Ocean Salmon Fishing Closure Between Point Reyes and Pigeon Point (Updated)

UPDATE: California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s press release:

Fall ocean salmon fishery meets the 7,500 Chinook fall harvest guideline and is set to close for remaining 2025 dates

Capitalizing on good weather and even better fishing, the 7,500 Chinook fall harvest guideline was reached during the Sept. 4-7 recreational ocean salmon fishery. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) estimates that 12,000 Chinook salmon were taken by 12,400 anglers in the brief fall season between Pt. Reyes and Pt. Sur. The National Marine Fisheries Service took in-season action on Sept. 17 to close the remaining 2025 fall dates of Sept 29-30, October 1-5, and October 27-31. 

 The use of harvest guidelines and in-season management in California’s ocean salmon sport fishery management is new this year. The guidelines were developed as part of the Pacific Fishery Management Council’s pre-season process using catch and effort information from prior years along with expected performance this year. The guidelines serve to ensure that impacts from the fishery to stocks of particular concern – Klamath River fall Chinook and Central Valley Spring and Sacramento River Winter Chinook – are minimized. In-season monitoring to actively manage commercial and recreational ocean salmon fisheries to align with pre-season harvest forecasts is also identified as a priority action item in the California Salmon Strategy for a Hotter Drier Future. 

 During the Sept. 4-7 fall season, docks and launch ramps were bustling with activity as many anglers were eager to get back out on the water and fish for salmon after a spectacular 2-day summer season in June. CDFW met boat captains and anglers on the docks to collect fishery and biological data used to create catch estimates, abundance forecasts, and stock-specific information on the catch. CDFW continues to appreciate the cooperation of anglers during these surveys. 

 For more information on ocean salmon fishing regulations, please visit CDFW’s website at https://wildlife.ca.gov/Fishing/Ocean/Regulations/Salmon or call the Ocean Salmon Hotline at 707-576-3429. 

For information on the preseason management process and how to get involved, visit CDFW’s preseason page at https://wildlife.ca.gov/Fishing/Ocean/Regulations/Salmon/Preseason.  

After another successful opening to the second of two limited ocean salmon seasons in California waters with modest quota goals likely being filled quickly, the remaining dates will now be closed in a stretch of water between Point Reyes, just north of San Francisco, and Pigeon Point off the San Mateo County coast. Here are some more details from NOAA Fisheries:

Inseason Action #22 in Ocean Salmon Fisheries, South of Cape Falcon (Recreational)

Please refer to the Final Rule for the West Coast Salmon Fisheries 2025-2026 Specifications and Management Measures for additional regulations and supporting materials.

For more information, contact Shannon Penna, Anadromous Harvest Management, at (562) 980-4239.

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