BY DAVE HURLEY
SACRAMENTO – One thing is for certain, the ocean salmon season will begin below Pigeon Point to the Mexico border on April 11, but the remainder of salmon season setting process will be unveiled after the upcoming Pacific Fisheries Management Council (PFMC) meeting in Portland from April 7-12. The only date confirmed so far is April 11, and the remainder of the ocean season for Sacramento Valley and Klamath River harvest models will be set from the three alternatives released by the PFMC’s March meeting. Final adoption of recommendations to the National Marine Fisheries Service is tentatively scheduled for April 12, and regulations will be available online in late April at https://www.pcouncil.org/. The California Fish and Game Commission will receive an update on ocean salmon sport fishery regulations in effect in 2026 during their April 15/16 meeting, and the commission will also set the in season river regulations during their meeting May 5/6.
James Stone, Board President for the NorCal Guides and Sportsmen’s Association, said, “For the first time, we will see sector harvest quotas for areas of the coast for Pigeon Point south, Pigeon Point to Point Arena, the 40’10 line to Point Arena, and the 40’10 line north to the Oregon border. Once the harvest quota is reached, there will be no more additional fishing within the summer months at least August 31. The quota will reset and restart starting September 1 for the final section of the season. The in season river season looks promising will all the rivers in the Central Valley anticipated to have a salmon season this summer/fall. We will be bringing back our Salmon Derby this summer due to the opening of all Central Valley Rivers.”
Harvest quotas listed by the PFMC in the March meeting ranged from 3100 to 3900 fish from the Oregon border to the 40’10 line in southern Humboldt County, 4400 to 5100 from the 40’10 line to Point Arena, 31,200 to 34,000 from Point Arena to Pigeon Point, and 21,300 to 21,800 south of Pigeon Point.
For the first time since 2022, a commercial salmon season is also anticipated with a harvest quota. Since the ocean salmon season is so integral to the economies of coastal communities, party boats are already migrating south to Half Moon Bay and Santa Cruz to take advantage of the April 11 opener, and many boats are already filled for the anticipated season opening in May. None of this would not be possible without the efforts of the US Fish and Wildlife Service and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife along with the non-governmental organizations of the Nor-Cal Guides and Sportsmen’s Association and the Golden State Salmon Association. And of course, these efforts are dependent on an adequate supply of cold water flows to provide spawning habitat.
