Gov. Gavin Newsom promised to help a Native tribe restore sacred salmon to their ancestral river. Now, California is ending the funding. The fish made it back to their ancestral waters for the first time in 80 years — so why is the state walking away now?
salmon fishing
Posted inFood & Drink
After years of closure, California salmon fishing set to reopen this spring — with tight limits
After several years of closures due to low populations, California will reopen limited commercial and recreational salmon fishing this spring as stocks rebound. Local fishers welcome the return but say the short, highly restricted season might not be enough to revive the struggling fleet.
Posted inLatest News
Salmon survival: Betting on the right fish
By studying salmon bones, scientists have uncovered that for thousands of years, Chinook salmon returned to California rivers at a range of ages. Today, habitat loss, overharvesting and conventional hatcheries have narrowed the age diversity of returning fish, a critical factor in efforts to save the species in Santa Cruz County and beyond. They are working with tribal partners to restore that diversity, protecting wild stocks and the rhythms that keep rivers alive.
Posted inLatest News
Holding the line: What’s happening with salmon in Santa Cruz County
Santa Cruz County’s salmon population faces a variety of threats, but scientists and habitat restoration groups point to the fish’s resilience, bolstered by decades of monitoring and an expanding web of restoration efforts.
Posted inFood & Drink
California’s long-awaited salmon season closes early after anglers exceed quota
After a successful opening weekend exceeded the season limit, California’s salmon spot-fishing days in July and August have been canceled.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Why a contentious project to raise California’s Shasta Dam could move forward under Trump
Enlarging the Shasta Dam would deliver more Sacramento River water to Central Valley farmers, but the Winnemem Wintu tribe could lose sacred sites, and endangered salmon could lose habitat in wet years.
Posted inRecreation & Sports
California salmon season canceled for third year in a row, but will open for limited recreational dates
For the third year in a row, California’s commercial salmon fishing season has been canceled due to critically low fish stocks, dealing another major blow to the state’s struggling fishing industry. While commercial boats remain docked, limited recreational salmon fishing will be allowed statewide on select dates this summer and fall.
Posted inBusiness & Technology
A ‘perfect storm’ of environmental and political issues is driving Santa Cruz fishers out of the water
Santa Cruz County’s fishing industry is in crisis. For generations, local fishers have relied on catching Dungeness crab in the fall and winter and Chinook salmon in the spring and summer. But over the past nine years, a “perfect storm” of environmental challenges, promised disaster relief that has failed to surface and few viable solutions for the future is forcing boats out of the water.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
‘No way, not possible’: California has a plan for new water rules. Will it save salmon from extinction?
Growers and cities support the Newsom administration proposal, saying it strikes a balance for uses of Delta water. But environmentalists say the “healthy rivers” rules would actually harm California’s iconic salmon.
Posted inFood & Drink
When it comes to seafood, what does ‘local and sustainable’ really mean?
More Santa Cruz County restaurants are focusing on sourcing “sustainable” and “local” seafood, but while the shift toward environmental consciousness is a good thing for the ocean and for diners, these terms are nebulous. Local industry experts and chefs weigh in on how they define sustainable seafood, give suggestions on what to look for on restaurant menus and outline the challenges to using locally caught fish.