California Ocean Salmon Season to Open Briefly in June and September Under New Federal Rules
Press release from the CDFW:
Adult spring-run Chinook salmon broodstock at the Interim Salmon Conservation and Research Facility/iSCARF in Friant, CA on January 7, 2020. (CDFW Photo/Paul Adelizi)
On Friday, May 16, 2025, the National Marine Fisheries Service published the annual West Coast salmon fishing regulations for federal waters, including those for California’s limited ocean recreational salmon season. State ocean salmon sport fishing regulations automatically conform to federal regulations pursuant to California Code of Regulations Title 14, Section 1.95. The federal regulations for ocean salmon fisheries were published in the Federal Register – see 90 FR 20810 – and took effect on May 16, 2025.
For ocean waters between the California/Oregon state line and the US/Mexico border, the ocean salmon season will be open for two days on June 7-8, 2025, with a 7,000 Chinook salmon summer harvest guideline. If the harvest guideline is not met in the first opener, the season will reopen for additional days in July and August until the summer harvest guideline is met. The fishery will then open for four days on September 4-7, 2025 between Point Reyes and Point Sur under a fall harvest guideline of 7,500 Chinook salmon. Retention of coho salmon (also known as silver salmon) is prohibited in all California ocean salmon fisheries. All salmon must be brought ashore prior to the end of any open season.
Anglers are advised to check for updated information regarding season dates and harvest guidelines on CDFW’s Ocean Salmon Fishery Information web page or by calling the CDFW Ocean Salmon Hotline at (707) 576-3429.
Statewide, the daily bag limit will be two Chinook salmon per day, with a minimum size limit of 20 inches total length. No more than two daily bag limits may be possessed when on land. On a vessel in ocean waters, no person may possess or bring ashore more than one daily bag limit. Once brought ashore, no person may possess more than two daily bag limits. Bag and possession limit information and gear restrictions may be found on the Ocean Salmon Fishery Information web page and in ocean sport fishing regulations.
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The harvest quota will be caught in one hour off San Francisco. As there is no way to monitor and force boats to return to port after one hour … this will result in over-harvest when the boats return and the temporary hired fish counters count the harvest. Those count results will be entered into an inaccurate algorithm that over-estimates the catch. Fishing will be suspended for future years to compensate. Federal grant money will be used to hire temporary Fishery grads from CalPoly Humboldt to be observers on every boat fishing for salmon in California. Incidental salmon caught and released under 20 inches will be counted against the harvest quota numbers (rationale: increased mortality due to torture and release). Off Eureka… the wind will blow thirty knots and the swell will be 7 feet. Very few will get out and the season will close the following day. The Coast Guard will be busy.
Clarification: Federal grant $$$ will be allocated to hire temporary Fishery graduates from CalPoly Humboldt to be observers on every boat fishing in California for future Salmon Seasons despite there will be no future Seasons.
“Fun” tidbit:
We had to have an observer on our troller in 1980 in Oregon (it was a bit crowded 🙂 ). 1980 was the first year of mid-season closures. I saw the handwriting on the wall back then.
Further clarification: the conditions off Eureka will be Wind: 30 knots, Swell 7 ft. @ 3 seconds. You know what that means Angela!
Head to the Vista Del Mar! Yeah, I dated myself. That or roll out of bed, check the stacks on the peninsula. If the smoke was blowing horizontally, go back to bed (or bunk).
Sloppy for sure. Gale warnings for the weekend.
You mean VD By The Sea? Yeah I dated myself too. But was it the old version or the VD 2.0 version?
I believe it’s actually a little bit more “counter” intuitive than that…
If the quota is VERY quickly met, it just may be considered to be an indicator of overall Salmon abundance, and that may actually increase, not decrease, the chance of increased fishing seasons, and more numerous quotas, in the future…
If the quota is not quickly achieved, or not achieved at all, then I believe that would more likely subsequently result in more limited seasons, and smaller numbered quotas, in the future…
I remember the “steelhead punch cards”, where fishermen thought that by indicating a greater “take”, that the result would be a lesser season and/or daily bag and/or possession limits, and so they avoided marking their punch cards when they could, before sending in the cards, as required…
It backfired, and made it look like the steelhead were very few and far between, resulting in a lesser season, and/or lower daily bag and/or possession limits…
Not a chance – with the quickly attained quota being associated with increased population numbers. It doesn’t work that way. BTW the PFMC that is involved in the salmon season process was invented somewhere around maybe the late 1980’s – 90’s?. That process ran Angela out of the business. For context… the PFMC was “chaired” during that time by Charlie Fullerton, former director of Ca Fish and Game? He’s dead. I believe he is also famous for facilitating the water diversion of Eel River Water to the New Coyote Reservoir- think wine! Hmmmm. Nah must be a coincidence.
Oy. You won’t even get out of the bay in an hour. This is why boats park out there the night before, just out of the zones and race in at first light or the hour of opening. Your comment might seem sarcastic to readers, but I’ll confirm it with you as I’ve been privy to people that do just that type of monitoring, so it does exist. Same thing happens with the CA water board and stream monitoring. Lots of monitoring by college kids, data gets used by everyone else and not always for the reasons they’re told.
“Point Reyes to Point Sur”, for anyone else maybe wondering…
These regs are the last nails in the coffin for the wild salmon fishery. No mention about the foreign vessel “incidental” catch, which is a bonanza to those boats .
Right? The people with a 4 mile long net, but two miles outside of the economic zone? Yeah they don’t exist at all.