The state of California has announced progress on its salmon strategy, which the government adopted last year to help salmon populations recover in the face of severe environmental challenges.
“California salmon are vital to our environment, our economy, and our cultural heritage,” California Natural Resources Agency Secretary Wade Crowfoot said in a statement. “Yet today, these iconic fish are imperiled by climate change and other stressors. We established the Salmon Strategy to chart needed actions to address these challenges and recover salmon fisheries. I’m encouraged by this update and our progress over the last year, with much more hard work ahead.”
California Governor Gavin Newsom introduced the California Salmon Strategy for a Hotter, Drier Future in January 2024 to help guide the state’s efforts to support salmon recovery. The strategy outlines six priorities as well as 71 specific actions the government should take to improve salmon habitat and populations.
“Salmon are an integral part of our shared history in California,” Newsom said in announcing the strategy. “Some of my youngest memories were of seeing the iconic fish up close with my father when I was growing up – an experience all Californians deserve. We’re doubling down to make sure this species not only adapts in the face of extreme weather but remains a fixture of California’s natural beauty and ecosystems for generations to come.”
Salmon abundance has plummeted all along the West Coast, which has been disastrous for California’s commercial fishers. The Pacific Fishery Management Council (PFMC) and the California Fish and Game Commission have cancelled the state’s salmon seasons for the past two years, and recent data shows that the 2024 fall Chinook salmon runs in the Sacramento River and Klamath River watersheds were far lower than forecasts had anticipated. Following its March meeting, the PFMC noted that “off the coast of California, the range of alternatives offer very limited opportunity,” and regulators are considering keeping the season closed for 2025. The PFMC plans to adopt final 2025 ocean salmon regulations during its April meeting.
The state has blamed the declining salmon runs on a host of environmental factors, including “drought, severe wildfires, impacts to spawning and rearing habitat, harmful algal blooms, and ocean forage shifts.”
However, a new progress report released by the state shows that the government has made substantial headway in executing its salmon strategy. The report claims that 67 percent of the projects outlined in the strategy are actively in development, while 26 percent have already been completed. Another 7 percent are in preliminary stages.
“California’s progress on these key action items shows the state is taking salmon extraordinarily seriously, and that we will use every tool at our disposal to create resilient and thriving salmon populations,” CDFW Director Charlton Bonham said in a statement. “I’m focused on ensuring California has healthy salmon populations decades into the future. Today’s Progress Report is a celebration of what’s been done, and a roadmap for where we need to go.”
Action items include removing dams, improving fish passages, restoring habitat, and implementing new technologies to better track and monitor fish.
