The number of Chinook salmon is better than it was last year, but fishery managers are still going to severely limit or ban commercial and recreational fishing this year because “caution is warranted.” ” The salmon industry is devastated.
The fishing industry in California is getting ready for another bad year because federal managers today announced plans to severely limit or ban salmon fishing again. This comes after canceling the whole season last year.
There are a few options being thought about by the Pacific Fishery Management Council today. They all either ban commercial and recreational salmon fishing in the ocean off of California or shorten the season and set strict catch limits. The council’s decision is expected next month; the commercial season typically begins in May and ends in October.
In 2022, fewer Chinook salmon came back from the ocean to spawn than last year. This year, however, fishery managers say the population will be so small that they need to be protected to keep fishermen from overfishing.
Fall-run Chinook salmon are a mainstay of commercial and recreational fishing and tribal food supplies. But there aren’t nearly as many salmon as there used to be because dams have cut off important habitat and droughts and water diversions have lowered flows and raised temperatures, killing a lot of salmon eggs and young fish.
The plan is a devastating blow for an industry still reeling from last year’s closure. Officials in the state say that the closure last year cost about $45 million, but the fishing industry says that number is much lower than what it really cost.
“There’s no way to sugarcoat it; it’s just disastrous,” said Scott Artis, executive director of the Golden State Salmon Association. The association speaks for businesses, restaurants, environmentalists, and people who fish for fun and profit.
“The fishing industry and the many thousands of salmon families and businesses that can’t wait to get back to work may have to spend another year in the harbor instead of making food.” ”.
There may be changes to the options as the Pacific Fishery Management Council continues to look at them over the next month. Two call for significantly shortened seasons and harvest limits for both commercial and sportfishing off California this year. The third would cancel the season for the second year in a row.
Rep. Marci Yaremko, who is from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and is on the Pacific council, said today that because of bad river and ocean conditions, California stocks are expected to have well below average abundance levels in 2024. “The options that have been developed that do authorize some fishing are very precautionary. ”.
Yaremko said that new ideas for managing ocean salmon fisheries include harvest limits and other limits on the number of fish caught per trip.
Jared Davis, captain of the charter fishing boat Salty Lady, said, “Even the best option they give us there is crumbs compared to a normal salmon season.”
Still, of all the options, he said, he’d prefer complete closure. The shortened seasons don’t offer enough days to sustain his business and the potential repercussions aren’t worth it.
“I think fishing on low abundance such as we have this year is reckless and irresponsible,” he said. “It’s really playing with fire for us to take any fish out of there. ”.
If you own a commercial fishing boat at Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco, Sarah Bates, you should know that the decision was deeply sad. ”.
“We’re looking at numbers of fish that don’t even make it worthwhile to untie the boat,” she said. “It’s not enough fish to pay for the maintenance and preparation. ”.
Salmon fishing is a popular recreational activity and commercial industry in California. However, due to declining salmon populations, salmon season in California has faced closures and restrictions in recent years.
Salmon Season 2024: Closed
In 2024, California’s ocean salmon season will be closed for both commercial and recreational fishing.
-
On April 10, 2024, the Pacific Fishery Management Council unanimously recommended closing salmon season through the end of 2024 This mirrors the closure that was put in place for the 2023 salmon season
-
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife confirmed the closure, banning all commercial and recreational ocean salmon fishing in 2024.
-
The whole coast of California is closed, from the border with Oregon to the border with Mexico.
-
During open salmon seasons before the closure, all salmon except coho salmon could be kept.
-
The closure aims to protect struggling Chinook salmon populations in California’s rivers and along the coast.
Why is Salmon Season Closed in 2024?
The closure in 2024 is because Chinook salmon, also called king salmon, populations are expected to be very low.
-
In 2023, only 134,000 Chinook salmon returned to spawn in the Sacramento River. This was over double the record-low return in 2022, but still far below historic levels of up to 2 million.
-
For 2024, scientists estimate only 213,606 Chinook will return to the Sacramento River. This is the second lowest projection in a decade and does not meet conservation targets.
-
Low river flows, high water temperatures, drought, dams, water diversions, and past overfishing have depleted Chinook stocks over decades. Restricting fishing is intended to aid their recovery.
-
The Pacific Fishery Management Council stated that caution is still needed in 2024 to avoid overfishing and harming the vulnerable Chinook populations.
Socioeconomic Impacts of the Salmon Season Closure
Closing salmon fishing for a second year in a row has major economic consequences for California.
-
In 2023, the commercial salmon industry lost around $45 million directly, with losses rippling through related businesses.
-
Many of the remaining 464 permitted commercial fishing boats may leave the industry permanently due to the closures. In the 1980s, nearly 5,000 boats actively fished for salmon.
-
Recreational salmon fishing trips totaled zero in 2023, down from nearly 99,000 trips in 2022, impacting harbors, guides, tackle shops, and hospitality businesses.
-
Salmon fishery closures also heavily impact Native American tribes like the Yurok along the Klamath River who rely on salmon as a cultural food source.
-
Government disaster relief funding allocated to salmon fisheries has totaled only $20.6 million so far, failing to meet the full needs of the affected industry and communities.
What Open Salmon Fishing Remains in California?
With ocean salmon season closed in 2024, fishing opportunities are very limited:
-
Rivers like the Sacramento and Klamath remain open for salmon fishing much of the year. However, tribal and state allocations also constrain river fishing.
-
Coastal areas like Monterey Bay offer year-round salmon fishing but typically see lower salmon numbers compared to northern regions.
-
Inland lakes and reservoirs sometimes provide stocked salmon fishing, depending on state hatchery operations.
-
Steelhead trout fishing remains open on many North Coast rivers during winter months after salmon season ends. These huge sea-run rainbow trout offer a related angling experience.
History of Salmon Fishing Regulation in California
Salmon fishery regulation aims to strike a balance between conservation and sustainable fishing yields.
-
Starting in the late 1800s, canneries fueled overfishing that depleted salmon stocks by the 1950s, spurring the first fishing limits.
-
Hatcheries were built to supplement wild spawning, with mixed results for stocks.
-
Ocean gillnetting for salmon was banned in California in 1990, one of the first major restrictions.
-
The Pacific Fishery Management Council and California Department of Fish and Wildlife now set annual seasons and limits based on projected salmon runs.
-
Since 2015, both state and federal disaster declarations have been issued multiple times for collapsing California salmon fisheries.
-
Full closures like in 2023 and 2024 have occurred sporadically since 2008, but never in consecutive years prior to 2023-2024.
When Will Salmon Season Reopen in California?
The duration of salmon closures depends wholly on the recovery of salmon populations.
-
Fishery managers state that commercial and recreational salmon fishing will resume when stocks can support sustainable harvests once again.
-
The 2024 closure will be reassessed in early 2025 based on updated salmon run projections.
-
The closure could potentially extend into 2025 or beyond if Chinook numbers remain low.
-
Habitat restoration and reduced reliance on salmon hatcheries will likely be needed for populations to substantially recover.
-
2024 marks the first time ocean salmon fishing has been closed for two consecutive years in California. Many hope 2025 will bring improved conditions for salmon and a reopened fishing season.
Drought and water diversions kill salmon
Today’s decision follows the release of population numbers for Sacramento River fall-run Chinook, which make up the greatest proportion of California and Oregon ocean salmon fisheries. Their numbers are down from an average of more than 200,000 fish that returned to spawn in the mid-2000s. And those numbers are a fraction of the historical counts of between one and two million fall and spring-run salmon returning to the Central Valley every year.
Last year, fewer than 134,000 returned to the Sacramento River. That’s more than double the fish that returned in 2022, which was the third lowest count on record. It didn’t even reach the federal government’s minimum conservation goal of 122,000 fish, and it’s still less than the number that was expected to return 20%E2%80%94%20eventhoughall salmon fishing was stopped.
Now, scientists estimate that 213,606 Sacramento River fall-run salmon are swimming off the coast. It’s more than last year — more even than the upper limit of the fishery’s conservation target. But it is still the second lowest projection in a decade, according to a guidance letter from the National Marine Fisheries Service. “Caution is warranted to reduce the chances that the stock becomes overfished again.”
But the salmon industry also points to state and federal management of the Sacramento River and operations of the vast Central Valley Project, which funnels water south from Northern California’s rivers to irrigate a third of the state’s agricultural land and supply a million households.
In 2021, almost all of the endangered winter-run Chinook eggs in the Sacramento River were wiped out, cooked in dangerously hot water. The Pacific Fishery Management Council told state and federal water managers in 2022 that the conditions also could harm eggs of spring-run and fall-run Chinook salmon. Expressing their “grave concerns,” they said “a major factor” was the “high river temperatures that were under (the U.S. Bureau of) Reclamation’s control.”
Waldron said, “It’s really hard for me to believe that we export all this water and have few to no rules on farming.” “Were taking away from a resource to give to another resource. And I dont understand how we can let that happen, especially (since) the salmon are a natural resource. ”.
In January, the Newsom administration released a plan to protect and restore salmon “as climate change makes the weather hotter and drier.” ”.
A financial nightmare — some may never fish again
RJ Waldron, 48, put his sportsfishing boat, the Sundance, up for sale in January. When the salmon season closed last year, an estimated 85% of his business dried up. Few clients took him up on his offer to switch to halibut, striped bass or rockfish.
Waldron, a long-time fishing and hunting guide, bought the boat eight years ago to run a charter fishing business out of the East Bay. It was his dream come true.
“For the past year, I’ve basically been spending all of my money and savings just to stay afloat,” Waldron said. “I put everything I had into this fishing business, into the salmon. And it’s totally out of my control. I can’t resurrect it. ”.
California’s commercial fleet and recreational anglers still await federal disaster aid for last year’s losses. The federal government allocated only $20.6 million in disaster funding, and a year later, none of the salmon fishers CalMatters interviewed has received a check.
Waldron called the lack of disaster aid a “big slap in the face.”
Davis said he tried to weather the storm by arranging trips for halibut, striped bass, rockfish and lingcod. Still, he estimates that his business was down 80% from a normal year.
Seeing the season restricted this year “breaks my heart,” he said. “It’s what I love, and it’s a passion. This is something I’ve done my whole life, and I know a lot of other people in the same line of work do the same. ”.
Salmon fishers fear the closure will drive yet more boats permanently from the fleet — already down to 464 vessels in 2022 from nearly 5,000 in the early ‘80s. Recreational salmon fishing trips plummeted from nearly 99,000 in 2022 to zero last year.
Bates estimates that about half of the fleet took shore jobs. And some, she said, probably won’t return.
“Some people, I’m sure, will not go fishing again,” she said. “They got a job that will keep them busy, but their pace will change, and I’m sure we’ll lose some of our fleet.” ”.
To make ends meet last year, Bates picked up bookkeeping work. But she doesn’t know yet what she’ll do this year. Bates’ boat is called the Bounty, a cruel irony now. She did say that the boat had been through bad weather before, and that changing the name of a boat is bad luck.
Tommy “TF” Graham also will keep working on land. He became a Class A driver so he could drive a truck and get by during the closures. He is a commercial fisherman from Bodega Bay. Now, when he’s not crab fishing, Graham wakes up at 3 a. m. to drive frozen and farmed salmon and other fish from around the world into San Francisco.
Graham said, “Every day a man has to get up, put on his boots, and go to work.” Still, he said, “I used to be a provider, now I’m a consumer. It feels like shit, to tell you the truth. ”.
California’s salmon fishing season could face second year of total closure
FAQ
Will salmon season be open in 2024 in California?
Can you fish salmon in California right now?
Why is salmon season closed in California?
What time of year is the salmon run in California?
Are California’s salmon seasons closed or restricted this year?
The ocean and river salmon seasons in California are likely to be closed or severely restricted this year based on low abundance forecasts for Sacramento and Klamath River fall-run Chinook salmon that were released by state and federal fishery scientists at the CDFW’s annual salmon information meeting via webinar on March 1.
Will there be a salmon fishing season this year?
Many sportfishing guides say more than 80% of their yearly business dried up after last year’s closure, leading to widespread fears of a repeat for this year. The salmon fishing season typically runs from May thru October. The council’s recommendation now goes to the National Marine Fisheries Service for approval by mid-May.
How many salmon are caught in California a year?
Until the 1980s, California’s salmon boats routinely brought to port nearly a million fish per season. The record catch — 1.4 million salmon — was in 1988. Recent years have seen catches of between 100,000 and 300,000. As salmon populations have shrunk, California’s fishing fleet has shrunk, too.
When is the best time to eat ocean salmon?
This week, the Pacific Fishery Management Council (PFMC) met in Seattle, Washington to finalize and adopt recommended ocean salmon seasons occurring between mid-May and October.