April 15, 2026 — Commercial salmon season is opening off the coast of California for the first time since 2022 this May. The Pacific Fishery Management Council announced this week that it had elected to adopt recommendations for the 2026 fishing season on the West Coast. It’s an auspicious occasion for many, including Gov. Gavin Newsom, who announced the opening in a news release on Monday with the triumphant title “Let’s go fishing! Salmon fishing is back in California after more than 3-year closure.”
“We’re seeing progress because of the work we’re doing together,” Newsom said. “We’re doubling down on our strategies to protect this iconic species and ensure it thrives, not just for today, but for generations to come.”
This season, though, might be less propitious than hoped for fishermen on the North Coast, who have hoped their three years of sacrifice would pay immediate dividends.
Salmon fishing will remain closed from the Oregon border to Point Arena (the Klamath Management Zone, or KMZ, and the zone immediately to the south of that) and further restricted from Point Arena to Pigeon Point, forcing fishermen on the North Coast to travel far north to Oregon or south to the central California coast to take advantage of a limited season.