Select Page

Columbia River Zone 6

All four Columbia River treaty tribes enjoy fishing rights along the Columbia from the Bonneville to McNary dams. This 147-mile stretch of the river is called Zone 6.

For fisheries management purposes, the 292-mile stretch of the Columbia River that creates the border between Washington and Oregon is divided into six zones. Zones 1-5 are between the mouth of the river and Bonneville Dam, a distance of 145 miles. Oregon and Washington manage the commercial fisheries that occur in these zones. Zone 6 is an exclusive treaty Indian commercial fishing area. This exclusion is for commercial fishing only. Non-commercial sports fishers may still fish in this stretch of the river.

Indian fishers are legally entitled to half the harvestable surplus of fish in the river. To meet that requirement, Oregon and Washington must set their fisheries in Zones 1-5 in order to leave enough fish for harvest in Zone 6. Indian fishing is regulated under the ongoing U.S. District Court litigation known as U.S. v. Oregon.
Columbia River commercial fishing zones

The CRITFC Enforcement operations consist of land and water patrols on this stretch of the Columbia River. CRITFC also operates and maintains 31 fishing access sites set aside for the exclusive use of fishers from the four member tribes.

CRITFC Enforcement

A CRITFC Enforcement boat patrol in Zone 6 of the Columbia River.