Along the California coast, from Bodega Bay to Morro Bay, commercial fishing boats have started pulling in salmon for the first time in three years, and local salmon are once again appearing on restaurant menus and in seafood markets across the state. California’s commercial ocean salmon fishery began reopening in May 2026 for the first time since a population crash led to a three-year closure. But while the reopening, happening in phases and with limits, is welcome news, it does not mean the underlying problems have been solved. … The state has the knowledge to create a more resilient system that can help salmon better withstand California’s increasing climate whiplash. But without significant changes in three key areas, we believe today’s good news for salmon could be short-lived once again.

Other salmon news:

• Active NorCal (Redding, Calif.): Chinook salmon have been recorded in the Auburn Ravine for the first time in 80 years
• The Appeal (Marysville, Calif.): Salmon back in ‘school’ after 100-year recess from North Yuba River
• California Department of Fish and Wildlife: CDFW releases ocean salmon harvest tracking tools