California Approves Tightly Restricted Recreational Salmon Fishing to Protect Klamath River Chinook

Sacramento, CA — The Pacific Fishery Management Council (PFMC) has approved a severely limited recreational ocean salmon fishing season for California in 2025, structured to ensure “negligible impacts” on the critically depleted Klamath River fall Chinook salmon, as outlined in the PFMC’s Preseason Report II for 2025 Ocean Salmon Fishery Regulations. This decision, announced on April 15, 2025, coincides with a third consecutive year of closure Strategically closed commercial salmon fishing ban, reflecting the urgent need to protect the Klamath River fall Chinook, a species facing significant environmental challenges.

To minimize impacts on Klamath River fall Chinook, the recreational fishing season is restricted to short windows: June 7-8 and July 5-6 from the Oregon/California state line to the U.S./Mexico border, with a 7,000 Chinook summer harvest guideline, and September 4-7 and September 29-30 between Point Reyes and Point Sur, with a 7,500 Chinook fall harvest guideline. Additional days in late July, August, and October may be allowed if harvest limits are not met. These brief openings are paired with rigorous monitoring by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) to prevent exceeding the harvest guidelines, ensuring the fishery’s impact on Klamath River fall Chinook remains minimal, with a projected ocean harvest rate of 4% for age-4 fish under Alternative I, well below the 7.7% rate associated with a harvest of 1,104 age-4 fish.

The PFMC’s Preseason Report II highlights the precarious state of Klamath River fall Chinook, projecting only 18,687 natural area spawners in 2025, with a 10% spawner reduction rate. The report emphasizes that even limited fishing could jeopardize recovery, particularly given the stock’s vulnerability to overfishing, drought, wildfires, harmful algal blooms, ocean forage shifts, habitat degradation, and thiamine deficiency. Alternative III, which proposes a complete closure of recreational fishing south of Cape Falcon, would reduce impacts to zero, but the adopted measures under Alternatives I and II allow limited fishing while prioritizing conservation.

“California’s recreational anglers welcome the opportunity to get back on the water,” said PFMC member Marc Gorelnik. “The number of open days is exceedingly limited in order to achieve negligible impacts on Klamath River Chinook salmon.”

The restrictions reflect broader environmental pressures, as detailed in the PFMC report, which notes that low ocean abundance forecasts and poor 2024 returns necessitate stringent measures. “Salmon populations are still recovering from severe drought and other climate challenges,” said CDFW Director Charlton H. Bonham, underscoring the balance between ecological protection and the cultural and economic value of recreational fishing.

The National Marine Fisheries Service is expected to finalize these regulations by mid-May. Anglers must adhere to a 20-inch minimum size limit, a two-Chinook daily bag limit, and a prohibition on retaining coho salmon. The PFMC report also underscores the importance of tribal rights, noting that the Yurok and Hoopa Valley Tribes are entitled to 50% of the total Klamath River fall Chinook harvest, a factor accounted for in the fishery’s management to meet conservation objectives.

For updates, anglers can visit CDFW’s Ocean Salmon web page or call the Ocean Salmon Regulations Hotline at (707) 576-3429.