California to Keep Commercial Salmon Fishing Closed for 3rd Year

Salmon populations in Northern California continue to struggle after a drought, the Klamath River dam removal, and other factors.

A commercial fishing vessel docks at Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco on June 26, 2023. Philip Pacheco/AFP via Getty Images

A slight increase in coho salmon in Northern California this year has prompted a federal fishing council to recommend opening recreational salmon fishing along the West Coast for the first time since 2022, the council announced April 15.

The Pacific Fishery Management Council, however, proposed closing commercial salmon fishing for the third year in a row on Tuesday.

All California ocean commercial salmon fisheries from the Oregon border to the Mexico border will remain closed, the council announced.

“The council remains firmly committed to meeting our conservation and management goals,” said council Chair Brad Pettinger. “2025 presented numerous challenges and the council put a lot of effort into exploring possible options and developing meaningful fishing opportunities this year.”

Federal requirements to conserve Fraser River Canada coho, Washington coastal coho, lower Columbia River natural tule Chinook, Puget Sound Chinook, Klamath River fall Chinook, and Sacramento River fall Chinook are the main reasons for this year’s ocean salmon fisheries plan, the council reported.

The council’s decision takes a toll on the state’s commercial fishing industry, according to George Bradshaw, president of the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Associations.

“A third year without fishing is a serious blow to California’s commercial salmon fleet,” Bradshaw said Tuesday in a statement. “We were optimistic about a return to salmon fishing for California’s fleet, but the reality is, the low abundance and return estimates will not provide the economic impact we need. The risk of fishing this depleted population is simply not worth the reward.”

According to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, salmon in California continue to be impacted by a drought that struck the state from 2020 to the end of 2022, a dam removal project on the Klamath River, and other environmental factors.

“After years of full closure for salmon fishing, the opportunity for limited recreational salmon fishing brings hope,” department director Charlton Bonham said in a statement. “Salmon populations are still recovering from severe drought and other climate challenges and have not yet benefited from our consecutive years of wet winters and other actions taken to boost populations.”

An unstable climate and other environmental disruptions led to historic low numbers of Sacramento River fall Chinook and Klamath River fall Chinook this year, according to environmental scientist Kandice Morgenstern of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and the Pacific Fishery Management Council.

A veteran on the Salty Lady charter boat struggles to reel in a salmon off Stinson Beach, Calif., on Aug. 29, 2016. Eric Risberg/AP Photo

“Those [Chinook] are both at historic lows for a variety of reasons of which drought is a significant contributor,” Morgenstern told The Epoch Times.

The salmon return to the rivers to spawn as adults. The warmer water and diminished river flow have affected the salmon eggs and juveniles as they try to migrate from the river to the Pacific, she said.

Another factor was the state’s demolition of dams along the Klamath River. The removal project in Northern California and southern Oregon was completed on Oct. 2. The project added 400 miles of new habitat for the salmon to reoccupy, according to Morgenstern. But the restoration work killed off salmon in the region.

After the dams were breached, sediment poured downstream, leading to the death of aquatic life and some wildlife in the area.

William Simpson at his ranch near the former Iron Gate Dam on May 9, 2024. The dam was removed as part of a state project to restore salmon habitat in Northern California. John Fredricks/The Epoch Times

Wildlife officials are hopeful that the future will be much brighter for the salmon population.

“This fall was the first time salmon could enter new habitat they didn’t have access to in decades,” Morgenstern said. “We have yet to see the benefits of that increased habitat.”

The Pacific Fishery Management Council is one of eight regional fishery management councils in the United States and is responsible for managing fisheries in federal waters off Washington, Oregon, and California.

The recommendations will be forwarded to the national Marine Fisheries Service for approval by May 16, according to the council.