California cancels rest of salmon season over lingering drought issues

Californian officials have announced the cancellation of the remaining days of the salmon season due to lingering drought issues. 

In a news release on Friday, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) said that salmon fisheries that were originally scheduled to open on April 1 will remain closed through May 15. 

“The actions were taken to protect Sacramento River fall Chinook, which returned to the Central Valley in 2022 at near-record low numbers, and Klamath River fall Chinook, which had the second lowest abundance forecast since the current assessment method began in 1997,” the department said.

The CDFW also said in its release that the Pacific Fishery Management Council has produced three regulatory options for the May 2023-May 2024 time period, noting that none of these options would authorize commercial or ocean salmon sport fishing off California until April 2024. 

Years of ongoing drought conditions have greatly affected salmon populations in the state. 

This is the second time Californian officials have canceled fishing season, with the first occasion coming in 2008-2009, CBS News reported.