for those areas.

Something to keep in mind this year.

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Gallery Credit: Rik Mikals

Source: Columbia River Anglers Face New Endorsement Fee In 2026

Filed Under: Fishing, Columbia River, salmon

Categories: Featured