Clamming also draws thousands of people to the beaches and bays. The Department of Fish and Wildlife operates 34 fish hatcheries that produce millions of fish annually. Several million trout are released at six to ten inches in length, while most salmon and steelhead are released when they are about one year old and ready to migrate to the ocean. Commercial Fishing One of Oregon's first industries was the commercial fishing trade. Rich ocean and river harvests played an important role in the development of Oregon's economy and the establishment of various cities and ports.
Commercial fishing is still important to the state economy.
Chinook and Coho have historically made up the bulk of the commercial salmon catch. These fish are taken by ocean trollers and gill netters working in the Columbia River. In 1994, a fishery resource disaster was declared in the west coast salmon fisheries because of extremely low numbers of salmon stock. Ocean landings of Chinook salmon partially recovered in 2000, but Oregon coastal Coho salmon still remain at low levels and are now listed under the federal Endangered Species Act. While salmon hatcheries receive a great deal of attention, the harvest of various ocean groundfish actually exceeds the salmon catch in both poundage and value.