Press conference this morning on the California waterfront featuring Rep. Jared Huffman, Rep. Nancy Pelosi, California Natural Resources Secretary Wade Crowfoot and representatives of industries dependent on the salmon catch.

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Yesterday, the Pacific Fishery Management Council took a long-expected step by recommending the official closure of all ocean salmon fishing — recreational and commercial — off the coast of California.

The proposed closure was prompted by the extraordinarily small numbers of fish returning up the Klamath and Sacramento rivers last year, following years of drought.

Immediately after the decision, the administration of Gov. Gavin Newsom petitioned the federal government to declare a fisheries disaster in the state, which would make federal funds available to fishermen and ancillary industries in the state.

The management council’s recommendation will have to be affirmed by the National Marine Fisheries Service next month. That action is all but guaranteed.

This morning, several members of California’s Congressional declaration — Rep. Jared Huffman, Rep. Nancy Pelosi and Rep. Kevin Mullin — held a press conference on the San Francisco waterfront (see video, above). They were joined by several industry representatives, as well as California Natural Resources Secretary Wade Crowfoot.

Much of what the speakers had to say concerned combating the long-term threats to the survival of California salmon, and of the fishing industry built up around them. There was much talk of the drought, and of climate change, and the number of almond trees planted in the Central Valley in recent decades, competing with the fish for water.

But the main, immediate message that Huffman wished to convey is: That federal disaster needs to be declared, and given the precarious state of many fishermen’s finances after a rocky crab season and years of decline, those funds need to be released quickly.

“We’ve gotta bring this relief home in a couple of months,” Huffman said.

Press release from the Pacific Fishery Management Council:

[Yesterday], the Pacific Fishery Management Council (PFMC) acted unanimously to recommend a full closure of California’s commercial and recreational ocean salmon season. Options put forward by the PFMC last month for public review, which were developed by industry representatives, all proposed closure of both commercial and sport ocean salmon fisheries off California. This action follows recent projections showing Chinook salmon abundance off California is at historic lows.

After reviewing the Council’s recommendation, it is expected that the National Marine Fisheries Service will take regulatory action to enact the closure, effective in mid-May. In addition, the California Fish and Game Commission will consider whether to adopt a closure of inland salmon fisheries at its teleconference on May 17.

“This decision, while difficult, is intended to allow salmon to recover in order to provide future fishing opportunities, said California Department of Fish and Wildlife Director Charlton H. Bonham. “Salmon are an iconic species in California. We treasure them for their intrinsic, cultural, recreational and commercial values. The state is committed to ensuring long-term survival of our salmon runs and supporting our struggling fishing communities. We are looking into all possible options to bring relief as soon as possible to fishing businesses to addresses costs incurred to maintain their commercial licenses and lost revenue when the season is entirely closed.”

Prolonged and historic 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 ocean abundance forecasts, coupled with low 2022 returns, led the PFMC to recommend full closure of California’s commercial and recreational ocean salmon fisheries.

In part, the low returns and abundance forecasts are due to difficult environmental factors faced by these salmon on their initial journey out to the ocean three years ago. Following a drought sequence, the 2016-2017 Sacramento and San Joaquin numbers were less than 135,000 returning fall-run Chinook. Three years later, after rains, it was over 200,000. Similar rebounds happened after 2010 had above average rainfall. Salmon returns three years later more than doubled from around 163,000 to around 448,000. These patterns indicate that salmon returning three years from now will benefit from the ample precipitation California has experienced this year.

“This closure is painful,” said Director Bonham. “We deeply appreciate the fishing community in California voicing support for this serious step to help these stocks recover. We have worked with our commercial and recreational partners over the years to rebuild other fisheries following closures and now some of those, like some groundfish populations, are providing opportunities for fishing for the first time in years.”

More information regarding the PFMC actions can be found on the PFMC website at www.pcouncil.org.

Following the PFMC’s recommendation of a full closure, Governor Gavin Newsom announced his administration’s request for a Federal Fishery Disaster Declaration to support impacted communities. Read Gov. Newsom’s news release.