The following is a press release by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife:
The Pacific Fishery Management Council (PFMC) has produced three options for ocean salmon seasons beginning May 16, 2024. Two of the three alternatives would authorize short ocean salmon season dates and establish small harvest limits for commercial and sport fishing off California in 2024. The third alternative would close the ocean fisheries off California for a second consecutive year. The alternatives were approved by the PFMC for public review Monday.
In response to several years of drought over the past decade, key California salmon target stocks are forecast to have 2024 abundance levels that, while higher than last year, are well below average. The 2024 stock abundance forecast for Sacramento River Fall Chinook, which is often the most abundant stock in the ocean fishery, is 213,600 adults. Meanwhile, abundance of Klamath River Fall Chinook is forecast at 180,700 adults. At this level of abundance, the Pacific Coast Salmon Fishery Management Plan authorizes only low levels of fishing on these stocks, and requires management be designed to allow most of the adult population to return to the river to spawn.
Commercial fishing alternatives propose a limited number of small quota fisheries, and would require vessel-based weekly trip limits that would apply in each open period. In-season action would be taken to close remaining season dates if total catch is expected to reach the harvest limit.
Recreational fishing alternatives would authorize up to seven short open fishing periods ranging from four to six days in length beginning in June and running through October. Scheduled dates would not be guaranteed and would be subject to two different statewide harvest guidelines. If the total sport catch reaches the limit prior to September, remaining dates prior to September would be canceled. Similarly, if total sport catch reaches the limit for dates scheduled in the months of September and October, remaining dates would be canceled.
In-season management and harvest limits are new concepts in management of commercial and recreational ocean salmon fisheries off California. Given the low abundance forecasts and spawner returns in recent years, it is crucial that any limited salmon fishing ultimately authorized be managed to ensure most of the fish return to the river this fall. Use of these strategies in 2024 ocean fisheries is expected to keep catches within pre-season projections.
On recommendation from California and Oregon agency representatives and industry advisors, the National Marine Fisheries Service took in-season action to cancel ocean salmon fishery openers that were scheduled between Cape Falcon, Oregon and the U.S./Mexico border that were scheduled to open prior to May 16, 2024. The sport fishery off much of California had been set to open in early April. Season dates and regulations may be found on the California Department of Fish and Wildlife web page at www.wildlife.ca.gov/oceansalmon.
On March 25, 2024, the PFMC will hold a public hearing in Santa Rosa to receive public comment on the three proposed regulatory alternatives. The PFMC will then meet April 5-11 in Seattle, Washington to adopt final regulations for the season. More information on the three alternatives can be found at this link or see Pacific Fishery Management Council (pcouncil.org) for information regarding PFMC meetings and public comment opportunities.
Additional salmon hatcheries on diverse watersheds would have solved this problem years and years ago. California…where the buracrats are abundant the fish are scarce.
Imagine that….more presumption from MK.
The proliferation of hatcheries have helped perpetuate the problem.
Hatchery fish undermine Wild fish by diluting genetics, spreading disease, over-competition, and more.
This is LONG settled and irrefutable scientific postulate.
Hatcheries, as they’re managed today and in the past, directly contribute to the development and spread of aquatic superbugs.
As long as humans remain directly involved in salmon reproduction (ie manual insemination), then Wild, self-perpetuating fish will be undermined.
Because the NMFS was forced to comply with the science, rather than Commercial interests, Wild fish must be the priority of focus.
Enjoy your fish farmed, Canadian, chemical laced, soy bean raised salmon in crowed pens swimming in their own feces. Yum, yum…severed at your local, environmental church.
Do ya think that Mr.Fiction has ever wet a line? Or hooked, landed and popped a gill on a wild or hatchery Steelhead or King? I will go out on a long limb and say nay.
And my apologies in advance if I misgendered.
When a liberal cannot defend their point they insult. Stick to the facts and refute them if you can!
https://www.hatchmag.com/articles/50-years-research-overwhelmingly-shows-hatcheries-are/7715778
If you think my saying that someone is presumptuous qualifies as a personal insult then I am sorry for you, you have a lot to learn.
I have stuck to the facts.
No one has offered any substantive response or debate, nor anything that refutes my statements.
How is it that you are so over-sensitive, delicate, & snow-flaky, such that someone else being called presumptuous is such a personal affront?
Ohh the suffering…woe is me…
Try separating your “self” from the facts. It’s not about you.
Your beliefs won’t change the facts.
And Michael, I do not, and will not, support the fish farming industry.
I support the fish, the forests, and our fishers.
Any one of you could have done some basic internet review of available information & research and seen that the biologists AND Hatchery Industry well knows what I said is correct.
This is not new info.
But you spend more time fighting me with absurd shit.
Get educated.
It’s a daily pursuit.
Stop abdicating your personal educational responsibility to corporate and political propagandists and hacks.
https://www.noaa.gov/sites/default/files/legacy/document/2020/Oct/07354626295.pdf
https://www.newsdata.com/clearing_up/environment/analysis-of-studies-finds-wild-salmonids-adversely-affected-by-hatcheries/article_f65bcf66-48d5-11ee-a714-7b73757277ca.html
https://thefishsite.com/articles/hatcheries-change-salmon-genetics
Quite presumptuous of you, Maverick.
That long limb has failed you.
Not only have I hooked Steelhead, Kings, & Coho for food and fun, I have spent an extensive amount of time, energy, & expense, over many years, out on anadromous fish surveys & counts on rivers and creeks, identifying REDDs, carcass counts, spring dives, refuting USFS assumptions, and monitored screw traps that help survey the yearly hatch and movement of fry.
One of my favorites was refuting USFS belief that Springers (Spring Chinook) only went up as far as the St Petersburg waterfall on the Upper S Fork of the Salmon River.
We found Springers holding in cold pools (cold water refugia) at >4200ft elevation and >7miles upstream of the waterfall and beyond other mind boggling river obstructions.
That was a 2day, 10+ mile river hike in waders and felt bottom boots through very rough country in the Trinity Alps Wilderness to Big Flat/Coffee Creek.
How many fish biologists have you worked with directly?
Have you put your money where your mouth is?
Why can’t you folks just stop with the armchair strutting & presumption?
If you’re gonna try to judge the facts, it would serve best if you knew some of them…and not just what’s written in the newspapers.
I stand alone and convicted.And humbled and corrected.I said those things in order to find out where you are coming from and if you had any real credibility. I will take you on your word and thanks you the reply.
Once on a field trip with my kids to a hatchery and I watched them grab the female, poke, sorry, stab her with a air pressure valve and inflate her with a gas. Then he squeezed the eggs out. And somehow they mixed it with the male sperm
I don’t know , but I thought what kind of fuckery is this?. This is the most barbaric, unsustainable, crap fitted situation and perfect example of people trying to do more when they need to do less. Overcomplicating the whole thing as usual.
Maybe just stop eating them for a while. Jesus
Did you know that Jesus was a commercial fisherman? No? And bye the bye, why the cowardly made up name? A bit fishy I’d say.
I’m a former catholic school girl honey.. my anonymity is for my protection.
Do you know why Jesus tore up the market place? Cause people caught God’s beautiful birds in the desert and were selling them for profit to vain idiots. A mockery.
My mother’s heart watched a hatchery procedure and I was shocked. Seemed weird. Is that ok?
Who needs fishermen or tourist fishing here locally, take away those jobs because of government mismagaement.
The 2 jobs?