Beginning Jan. 1, 2026, all anglers age 15 and older must purchase a Columbia River salmon and steelhead endorsement (CRSSE) to fish recreationally for salmon and steelhead in the Columbia River and many of its Washington tributaries. The CRSSE is an annual requirement in addition to a valid recreational fishing license. License year 2025-26 endorsements are available to purchase now. Those endorsements are valid until March 31, 2026. License year 2026-27 endorsements are also available to buy now. Those are effective beginning April 1, 2026, and run through March 31, 2027. Licensed anglers fishing in the Columbia River or its Washington tributaries who are targeting species other than salmon or steelhead (e.g., sturgeon, trout, shad, walleye, or bass) do not need the CRSSE. The total cost of the endorsement after transaction and dealer fees is $8.75 for resident and non-resident anglers age 16 and older. The endorsement fee is $7.10 for 15-year-olds and resident seniors (age 70 and older). Anglers can purchase the CRSSE anywhere fishing licenses are sold. I am glad to see this program back. I served on the original Board, and it funded things like monitoring that was required in order to conduct fisheries for salmon and steelhead. This time around, according to the language in the bill that was passed by the legislature, “Expenditures from the account may only to facilitate recreational salmon and steelhead selective fishing opportunities on the Columbia River and its tributaries, including but not limited to, monitoring, hatchery production, pinniped removal, and enforcement. Only the director or the director’s designee may authorize expenditures from the account. The account is subject to allotment procedures.”