Salmon fishing off California’s coast banned for second year in a row

Fishery managers unanimously voted to ban commercial and recreational salmon fishing off the coast of California for the second year in a row. State officials blame drought conditions as one reason why the fish are dying, but environmental groups and critics in the fishing industry say poor water management is the bigger culprit. 

Decades ago, it was normal for at least half a million salmon to annually return to the Sacramento River to spawn. But their numbers have dwindled in recent years. In 2023, fishery managers reported an estimated return of 133,638 of the fish. Last year's salmon fishing ban along the coast was the first such closure in 14 years.

Robin Ehlke, the salmon staff officer for the Pacific Fishery Management Council, said the state’s ongoing drought has led to low river flows and increased water temperatures. These conditions make it difficult for the fish to survive. 

“These California stocks … were 500,000 strong, a million fish strong, in past decades,” she said. “Now, like Sacramento — we're lucky to get 300,000 back.”

Scott Artis, executive director of the Golden State Salmon Association, drought conditions do impact the fish. However, he said Governor Gavin Newsom’s failure to address water quality issues in the Sacramento River system are largely to blame. 

“State and federal water managers are devastating our rivers,” he said. “They're removing vast amounts of water and creating lethal high temperatures in those rivers that are destroying salmon.”

He urged the Newsom administration to increase river flows in order to protect the salmon as well as the tribes and people in the fishing industry whose lives revolve around the health of the fish. 

Dick Ogg, a commercial fisherman in Bodega Bay who spoke at a Thursday press conference alongside Artis, said it’s a difficult situation for people in the fishing industry. 

“Now we’re going to go nine months without potential income,” he said. 

However, Ogg said he and others in the industry support the ban.

“The short-term gain of impacting the resources is not worth the long-term impact overall,” he said. “Nobody really wants to see the season close, but it’s going to make a difference in the long run.” 

Following the announcement of the vote to ban salmon fishing along California’s coast, on Thursday Newsom announced he was again requesting a federal fishery disaster declaration. 

The request is needed to provide federal financial assistance to help impacted communities. Stressing that California appreciates a similar funding allotment as last year, the fishery disaster declaration request sent by the governor projects losses this year from the fishing ban of more than $47 million dollars.