The California Department of Fish and Wildlife announced that Monterey Bay—part of the Central Coast region, which spans from Pigeon Point south to the Mexico border—will open to recreational salmon fishing on April 11. For the first time in four years, the region is also expected to reopen to commercial fishing sometime in May. It’s highly anticipated news following years of consecutive closures tied to low population counts. The commercial fishing season for Chinook has been closed since 2022. … As part of a broader plan called California Salmon Strategy for a Hotter Drier Future, which aims to protect native salmon from extinction, officials will be closely monitoring catch numbers, especially in a year that is unusually hot and dry.