Saving Seafood

CALIFORNIA: Not Quite a Full Catch: Salmon season returns with strict limits

April 30, 2026 — After a three-year hiatus, the long-awaited commercial salmon fishing season starts May 1 off the Northern California coast — but with a catch.

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife announced a few weeks ago that fishery stakeholders in a working group have agreed to limit Chinook (king) salmon stocks available for the annual harvest to 83,000 fish this summer. Another 20,000 may be caught this fall starting Sept. 4 in the San Francisco and Monterey zones, extending north to Point Arena.

The announcement comes on the heels of yet another delay in crabbing, which is off the table for now as humpback whales linger offshore, where they risk becoming entangled in fishing gear.

“It’s not quite what we would have liked, but it’s a good supplement,” longtime Bodega Bay fisher Dick Ogg told NorthBay biz regarding the salmon fishing restriction.

The California Salmon Council chairman and Bodega Bay Fishing Management Association president calculated that each vessel operating North Coast waters may haul in 160 fish.

Read the full article at KSRO

CALIFORNIA: Commercial salmon fishing returns to Pillar Point Harbor after three-year closure

April 20, 2026 — This year, for the first time since a three-year near-total closure of the industry, commercial fishers will be out on the water catching salmon off Pillar Point Harbor.

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife, which regulates the fishing industry, announced in a press release April 12 that specific improvements to California salmon populations have allowed for commercial salmon fishing to begin again.

“I’m going to have to remember how to do it,” local fisher Steve Meis joked. “We’ve got to figure out where all our gear is.”

For Half Moon Bay fishers, the season will open and close periodically from May to August, with first opening dates from May 1-6 and limits of up to 160 salmon per open period. It’s not a full season, but it is better than expected, Meis said.

California salmon season plan draws mixed reactions

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.

Read the full article at The Tribune

CALIFORNIA: Bay Area fisherman celebrate the return of salmon fishing

April 14, 2026 — California’s salmon fishermen will head back out to sea this spring for the first time in three years, after the management council that sets fishing regulations voted to allow expanded salmon fishing this season.

At the finale of its meeting in Portland, Oregon this past weekend, the Pacific Fisheries Management Council voted to reopen both the commercial and recreational seasons — the latter which only was allowed to fish a handful of days over the last three years.

While the season is far more limited than previous seasons — before the historic shutdown — the new allotment re-energized a fishing industry that has been devastated in recent years.

“This has been the darkest period that I’ve seen in my thirty years in this industry,” said Jared Davis, owner of the Salty Lady charter fishing boat.

Davis was among local fishermen who during the closure, pivoted to rockfish, lingcod, striped bass and halibut. But he said salmon was the star attraction for his customers.

Read the full article at NBC Bay Area

CALIFORNIA: Calif. salmon season reopens, but commercial fleet faces uncertainty

March 23, 2026 — For the first time in four years, California’s salmon fishery is set to reopen this spring– offering a long-awaited opportunity for commercial fishermen who have weathered consecutive closures tied to historically low stock levels.

The commercial season, shuttered since 2023, is expected to open in mid-May, with final dates and regulations to be determined in April by the Pacific Fishery Management Council (PFMC). While the reopening signals a rebound in salmon abundance, many in the commercial fleet say the path forward is far from certain.

According to the Calif. Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW), salmon populations have more than doubled compared to last year, enough to support both recreational and commercial fisheries in 2026. “Salmon stocks have recovered to the point that sport and commercial ocean fisheries can be offered this year,” said CDFW’s Marci Yaremko to Lookout Santa Cruz.

Read the full article at the National Fisherman

CALIFORNIA: California announces USD 11 million for salmon restoration projects

March 6, 2025 — The state of California has announced USD 11 million (EUR 9.5 million) in funding for five salmon restoration projects as part of nearly USD 60 million (EUR 52 million) in grants awarded by the state’s Wildlife Conservation Board (WCB).

The funding for salmon projects is another investment into Governor Gavin Newsom’s California Salmon Strategy for a Hotter, Drier Future, a guide introduced in 2024 to coordinate the state’s efforts to support salmon recovery along the West Coast.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

Early signs point to salmon returning one year after Klamath dam removal

October 13, 2025 — Researchers said there are promising signs for salmon populations in the Lower Klamath River — including the emergence of “football”-shaped fish — in the wake of the nation’s largest-ever dam removal.

Environmentalists and tribal officials Thursday marked one year since the elimination of four dams along the river in Northern California and southern Oregon.

While it remains too early to evaluate whether fish populations — which have a three-year life cycle — are rebounding, researchers said salmon and other species are being recorded swimming in portions of the river that have been blocked for more than a century.

Read the full article at E&E News

CALIFORNIA: 50th annual Zeke Grader forum addresses California fisheries crisis

October 7, 2025 — Lawmakers, tribal representatives and state officials gathered on October 1, in Sacramento for the 50th Annual Zeke Grader Fisheries Forum, focusing on the mounting difficulties facing California’s salmon and Dungeness crab fisheries.

Hosted by California Senator Mike McGuire and the Joint Committee on Fisheries and Aquaculture, the forum highlighted the economic and environmental pressures impacting coastal communities. Officials discussed how warming ocean temperatures, drought, and habitat degradation have contributed to repeated salmon season closures and delayed crab opening along the West Coast.

Read the full article at KRCR

CALIFORNIA: Juvenile salmon released at the Pillar Point Harbor

June 2, 2025 — For the 14th year, the Coastside Fishing Club is releasing salmon smolt into the Pillar Point Harbor in efforts to boost the state’s beleaguered salmon population.

“We’ve seriously made a difference in the past,” Tom Mattusch, San Mateo County Harbor District commissioner and board member of the Coastside Fishing Club, said. “For a long time, our progress was one of the most successful. Now it’s being copied in other areas.”

Commercial salmon season in the state will be closed for a third year in a row in 2025, largely due to grim forecasts of Chinook salmon stock.

The idea behind the volunteer release efforts is both to increase the general salmon population and encourage salmon to return to the harbor once they have matured, ostensibly creating a new fishery at Pillar Point, Mattusch said.

Read the full article at The Daily Journal

CALIFORNIA: California Invests $15 Million On Salmon, Trout Habitat Resiliency

January 31, 2025 — California is investing $15 million to offset climate change threats to salmon and steelhead trout in river and stream habitats through projects that improve watersheds such as adding wood and plants.

In December, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries determined after a five-year review of recovery efforts that four salmon and steelhead species of fish in northern California and southern Oregon should continue to be designated as threatened under the Endangered Species Act.

Read the full article at Forbes