Tuesday May 12, 2026
Active NorCal —
Salmon runs across Northern California are showing the strongest signs of recovery in years, and the rebound is happening across multiple river systems at the same time.
After three consecutive years of fishing closures, the comeback did not happen on its own. It is the result of a coordinated effort across hatcheries, rivers and watersheds that has been building for years.
Hatchery production has been a major piece. CDFW ramped up output at facilities across the region, including the Feather River Fish Hatchery in Oroville, which released roughly 1.5 million spring-run and 1.16 million fall-run Chinook salmon into the Feather River this spring alone. Another 129,000 fingerlings were stocked directly into Lake Oroville in April to support inland recreational fishing. The increased production put more young fish into river systems at a time when conditions were favorable for survival.
But hatcheries alone are not enough. Habitat restoration has been equally critical across Northern California’s waterways. Near Redding, crews have been sinking structures called “rockwads,” built from almond trees and five-ton boulders, into the Sacramento River to create underwater shelter where juvenile salmon can rest, feed and hide from predators before migrating to the ocean. Underwater cameras showed small fish moving in almost immediately after the first installations.