Tuesday June 9, 2026
Active NorCal —
A coalition of recreational anglers, commercial fishermen, tribal members and conservation groups has been sounding the alarm on West Coast salmon for years. The alarm is still ringing.
The SalmonAid movement, which brings together stakeholders from across California and the Pacific Northwest, continues to push for fish restoration on the Klamath, Sacramento, Columbia and other West Coast rivers. The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization highlighted the effort, noting that the coalition has drawn attention to what it calls an ongoing salmon fisheries disaster driven by excessive water diversions, habitat loss and climate change.
The timing could not be more relevant. California just reopened commercial and recreational salmon fishing after three consecutive years of closures that devastated fishing families, charter businesses, tackle shops and coastal communities. The Klamath River opens July 1 for the first time since 2022. Biologists are projecting 250,000 to 300,000 Chinook returning to the Sacramento River system this year.