CALIFORNIA COAST — The Pacific Fishery Management Council voted on Sunday to reopen waters off the California coast to commercial salmon fishing for the first time since 2022. Commercial fishing is set to resume in May 2026 under strict catch limits, ending a three-year ban on the practice.

The council, an advisory group to the U.S. Secretary of Commerce, voted to limit commercial fishing to only a few days and set quotas on the number of salmon that can be caught. The secretary makes final decisions on fisheries management and has historically followed the council's rulings. The decision is expected to be posted in the Federal Register within days.

The council said forecasts for Chinook and coho salmon off the West Coast look promising in 2026. Biologists have said that after years of drought, the Chinook salmon population declined dramatically, disrupting their upstream migration to lay eggs. Recent wet winters have increased cold water flows needed for salmon to spawn.

Several factors have changed conditions for the species since the ban took effect in 2022. Four hydroelectric dams on the Klamath River were removed in 2024, and salmon subsequently returned to spawn in waters along the Oregon-California border where they had not been present for decades. The state also removed barriers on waterways, including Alameda Creek in the San Francisco Bay Area, that had prevented passage of salmon. Much of the salmon caught in the ocean originate in California's Klamath and Sacramento rivers.

"It is great news for everyone — for the fishermen, for seafood lovers and the environment because it means that salmon populations are back to a much healthier state," California Natural Resources Secretary Wade Crowfoot said. Crowfoot said preserving a healthy salmon population is crucial for the environment and the state's economy.

Golden State Salmon Association Executive Director Vance Staplin said state and federal water management policies largely caused low salmon stocks in recent years. "People don't understand how big of an industry salmon is to California," he said.

The council voted last year to allow some recreational salmon fishing for the first time since 2022. Recreational salmon fishing along approximately 50 miles of coastline from south of San Francisco to the Mexican border began in April 2026, according to the Golden State Salmon Association. Sportfishing north of that stretch, including waters off San Francisco, will begin in June 2026.