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Dear Fisheries Friend,
Excitement is building on the water as we head into May, with the commercial salmon season reopening for the first time in more than three years. While there’s still some uncertainty about how the season will unfold and what it will mean for fish stocks in the long term, there’s a shared understanding that salmon are a precious resource - one that deserves both celebration and careful stewardship. In the article below, Mark C Anderson takes a closer look at how the season may play out and the reactions from fishermen as they return to the water.
Here’s what else is on the menu:
• Salmon Season is Back; Let's not get too carried away...
• Get Hooked Dinner - MOWMP (Pacific Grove, June 19th)
• Director's Corner
• Recipe - Salmon Fillet with Snap Peas & Lemony Crème Fraîch
| | Salmon Season Is Back; Let's Not Get Too Carried Away • 2026 Season Update | | |
Salmon fishermen and fishery experts are finding it hard to sleep, for very different reasons.
On his boat in the Moss Landing Harbor, Mike Burns was tossing and turning last week because he couldn’t wait to get on the water for the first salmon season in three years, which started in short spurts Friday, May 1.
“I’m really wired,” he says. “It will be difficult to sleep the last few nights before the season.”
Near the Santa Rosa, California, headquarters for the Golden State Salmon Association, Executive Director Vance Staplin is losing sleep over what he views—fairly—as a misrepresentation of salmon reality.
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Our next Get Hooked dinner is a standout in the series - and especially meaningful for our Community Seafood Program.
On June 19, we’ll gather at Meals on Wheels of the Monterey Peninsula (MOWMP) in Pacific Grove, one of our key food relief partners.
Through this partnership, local seafood reaches community members who need it most, connecting fishermen directly to local plates in a powerful way.
Join us to celebrate local seafood, the people who harvest it, and the community it helps nourish.
| | These dinners directly benefit the Community Seafood Program, ensuring each dish supports both our local fishing families and community food access. | | A special thank you to our dinner series sponsors! | | | | |
Bay Federal Credit Union
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A Monthly Digest from
Executive Director Melissa Mahoney
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Another month has flown by, full of exciting news, fun events, and birthday celebrations.
On April 7th, we participated in the Monterey Union Football Club’s ‘831 night’ benefiting local non-profit organizations. No goals were scored on the field, but our team and supporters had a ton of fun that evening.
We also saw the start of the recreational salmon season, and anxiously awaited decisions on the commercial season, which has been closed since 2023. The Pacific Fisheries Management Council (PFMC), the regional body that manages our salmon fishery and others, recommended a limited season, with a limit on the number of fish allowed for each region and specific open dates starting in May.
| | Word on the docks could be described as mildly excited, “It’s not enough to make me whole, but at least we get to go scratch and enjoy the prospect of catching a few kings in Monterey Bay,” said one local fisherman I spoke with recently. | |
Salmon Fillet with Snap Peas
& Lemony Crème Fraîch
| | With salmon season kicking off this month, celebrate with this recipe that lets the flavor of these beautiful fish shine, with a sauce that compliments the fatty meat and peas which have a natural sweetness that aids in contributing a lot of flavor to the dish. This recipe is courtesy of our friends at Real Good Fish. | | Thank You to Our Generous Donors | | Thank you to the Monterey Beach Hotel's Bastiaan de Winter, Chef Jason Balestreiri, and the whole team for hosting a wonderful Get Hooked Dinner on April 17th and donating a night's stay at the hotel to our raffle. We also extend our thanks to Walter Deyerle of Sea Harvest and Rick Richards of Al & Friends for joining us and speaking on behalf of our Community Seafood Program partnerships, as well as to our generous sponsors, the Monterey Bay Aquarium, Montage Health, and Bay Federal Credit Union, and our additional raffle donors, Princess Monterey Whale Watching and artist Amadeo Bachar. We appreciate all who joined us—your support strengthens sustainable local fisheries and our Community Seafood Program. Lastly, we truly appreciate the grant received from the Nancy Jane Bletzer Fund for Animal Welfare of the Community Foundation for Monterey County and our continued partnership with the foundation. | | | | |
