The Pacific Fishery Management Council made a unanimous decision on Wednesday to cancel all commercial and recreational salmon fishing off the coast of California for the second consecutive year due to declining salmon stocks. This marks only the fourth time in state history that such a ban has been implemented, with the last occurrence happening in 2023.
The decision to halt salmon fishing was made in order to protect California’s dwindling salmon populations, which have been negatively impacted by drought and water diversions leading to warm and slow river flows that are not conducive for the state’s Chinook salmon to thrive. A recent report by the fishery council revealed that just over 6,100 fall-run Chinook returned to the upper Sacramento River to spawn in 2023, a stark contrast to the average of more than 175,000 fish between 1996 and 2005.
The ban currently applies to both commercial and recreational ocean fishing, but the council has recommended that the California Fish and Game Commission also consider prohibiting river fishing. The state agency is expected to make a decision on this matter in the coming weeks.
Various factors have contributed to the challenges faced by the salmon population, including rising river water temperatures, water diversions to farms, and climate change impacting food sources for young Chinook in the Pacific. Scott Artis, executive director of the Golden State Salmon Association, criticized Governor Gavin Newsom’s water policies, attributing them to the current state of the salmon population.
Salmon caught in the ocean often originate from California’s Klamath and Sacramento rivers, where they hatch and spend three years maturing before migrating back to their spawning grounds. California’s spring-run Chinook are listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act, while winter-run Chinook and Central California Coast coho salmon are endangered, with the latter being off-limits to commercial fishers in the state since the 1990s.
The closure of salmon fishing off the coast of California is a significant blow to the state’s fishing industry, which supports tens of thousands of jobs and is still recovering from last year’s shutdown. The governor’s office has yet to respond to inquiries regarding the ban.