Commercial\u00a0Fishing Returns After 3-Year Closure; Recreational Anglers to See More Open Days\u00a0in 2026\u00a0<\/p>\n
Significant improvements in key California\u202fsalmon\u202fpopulations\u202f\u2014\u202fspecifically\u00a0Sacramento River\u00a0fall-run\u00a0Chinook and Klamath River\u00a0fall-run\u00a0Chinook\u202f\u2014 will allow\u202ffor\u202fmore ocean salmon\u202ffishing opportunities\u202fthis year.\u00a0The California Department of Fish and Wildlife\u00a0(CDFW)\u00a0is pleased to announce that commercial ocean salmon fishing is back after being closed three straight years and that recreational ocean salmon anglers will have\u00a0more opportunities\u00a0in 2026.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cSeeing our salmon populations recover is incredibly heartening and demonstrates what\u2019s possible when we all work together \u2013 state and federal partners,\u00a0tribes,\u00a0sport anglers and commercial fishing interests, NGOs and others \u2013 to do what\u2019s best for salmon,\u201d said CDFW Director Meghan Hertel. \u201cSalmon are part of the cultural fabric of California, and I\u2019m delighted more Californians will have the opportunity to enjoy these magnificent fish whether that\u2019s in the water, on the end of their fishing lines or on their dinner plates.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The Pacific Fishery Management Council (PFMC)\u00a0finalized\u00a0its recommendations for California\u2019s recreational and commercial ocean salmon seasons\u00a0and harvest\u00a0limits\u00a0at its April 7-12 meeting in Portland, Ore.\u00a0The PFMC will\u00a0forward\u00a0its recommendations to the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), which\u00a0will\u00a0implement\u00a0them into federal regulations.\u00a0A summary of the recreational season dates, locations and harvest\u00a0guidelines will soon be\u00a0available\u00a0on\u00a0CDFW\u2019s\u00a0Ocean Salmon Fishery Information web page<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cThe health of our salmon populations fluctuates with environmental conditions, and we\u2019ve seen just how vulnerable these fish are to recent droughts, changing river conditions and a warming climate,\u201d said California Natural Resources Secretary Wade Crowfoot. \u201cThis year\u2019s return of ocean salmon fishing is an encouraging sign as we advance California\u2019s long-term, science-based Salmon Strategy. Together with a range of partners,\u00a0we\u2019re\u00a0restoring habitat, removing barriers, improving\u00a0flow\u00a0and reconnecting rivers to give salmon a better chance to survive in all conditions. This work is about balance \u2014 making improvements and modernizing water management to help nature thrive and our communities prosper.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n California\u2019s\u00a0Salmon Strategy for a Hotter Drier Future<\/a>, put into action beginning in 2024, is laying the groundwork for California to restore and rebuild salmon populations.\u00a0State\u00a0agencies,\u00a0tribes\u00a0and\u00a0other\u00a0partners are making\u00a0significant progress\u00a0in\u00a0achieving\u00a0goals that include restoring and expanding habitat for salmon spawning and rearing, removing\u00a0barriers\u00a0and updating infrastructure for salmon migration.\u00a0California has invested hundreds of millions of dollars in recent years to support salmon throughout their various life stages.\u00a0<\/p>\n More\u202fopen\u202ffishing days\u202fcome as\u202fwelcome news following complete closure of\u202frecreational\u202focean salmon\u202ffisheries in 2023 and 2024,\u202fand\u202fonly six open\u202fdays\u202fin 2025.<\/p>\n In 2026, CDFW will\u00a0implement\u00a0in-season\u00a0management\u00a0in\u00a0both\u00a0commercial\u00a0and recreational fisheries to\u00a0ensure catch\u00a0of\u00a0rebounding\u00a0salmon stocks\u00a0does not exceed seasonal harvest limits.\u00a0This is the first year of\u00a0vessel-based trip\u00a0limits\u00a0and\u00a0seasonal harvest\u00a0guidelines for California\u2019s commercial salmon fishery\u00a0following\u00a0the\u00a0first use of an\u00a0in-season\u00a0management framework\u00a0during California\u2019s limited\u00a0recreational ocean season\u00a0in 2025.\u00a0In-season\u00a0management allows fishery managers to close\u00a0salmon seasons early should harvest limits be\u00a0reached.\u00a0<\/p>\n In-season\u202fmonitoring\u202fto actively manage commercial and recreational ocean salmon fisheries to align with harvest\u00a0limits\u00a0is identified as a priority action item in the\u202fCalifornia Salmon Strategy for a Hotter Drier Future<\/a>.<\/p>\n Sport anglers are advised to\u202fcheck for updated information when planning a salmon fishing trip. Season dates, harvest guidelines\/catch\u202flimits,\u202fbag\/possession, vessel\u202flimit\u00a0information\u00a0and gear restrictions can be found on\u00a0CDFW\u2019s Ocean Salmon Fishery Information web page<\/a>\u202fas\u00a0soon\u00a0as it is available\u00a0or by calling the CDFW Ocean Salmon Regulations Hotline at (707) 576-3429. Public notification of any in-season change to conform state regulations to federal regulations is made through the NMFS ocean salmon hotline at (800) 662-9825.<\/p>\n ###<\/p>\n Media Contacts:\u00a0
Steve Gonzalez<\/a>, CDFW Communications, (916) 804-1714\u202f\u202f\u202f\u00a0
Chester Lindley<\/a>, CDFW Marine Region, (707)\u202f951-4083\u202f\u202f\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Commercial\u00a0Fishing Returns After 3-Year Closure; Recreational Anglers to See More Open Days\u00a0in 2026\u00a0 Significant improvements in key California\u202fsalmon\u202fpopulations\u202f\u2014\u202fspecifically\u00a0Sacramento…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":264530,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[7,9,8,18076,115935,10797,115936],"class_list":{"0":"post-264529","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-california","8":"tag-california","9":"tag-california-headlines","10":"tag-california-news","11":"tag-commercial-fishing","12":"tag-ocean-salmon","13":"tag-salmon","14":"tag-sport-fishing"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/264529","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=264529"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/264529\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/264530"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=264529"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=264529"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=264529"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}