![\"Ian](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Ian-Cole-of-Ocean2Table-17.jpg\")
Ian Cole is the owner of Ocean2Table, a Santa Cruz-based distributor that works with responsible producers and fishers in California. Credit: Kevin Painchaud \/ Lookout Santa Cruz<\/p>\n
\u201cSalmon stocks have recovered to the point that sport and commercial ocean fisheries can be offered this year,\u201d said CDFW\u2019s Marci Yaremko, who represents the state on the Pacific Fishery Management Council, which governs salmon regulations on the West Coast.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis recovery, plus a new management strategy of regional harvest guidelines, will help to ensure anglers in all areas of the state have an opportunity to participate in the fishery, independent of catch accrued in another area,\u201d said Yaremko.<\/p>\n
While he\u2019s excited to see salmon populations bounce back, a short, heavily restricted season won\u2019t be viable for many fishers, said Ian Cole, owner of Ocean2Table<\/a>, a sustainable fish and produce purveyor based in Santa Cruz. Many of the boats in the state\u2019s salmon fleet are aging, and the work to maintain them and install salmon fishing gear is expensive in return for a relatively small number of fish.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s difficult to make business decisions around such a short season after being closed for years,\u201d he said. If salmon do come back in significant numbers in the future, there won\u2019t be as many people participating or who have the relevant expertise as the boats and fishers age. \u201cWe\u2019re watching the knowledge on how to fish for salmon disappear,\u201d said Cole.\u00a0<\/p>\n This year, the commercial salmon season will be restricted, although it\u2019s not yet clear how. The Pacific Fishery Management Council is considering three options for the season, and will make a decision by April 12. One option would allow fishers in the San Francisco and Monterey areas, including Santa Cruz County, to open during May, June and August, and close the season south of Pigeon Point by September. A more restrictive option would open the season only north of Mendocino this year. The decision will be implemented by May 16.\u00a0<\/p>\n Sport fishing will be allowed seven days a week, with a limit of two fish per angler. The fishing season officially extends into August, but it will end when fishers catch a total of 21,000 salmon. However, fishers could reach that number within a few weeks. In 2025, sport fishers exceeded the season limit<\/a> of 7,500 fish during opening weekend, effectively closing the season through the summer.\u00a0<\/p>\n The goal of the restrictions is to ensure plenty of adult fish return to the spawning grounds and hatcheries this fall, said the CDFW.\u00a0<\/p>\n This spring, Cole plans to work with small fishers in the state and offer salmon to his customers. \u201cIt\u2019s the time of year to savor the little bit of California salmon you\u2019re going to get,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n