California deep sea salmon sport fishery closed April through mid-May 2023
Today, on the recommendation of California and Oregon government officials and industry advisers, the National Marine Fisheries Service took seasonal action to cancel openings of deep-sea salmon fisheries between Cape Falcon, Oregon and the US-Mexico border through April 15. were planned for May.
Recreational fishing was scheduled to open April 1 in most areas of California. The measures were taken to protect the Sacramento River Fall Chinook, which returned to the Central Valley in 2022 with near-record-low numbers, and the Klamath River Fall Chinook had the second-lowest frequency prediction since the current assessment method began in 1997.
The Pacific Fishery Management Council (PFMC) has prepared three regulatory options (PDF) for the period May 16, 2023 to May 15, 2024. None of the three options would allow commercial or sport deep-sea salmon fishing off California until April 2024. The alternatives were approved for public review by the PFMC today.
On March 21, 2023, the PFMC will hold a public hearing in Santa Rosa to receive public comments on the three proposed regulatory alternatives. The PFMC will then meet in Foster City April 1-7 to adopt the final regulations. For more information on PFMC meetings and options, visit the PFMC website at www.pcouncil.org.
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Media contact:
Jordan Traverso, CDFW Communications, (916) 212-7352
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