California’s salmon fishery is reopening after a population crash led to a 3-year closure, but that doesn’t mean all is well

Chinook salmon try to jump a closed gate at a fish hatchery. Supercaliphotolistic/iStock Images Plus via Getty Images

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.