Overview

• California's fall-run Chinook salmon population is estimated at 166,000, a significant decline from historical levels and similar to 2023's figures.
• The Pacific Fishery Management Council will determine in April whether to impose a complete ban or strict limits on the 2025 salmon fishing season.
• Fishing bans in 2023 and 2024 were intended to help salmon stocks recover, but ongoing challenges like drought, warm river temperatures, and water management policies have hindered progress.
• Critics, including fishing industry leaders, attribute the salmon decline to poor water management prioritizing agriculture over river ecosystems, exacerbating the impact of recent droughts.
• State efforts to support recovery include habitat restoration, dam removal, and increased hatchery releases, but officials caution that meaningful population rebounds may take years.