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.