Markets 
A California delicacy is back on the menu in restaurants after a three year hiatus thanks to a move by the region’s fishery council.
The Pacific Fishery Management Council announced that state waters were once again open to fishing the California King Salmon, after it was closed in 2022 due to fear of a plummeting population amid extended years of drought in the state.
The council cited the move due to “increased forecasts for both Sacramento and Klamath River fall Chinook compared to recent years.”
“Providing meaningful fishing opportunities, achieving conservation and management goals, and ensuring the long-term health of salmon populations and fishing communities are all key priorities for the Council,” Council Chair Pete Hassemer said in the press release.
“For 2026, the Council set fishing seasons designed to offer valuable opportunities for all users while carefully managing the resource for the future.”
The news was a welcome invite to fisherman and the industry that has been unable to reel in the local salmon, born in freshwater rivers, for years. However, it will be on a shortened fishing schedule and a limit will be imposed on just how much commercial and recreational fishers can catch.
The season will open on a limited basis starting in May, with many restaurants and grocery stores that offer the California coastal chinook celebrating the move. However, due to the limited catch window, it will likely mean high costs for the delicacy.
“We haven’t had a wild salmon season in so long you almost forgot we have our own king salmon in California,” Shelley Lindgren, wine director and co-owner of San Francisco’s A16 restaurant as well as member of the Golden Gate Restaurant Association board told the San Francisco Chronicle.
“The minute we can get it, we will have it on the menu,” Lindgren said. “It’s really a joy to offer.”
“We love having the seafood coming from right out our back door… super exciting.”
The financial damage from the closure of the commercial fisheries for three years was severe, with estimated costs of nearly $100 million, per Cal Matters.
Executive director of the industry’s Golden State Salmon Association, Vance Staplin, is cautiously optimistic about the reopening.
“Everyone’s doing a big dance that we’re fishing, and that’s cool,” he said. “But these commercial guys are going to be struggling, the bigger boats especially because of the overhead.”
Sarah Bates, who fishes commercially from San Francisco, told Cal Matters that she gets that people are concerned.
“I really understand why people are upset,” she said. “But also, I’m so excited to catch some fish. Even though it’s not enough. It’s not even close to enough.”
The final plan must still be adopted by the National Marine Fisheries Service, which is expected to make a decision by the end of the month.
The Post reached out to the Golden State Salmon Association and the state restaurant association for further comment.
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