More 2026 Season Dates Slated For Recreational Ocean King Salmon Anglers
California’s battered sport and commercial king salmon fishing industry, dazed after multiple years of closures and a very limited set of ocean and inland river 2025 seasons, may start to see more normalcy this year. With the just concluded Pacific Fishery Management Council meetings setting more dates for ocean salmon fishing (the state will determine how much more inland seasons will increase at a later date).
Here’s the California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s press release on the dates:
Ocean Salmon Fishing Comeback Continues
Commercial Fishing Returns After 3-Year Closure; Recreational Anglers to See More Open Days in 2026
Significant improvements in key California?salmon?populations?– specifically Sacramento River fall-run Chinook and Klamath River fall-run Chinook?– will allow?for?more ocean salmon?fishing opportunities?this year. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) is pleased to announce that commercial ocean salmon fishing is back after being closed three straight years and that recreational ocean salmon anglers will have more opportunities in 2026.
“Seeing our salmon populations recover is incredibly heartening and demonstrates what’s possible when we all work together — state and federal partners, tribes, sport anglers and commercial fishing interests, NGOs and others – to do what’s best for salmon,” said CDFW Director Meghan Hertel. “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.”
The Pacific Fishery Management Council (PFMC) finalized its recommendations for California’s recreational and commercial ocean salmon seasons and harvest limits at its April 7-12 meeting in Portland, Ore. The PFMC will forward its recommendations to the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), which will implement them into federal regulations. A summary of the recreational season dates, locations and harvest guidelines will soon be available on CDFW’s Ocean Salmon Fishery Information web page.
“The health of our salmon populations fluctuates with environmental conditions, and we’ve seen just how vulnerable these fish are to recent droughts, changing river conditions and a warming climate,” said California Natural Resources Secretary Wade Crowfoot. “This year’s return of ocean salmon fishing is an encouraging sign as we advance California’s long-term, science-based Salmon Strategy. Together with a range of partners, we’re restoring habitat, removing barriers, improving flow and reconnecting rivers to give salmon a better chance to survive in all conditions. This work is about balance — making improvements and modernizing water management to help nature thrive and our communities prosper.”
California’s Salmon Strategy for a Hotter, Drier Future(external link), put into action beginning in 2024, is laying the groundwork for California to restore and rebuild salmon populations. State agencies, tribes and other partners are making significant progress in achieving goals that include restoring and expanding habitat for salmon spawning and rearing, removing barriers and updating infrastructure for salmon migration. California has invested hundreds of millions of dollars in recent years to support salmon throughout their various life stages.
More?open?fishing days?come as?welcome news following complete closure of?recreational?ocean salmon?fisheries in 2023 and 2024,?and?only six open?days?in 2025.
In 2026, CDFW will implement in-season management in both commercial and recreational fisheries to ensure catch of rebounding salmon stocks does not exceed seasonal harvest guidelines. This is the first year of vessel-based trip limits and seasonal harvest guidelines for California’s commercial salmon fishery following the first use of an in-season management framework during California’s limited recreational ocean season in 2025. In-season management allows fishery managers to close salmon seasons early should harvest guidelines be reached.
In-season?monitoring?to actively manage commercial and recreational ocean salmon fisheries to align with harvest guidelines is identified as a priority action item in the?California Salmon Strategy for a Hotter, Drier Future(external link).
Sport anglers are advised to?check for updated information when planning a salmon fishing trip. Season dates, harvest guidelines/catch?limits,?bag/possession, vessel?limit information and gear restrictions can be found on CDFW’s Ocean Salmon Fishery Information web page?as soon as it is available or by calling the CDFW Ocean Salmon Regulations Hotline at (707) 576-3429. Public notification of any in-season change to conform state regulations to federal regulations is made through the NMFS ocean salmon hotline at (800) 662-9825.
Here’s some more reaction/analysis from the Golden State Salmon Association:
2026 SALMON SEASONS FINALIZED
APRIL 12, 2026 WILLIAM O’NEAL
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 12, 2026
Contact:
Vance Staplin, GSSA Executive Director, 916-225-2790
Salmon Fishing underway in Monterey Bay
San Francisco – The Pacific Fisheries Management Council has finalized when and where salmon fishing will occur in the ocean off California in 2026. Sport fishing for salmon began on Saturday, April 11, from Pigeon Point south to the Mexican border. Due to stormy weather, only a few boats fished, and a small number of salmon were caught.
Sport fishing for salmon will begin north of Pigeon Point on June 27. This will include waters off Half Moon Bay, San Francisco, Bodega Bay, and up to Point Arena. Waters from the Oregon border south to the “40/10” line offshore of southern Humboldt County will open June 13.
To implement the new quota system, each ocean regulatory “cell” will be assigned a number of catchable salmon. Salmon that are caught will be counted in as near to real time as possible. When the number of fish caught in a cell equals the quota for that cell, fishing will be shut down. The summer sport fishing quota for the Monterey cell is 21,800. The San Francisco cell quota is 34,900, and the Fort Bragg cell quota is 5,100.
Commercial salmon fishing will begin May 16, and the summer season, which runs until August 27, will include five openings above Pigeon Point and ten below Pigeon Point. The openings last three to seven days. Commercial boats will be limited to 160 salmon per opening and an overall quota of 83,000 salmon. Additional commercial fishing will be allowed in the fall season, starting September 4, until a quota of 20,000 salmon is caught.
This year’s restrictions on the ocean fishery are aimed at protecting what is believed to be a low number of chinook salmon born in coastal California rivers and streams between the Russian River in Sonoma County and Redwood Creek in Humboldt County. These fish are protected under the federal Endangered Species Act. Because of these protective measures, salmon fishermen in the Sacramento River and its tributaries could see an improved in-river fishery this year.
This year’s fishing comes after three years of a total fishery shutdown to commercial fishermen and the same to sport, with the exception of six days of fishing allowed in 2025.
According to official estimates, the current adult salmon population in California is 392,349, an improvement over recent years.
“We’re cautiously optimistic about what this year’s improved salmon seasons will bring,” said GSSA executive director Vance Staplin. “Businesses up and down the coast and inland are desperate for the economic boost this season will bring, especially after so many recent bad years of no business caused by the shutdown of salmon fishing. Coastal communities that have grown to rely on the annual salmon fishery are excited at the prospect of hopefully becoming profitable again. When you calculate the economic multipliers, the salmon fishery can bring over a billion dollars, spread across not only California, but also in Oregon, where many Central Valley salmon migrate to rear in the ocean.”
“We’re excited to have a fishing season, even though it will be greatly restricted this year,” said GSSA board chairman Mike Aughney. “At the same time, we’re also concerned about the juvenile salmon currently trying to get out of the Central Valley and to the sea. After the extremely warm March, we can use all the rain we can get as baby salmon transit from fresh to saltwater between now and June.”
About GSSA: The Golden State Salmon Association (www.goldenstatesalmon.org) is a coalition of salmon advocates that includes commercial and recreational salmon fishermen and women, businesses, restaurants, a native tribe, environmentalists, elected officials, families, and communities that rely on salmon. GSSA’s mission is to restore California salmon for their economic, recreational, commercial, environmental, cultural, and health values.
Currently, California’s salmon industry is valued at $1.4 billion in economic activity and 23,000 jobs annually in a normal season, and about half that much in economic activity and jobs again in Oregon. Industry workers benefiting from Central Valley salmon stretch from Santa Barbara to northern Oregon. This includes commercial fishermen and women, recreational fishermen and women (freshwater and saltwater), fish processors, marinas, coastal communities, equipment manufacturers, the hotel and food industry, tribes, and others.
