California announced a request for a Federal Fisheries Disaster Declaration to support salmon fishermen ahead of the looming closure of the 2023 season expected to take place in May, after projections indicate that the abundance of California Chinook salmon is at historic lows.
Recognizing the importance of salmon to California's commercial fisheries, Acting Governor Eleni Kounalakis, on behalf of Governor Newsom, submitted the request to U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo immediately after the Pacific Fishery Management Council recommended a complete closure of California’s commercial and recreational ocean salmon season.
If approved, the Federal Fisheries Disaster Declaration would begin the process of providing needed relief to fishing communities financially impacted by the closure.
“Countless families, coastal communities and tribal nations depend on salmon fishing – it’s more than an industry, it’s a way of life. That’s why we’re asking for expedited relief from the federal government,” said Governor Gavin Newsom.
“The Federal Fisheries Disaster Declaration we are requesting today is vital to supporting our coastal regions, and we look forward to providing families with the help they need,” said Lt. Governor Kounalakis.
Prolonged drought, severe wildfires and associated impacts to spawning and rearing habitat, harmful algal blooms, and ocean forage shifts have combined to result in some of the lowest stock abundance forecasts on record for Sacramento River fall Chinook and Klamath River fall Chinook.
The low yield and abundance forecasts are largely due to the difficult environmental factors these salmon faced on their initial journey to the ocean three years ago.
Forecasts of low ocean abundance, coupled with low returns for 2022, led the Pacific Fishery Management Council (PFMC) to recommend a complete closure of commercial and recreational salmon fisheries in the California ocean.
Commercial fishing in Southern Oregon is also expected to face closures through late 2023.
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) announced $22.5 million for 19 projects last month to support restoration of critical salmon habitat, climate resilience, wildlife corridors and wetland restoration.
The funding is part of a new $200 million effort to support critical restoration across the state.
Last summer, in collaboration with the Winnemem Wintu Tribe and federal partners, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) returned approximately 20,000 fertilized endangered winter-run Chinook salmon eggs to the McCloud River upstream of Shasta Reservoir for the first time since Shasta Dam was built in the 1940s.
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