Saving Seafood

ALASKA: Copper River opener will launch Alaska’s 2026 salmon season

May 8, 2026 — While trollers in Southeast Alaska catch king salmon almost year-round, mid-May marks the official start of Alaska’s salmon season as sockeyes and kings run to the Copper River near Cordova.

The Copper River District commercial salmon drift gillnet fishery will open at 7:00 am on Friday, May 22, for a 12-hour fishing period. The standard commercial fishing schedule has two evenly spaced fishing periods per week, with the first period typically starting on Mondays. Fishing effort, harvest, passage, and escapement trends will inform managers’ decisions throughout the fishery, according to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. (ADF&G)

The 2026 Copper River sockeye salmon commercial harvest forecast is 728,000 fish, which is on par with the 10-year average of 733,000 fish.

The Chinook salmon total run forecast of 33,000 fish is 27 percent below the 10-year average of 45,000 fish and no harvest predictions are provided.

ADF&G said that depending on the relative strength of the sockeye and Chinook salmon runs, more management measures may be necessary to provide additional fishing opportunity on sockeye salmon while minimizing Chinook salmon harvest.

Read the full article at National Fisherman

Retail prices for 2026 Alaska salmon are still a wild card

May 1, 2026 — Given an Alaska Department of Fish and Game 2026 harvest prediction of 125.5 million salmon, down 36 percent from 197.4 million a year ago, forecasts on retail prices still remain a wild card.

The forecast for 56 million pink, 49.7 million sockeye, 17.2 million chum and 2.4 million coho compares with 2025 forecasts of 120 million pink, 52.7 million sockeye, 21.7 million chum and 2.7 million coho salmon.

While rumors are out there that salmon prices will rise because of the increased cost of fuel, nothing is settled yet, said Tito Marquez, manager at 10th & M Seafoods, a popular Anchorage seafood shop.

“We are still waiting to see how the season plays out for Alaska and Russia,” said Simon Marks, a research analyst at McKinley Research Group in Juneau, Alaska. “We usually get information on Russian pinks much later in the year.”

Current fisheries articles don’t suggest that dramatic changes are said Gunnar Knapp, professor emeritus of economics at the University of Alaska Anchorage Institute of Social and Economic Research. While hardly definitive, it is an indication that nothing is going on that is either hugely positive or negative news, he said.

Read the full article at National Fisherman

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

ALASKA: Yukon River Chinook salmon face steep decline amid disease surge and environmental challenges

April 28, 2026 — Yukon River Chinook salmon are headed for another dismal year, according to preliminary estimates predicting the 2026 run will remain near historic lows ahead of April’s official forecast.

Fisheries managers estimate approximately 25,000 Canadian-origin Chinook will return this year, according to Zachary Liller, Alaska Department of Fish and Game’s Arctic, Yukon and Kuskokwim region research coordinator.

That would mirror the poor runs of 2024 and 2025—a devastating decline from historical averages exceeding 100,000 fish annually.

The Joint Technical Committee—made up of Alaskan and Canadian researchers and management biologists—will present its official 2026 forecast to the Yukon River Panel at its April spring meeting.

Read the full article at KTUU

California salmon rebound allows commercial fishing return, more recreational days in 2026

April 14, 2026 — After three straight years of closure, commercial ocean salmon fishing is returning to California, driven an increase in key salmon populations, setting the stage for more recreational opportunities next year.

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) said due to growing numbers of fall-run Chinook in the Sacramento and Klamath rivers, commercial ocean salmon fishing will resume after a three-year closure. Recreational anglers will also have more opportunities in 2026.

“Seeing our salmon populations recover is incredibly heartening and demonstrates what’s possible when we all work together — state and federal partners, tribes, sport anglers and commercial fishing interests, NGOs and others – to do what’s best for salmon,” said CDFW Director Meghan Hertel. “Salmon are part of the cultural fabric of California, and I’m delighted more Californians will have the opportunity to enjoy these magnificent fish, whether that’s in the water, on the end of their fishing lines, or on their dinner plates.”

Read. the full article at KRCR

CALIFORNIA: Commercial salmon fishing returns in California

April 13, 2026 — The U.S. state of California has reopened commercial salmon fishing in state waters after a three-year closure.

Regulators signaled they were considering a commercial salmon fishery in 2026 after forecasts showed the population of Klamath and Sacramento River fall Chinook were at a level that could potentially sustain a fishery. Those predictions proved true, and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) said it is reopening the fishery.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

ALASKA: All gear catch limit for SEAK Chinook salmon jumps to 207,400 fish

April 8, 2026 — Alaska fisheries officials have boosted the 2026 preseason all-gear catch limit for Southeast Alaska (SEAK) to 207,400 treaty Chinook salmon, up from 133,500 kings a year ago.

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) announced on Tuesday, March 31, that the target will be 205,300 kings, compared with 130,840 kings in 2025.

The 2026 target includes a 1 percent reduction from the treaty catch limit that will serve as a buffer to avoid exceeding the all-gear limit and payback provisions of the treaty.

The SEAK all-gear catch limit is based on measures of Chinook abundance using the abundance index output from the Pacific Salmon Commission Chinook model, as required by the treaty.

The overall status of SEAK Chinooks has been characterized by ADF&G by a long-term decline in abundance, with many wild stocks classified as stocks of concern due to their inability to meet escapement goals. While hatchery produced fish provide some harvest opportunities wild stocks face significant pressure, prompting strict, fluctuating management regulations.  Many Chinook salmon caught in this area are not native to Alaska, requiring complex, internationally managed quotas.

Read the full article at the National Fisherman

Endangered salmon returned to California’s far north — then the money dried up

April 7, 2026 — Two years ago, Gov. Gavin Newsom unveiled a strategy to save declining salmon — spotlighting a historic partnership with the Winnemem Wintu Tribe to reintroduce endangered winter-run Chinook to the vital, cold waters upstream of Lake Shasta in far northern California.

Now, tribe officials say the state is ending its support, potentially causing salmon restoration efforts on the McCloud River to die mid-stream. The tribe is now grappling with the sudden loss of jobs, along with the dimming of hope that the culturally sacred fish will be restored to their ancestral waters.

“It makes me feel betrayed. It makes the tribe feel betrayed,” said Gary Mulcahy, government liaison for the tribe. “It’s like they just gave up.”

State officials say the one-time funds were tied to the state’s drought response and have now been used up.

“The pilot was designed to take urgent action during severe drought conditions while testing key tools and approaches needed for potential long-term reintroduction,” California Department of Fish and Wildlife spokesperson Stephen Gonzalez said in an email.

Read the full article at the Associated Press

ALASKA: Southeast back to an average harvest goal for king salmon after last year’s low

April 6, 2026 — Fishermen in Southeast Alaska will be able to harvest about 70,000 more king salmon this season than last year. The state Department of Fish and Game announced the harvest goal for all gear groups on March 31.

“It’s not, you know, a great catch limit, but it’s a decent catch limit,” said fish biologist Dani Evenson, with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. “Even though it’s sort of an average catch limit, it came as welcome news, because last year was the lowest ever.”

How many king salmon Southeast Alaskans can catch each year is determined by the Pacific Salmon Commission. The group oversees a treaty between the U.S. and Canada that ensures both countries can harvest the fish.

Alaska’s take this year is 207,400 king salmon, also called Chinook. That amount is in line with recent years. . .except last year. Last year’s regional harvest goals plummeted because of lower salmon forecasts in other regions.

Read the full article at KSTK

ALASKA: Southeast Alaska’s treaty-determined Chinook salmon catch limit returns to normal levels

April 6, 2026 — Fishers in Southeast Alaska will be allowed to harvest 205,300 Chinook salmon this year, returning to a normal total after last year’s ultra-low harvest limit.

The Southeast Alaska Chinook harvest total, set in accordance with the U.S.-Canada Pacific Salmon Treaty, was announced this week by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game.

Last year’s Southeast Chinook catch limit of 133,500 fish was the lowest in any year since the Pacific Salmon Treaty went into effect in 1985, according to the department.

Chinook salmon, also known as king salmon, make up the smallest total harvest of Alaska’s five species of salmon. But they are also sold at a premium, usually fetching the highest market prices. Those that swim in Southeast Alaska waters are the subject of management from different jurisdictions in the U.S. and Canada, through the Pacific Salmon Treaty. The treaty is necessary because the fish are highly migratory and swim through and spawn in various locations, said Dani Evenson, Pacific Salmon Treaty and Arctic Policy Coordinator for the department’s Division of Commercial Fisheries.

Read the full article at Alaska Beacon