15-05-2025
NOAA finalizes California salmon fishery closure for third year
NOAA Fisheries will close or constrain fishing for salmon off the southern Oregon and California coasts for the 2025-26 fishing season, citing 'anticipated extremely low returns of California Chinook stocks,' the agency announced this week.
Fishing will be allowed in between central Oregon and northern Washington.
The new provisions — which also establishes quotas, landing limits and other management measures for salmon — were recommended by the Pacific Fishery Management Council in April and underwent public review and comment, according to NOAA. Recreational fishing will also be limited under the new rule.
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'This will reduce impacts to stocks of concern until they rebound to levels that can support further fishing opportunities,' the agency said in a notice. For now, regulators said, 'forecasts of lower adult salmon returns in southern Oregon and California required managers and fishermen to make tough choices in developing fishing regimes for these areas.'
