Commercial salmon fishing set to resume along California coast after 3-year shutdown

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Commercial fishing crews will be permitted to catch salmon along the California coast this year for the first time since 2022 as regulators end a three-year shutdown after seeing an increase in the struggling salmon population.The Pacific Fishery Management Council, a body established by Congress that manages ocean fishing along the West Coast, voted Sunday to approve a plan to reopen the salmon fishing season under strict limits in California.“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,” said California Department of Fish and Wildlife director Meghan Hertel in a statement.The Pacific Fishery Management Council finalized its recommendations at its meeting in Portland, Ore.National Marine Fisheries Service will implement them into federal regulations.A sharp decline in the Chinook salmon population led to the ban on commercial fishing in 2023, 2024 and 2025, the longest shutdown in state history.The state’s fishing industry has been hit hard by the shutdown, which has driven many to leave their boats and look for other work.

The planned resumption of fishing this spring will enable crews to catch limited numbers of fall-run Chinook salmon on certain dates.“The limited reopening is a lifeline.

It gives you a little bit of money,” said Vance Staplin, executive director of the nonprofit Golden State Salmon Assn.“They’re not getting enough to sustain their businesses the way it was prior to this shutdown, by any means.” Fishermen in the San Francisco region will be allowed to catch a maximum of 160 Chinook per vessel during several open periods in May and August, and 100 on additional dates in September.

Those fishing in other regions will be given different dates.The pl...