In a significant victory for California’s salmon fishery and the thousands of families and businesses that rely on it, the Golden State Salmon Association (GSSA) has helped to secure almost $12 million in state funding to modernize how hatchery salmon are tracked and managed.
Thanks to months of advocacy and direct engagement with Sacramento legislators, GSSA helped secure $11.8 million in the Proposition 4 expenditure plan for FY 2025-26, along with the critical staff positions needed to launch a statewide program using modern genetic technology to track salmon called Parental-Based Tagging (PBT) at the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW).
Proposition 4, passed by voters in November 2024, created a dedicated funding stream to protect and restore California’s salmon and steelhead, with money earmarked for common-sense-based management, habitat restoration, and hatchery modernization.
What Is Parental-Based Tagging (PBT), And Why Does It Matter?
Parental-Based Tagging is a modern genetic identification system that allows scientists to track hatchery-origin salmon using DNA from the parent fish used to create each new generation.
Instead of implanting traditional coded wire tags in millions of juvenile salmon (a labor-intensive and costly process), PBT uses a much more straightforward and more accurate approach: genotyping the parents, where a DNA sample is taken from the parents that can be used later to identify their offspring. This enables fisheries managers to identify returning adult fish with greater precision through a simple tissue sample.
The benefits are enormous:
- More Accurate Data: Once enacted, the program will enable better real-time understanding of hatchery vs. natural spawning salmon returns.
- Smarter Management: PBT enables biologists to track the survival, return, and contribution of hatchery salmon by linking each fish back to its parents. This provides managers with a clear view of which hatchery practices are most effective, and where adjustments are needed to produce healthier, more resilient runs.
Parental-Based Tagging isn’t brand new; California has already piloted steps toward it, while Oregon, Washington, and Idaho have been exploring its use. In fact, Idaho may be the furthest along. But using PBT as a full replacement for traditional coded wire tags (CWT) will not happen overnight. One of the biggest obstacles is that the regulation of the ocean salmon fishery still depends entirely on CWT data, meaning a transition will take time and coordination. For now, a dual system, running PBT alongside CWT, will be needed as agencies build lab capacity, refine protocols, and work across state and federal lines, including with the National Marine Fisheries Service. The new funding ensures California can take a lead role in this process, laying the groundwork for the broader adoption of what many see as the future of hatchery science.
The Limits of Coded Wire Tags (CWTs)
PBT is also promising because traditional coded wire tags (CWTs) have limits. They can only be implanted in salmon once the fish reach a specific size, which means the smallest juveniles, like fry released at Coleman, Feather River, and Nimbus hatcheries, can’t be tagged. Capturing and tagging naturally spawned salmon is also extremely difficult, especially during big water years and flood events. Without a way to track these fish, it’s nearly impossible to know how many survive and return as adults.
Because PBT works by genotyping the parent broodstock, every offspring can later be identified, whether they started as untaggable fry or came from a wild spawning event. This makes PBT a more reliable method for measuring the effectiveness of fry releases and other hatchery practices, providing managers with the data they need to improve survival and rebuild runs.
A Key Priority in the California Salmon Strategy
PBT was one of the top recommendations in the Governor’s California Salmon Strategy released in 2024. The strategy calls for “modernizing hatchery operations to support wild salmon populations better” and explicitly highlights PBT as a critical scientific tool for achieving that goal.
With this new funding, California will initiate the process of implementing this technology at scale, laying the groundwork for a more sustainable and scientifically informed approach to hatchery operations and salmon recovery.
GSSA’s Role: Advocacy That Makes a Difference
The $11.8 million allocation is part of a broader $25 million package GSSA worked to include in last year’s Proposition 4 ballot measure, which California voters overwhelmingly approved in November 2024.
But passing Prop 4 was only half the battle. In 2025, GSSA continued to work with key leaders in the State Senate and Assembly to ensure these funds were spent as intended, on salmon. Our team ramped up engagement in Sacramento, strengthened partnerships across the salmon and fishing communities, and rallied grassroots support when it mattered most.
This is what effective advocacy looks like.
What’s Next
With funding secured, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife will begin developing the necessary infrastructure and staff to launch a statewide PBT program. This won’t happen overnight, but the commitment is now in place, and GSSA will be closely monitoring the use of the money to ensure it is used effectively and transparently.
We’ll also continue to push for broader hatchery modernization, improved water management, and common-sense restoration efforts based on sound information.
Why This Matters
For more than four decades, as more water is diverted from Central Valley rivers, salmon have been in steady decline, with fewer and fewer fish returning to our rivers each year. Over the past three years, full-season closures and severe restrictions have further eroded the commercial, tribal, and recreational communities that rely on healthy salmon runs.
By investing in smarter tools like PBT, we’re giving salmon a fighting chance and providing California fish managers with more options and better information to manage and protect this iconic species for generations to come.
This win proves that when we organize, advocate, and refuse to give up, real progress is possible.
Get Involved
Want to help secure more wins like this? Join GSSA today and be part of the fight to protect California salmon and restore a fishery worth saving.