FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 25, 2026
Contact:
John McManus, GSSA Senior Policy Director, 650-218-8650
Salmon Forecast Supports 2026 Fishery
San Francisco, CA – The Pacific Fisheries Management Council forecasts a current adult salmon ocean population of 392,349. This has improved significantly over recent years, with fishery managers now using this figure to plan the 2026 salmon fishing season. The information was released at a meeting called by the California Dept of Fish and Wildlife.
Improved Forecast Driven by Strong 2025 Jack Returns
The forecast is based on the number of sub-adult, or jack, salmon that returned to spawn in 2025. The 2025 jack count was the highest since 2011, the result of very rainy, wet conditions in the Central Valley during 2024, and other factors. The heavy runoff into the Central Valley rivers created conditions much closer to those juvenile salmon need to survive, underscoring the benefit salmon enjoy when there’s enough water in Central Valley rivers.
Winter-Run Salmon Returns May Ease Early-Season Constraints
A relatively strong return of protected winter-run salmon to the Sacramento Basin in 2025 points to a less constrained early fishing season in Monterey Bay and other areas south of Pigeon Point. These are the areas where protected winter-run salmon collect.
Klamath Forecast Still Likely to Limit Some 2026 Fisheries
Although returns to the Klamath River system were also up last year, this year’s Klamath forecast salmon population is still likely to constrain fishing in some coastal waters in 2026.
Hatchery Data Shows Higher Survival From Coastal Releases
Additional info from the six days of ocean sport fishing in 2025 was released. About 67% of the fish caught were hatchery fish. Of these, 35% originated at the Mokelumne hatchery, and most of these were those that had been trucked to safe release sites on the coast and near the Golden Gate Bridge as juveniles. This underscores the survival benefit of releasing fish closer to the ocean compared to those released in Central Valley rivers or the Delta.
GSSA: River Flows Remain the Key to Salmon Survival
“We’re cautiously optimistic about what this year’s improved salmon forecast means for a return to a more normal fishing season this year,” said GSSA executive director Vance Staplin. “You can’t miss the correlation between improved salmon numbers and the fact that these fish swam out of the Central Valley a few years ago in very wet conditions. We hear over and over from all of the experts tagging and tracking juvenile salmon in the Central Valley that survival depends primarily on flow conditions in the rivers.”
State to Use Quota-Based Management for 2026 Season
The state will attempt to regulate the take of salmon this year based on a quota, or number of salmon, that can be taken during the season. Implementing the quota will involve counting and estimating the total catch in as close to real time as possible. The state says it expects to hire additional staff to assist in this counting and tabulating process, which will apply to both the sport and commercial sectors.
Public Process Begins for Setting 2026 Fishing Seasons
Today’s announcements start an approximately one-month process to determine what kind of salmon fishing will be allowed in California in 2026. The next step occurs next week when the Pacific Fisheries Management Council meets from March 4 to 9 in Sacramento to craft three possible fishing season options. The public will get a chance to comment on the three options on March 23 in Santa Rosa. The PFMC will adopt one of the options in early April.
Economic Stakes High for Coastal Communities
“Coastal communities that have grown to rely on the annual salmon fishery are excited at the prospect of hopefully becoming profitable again,” said GSSA board chairman Mike Aughney. “When you calculate the economic multipliers, the salmon fishery can bring over a billion dollars, spread across not only California, but also in Oregon, where many Central Valley salmon migrate to rear in the ocean.”
About GSSA: The Golden State Salmon Association (www.goldenstatesalmon.org) is a coalition of salmon advocates that includes commercial and recreational salmon fishermen and women, businesses, restaurants, a native tribe, environmentalists, elected officials, families, and communities that rely on salmon. GSSA’s mission is to restore California salmon for their economic, recreational, commercial, environmental, cultural, and health values.
Currently, California’s salmon industry is valued at $1.4 billion in economic activity and 23,000 jobs annually in a normal season, and about half that much in economic activity and jobs again in Oregon. Industry workers benefiting from Central Valley salmon stretch from Santa Barbara to northern Oregon. This includes commercial fishermen and women, recreational fishermen and women (fresh- and saltwater), fish processors, marinas, coastal communities, equipment manufacturers, the hotel and food industry, tribes, and others.
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Media contact: John McManus, GSSA Senior Policy Director, 650-218-8650