California’s Commercial Salmon Season Is Back After Three Years of Closure

For the first time in four years, commercial salmon boats are heading back out on the California coast.

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife announced that both commercial and recreational ocean salmon fishing have officially reopened for 2026 after three consecutive years of closures. The shutdown, which began in 2023, was driven by historically low Chinook salmon populations linked to drought, poor river conditions and habitat degradation.

The reopening was made possible by significant improvements in Sacramento River fall-run and Klamath River fall-run Chinook stocks. The Klamath River runs in particular have benefited from the removal of four dams, the largest dam removal project in American history, which is restoring hundreds of miles of spawning habitat for salmon and steelhead.

But the season comes with tight restrictions. CDFW is implementing in-season management for the first time in the commercial fishery, with vessel-based trip limits and seasonal harvest caps. Once the total catch reaches the guideline, the season closes. Recreational anglers can fish seven days a week with a limit of two fish per person, but the window could shorten quickly if harvest numbers climb fast. In 2025, sport fishers exceeded the season limit during opening weekend alone.

Recovery efforts extend beyond the ocean. In Redding, crews are placing boulders and trees into the Sacramento River to improve spawning habitat. On Putah Creek, natural restoration work has already drawn more than 2,100 returning salmon that produced nearly half a million juvenile fish.

CDFW says nearly 70% of the 71 action items in the state’s Salmon Strategy are underway, with another 26% already completed.