When I fished the South Fork of the Salmon River a few years ago, I had to take my fish to the check station every day. I don't see the mandatory check in the regulations this year. Is it no longer required?

It is not required this year. In years when the mandatory check was required, the result was long lines of anglers trying to check their fish late in the evening. Check station employees were working eighteen hour days, and anglers were sitting in a line when they should have been hitting the sack so they could get up and fish again early the next morning. You must still stop at the check station if you're driving past (with or without fish) but you don't have to make a special trip to have your salmon checked every day.