CDFW News

Lower Klamath River Quota Met

Fri, 11 Sep 2026 09:35:55 GMT

Based upon California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) projections of the recreational fall-run Chinook Salmon catch on the Klamath River, anglers will have met the Lower Klamath River adult fall-run Chinook salmon quota below the Highway 96 Bridge near Weitchpec for the 2026 season as of 11:59 p.m. Sunday, September 13.

This triggers the closure of the adult Chinook salmon fishery on the main stem of the Klamath River from the Highway 96 Bridge to the mouth of the Klamath River at the Pacific Ocean. The fishery at the mouth of the Klamath closed Wednesday, Sept. 2 and will remain closed to all fishing for the rest of the calendar year. The rest of the lower main stem of the Klamath River below the Highway 96 Bridge at Weitchpec will remain open to the harvest of jack (2-year-old) Chinook salmon (less than or equal to 23 inches). All adult Chinook salmon caught must be immediately released.

Anglers may still fish for adult Chinook salmon in other reaches of the Klamath Basin, including the main stem of the Klamath River above Weitchpec and the entire Trinity River until the closure of those fisheries.

Anglers may monitor the quota status of open and closed sections of the Klamath and Trinity rivers by calling CDFW’s information hotline at (800) 564-6479. Learn more about the fishing quotas on the Klamath River (Video)(external link).

Additionally, CDFW reminds anglers targeting salmon in the Klamath and Trinity rivers that they must be in possession of a 2026 North Coast Salmon Report Card. Anglers are required to begin filling out their card at the start of fishing and record harvest and release in real-time.

For more information regarding Klamath River fishing regulations, please consult the 2026 California Freshwater Sport Fishing Regulations at: https://wildlife.ca.gov/Regulations#fresh-regs.

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Media Contacts:
Dan Troxel, CDFW Klamath River Project, (707) 822-0330
Peter Tira, CDFW Communications, (916) 215-3858

CDFW Announces Angling Closure at the Mouth of the Klamath River

Fri, 28 Aug 2026 17:15:53 GMT

The spit fishery at the mouth of the Klamath River will be closed to angling at 11:59 p.m. on Wednesday, September 2. Based on California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) projections of the recreational fall-run Chinook Salmon harvest, anglers will have met the “spit area” adult fall-run Chinook salmon quota of 15 percent of the total Klamath River Basin recreational allocation of fish caught below the Highway 101 bridge.

Meeting the quota triggers the closure of the spit fishery at the mouth of the Klamath River, within 100 yards of the channel through the sand spit formed at the Klamath River mouth. The spit area is downstream of the Highway 101 bridge located near the town of Klamath. Recreational fishing in this area will remain closed for the remainder of the 2026 season.

Anglers may keep track of the quota status of open and closed sections of the Klamath and Trinity rivers by calling the information hotline at (800) 564-6479. Learn more about the fishing quotas on the Klamath River (Video).

Additionally, CDFW reminds anglers targeting salmon in the Klamath and Trinity Rivers that they must be in possession of a 2026 North Coast Salmon Report Card. Anglers are required to begin filling out their card at the start of fishing and record harvest and release in real-time.

For more information regarding Klamath River fishing regulations, please consult the 2026 California Freshwater Sport Fishing Regulations at: https://wildlife.ca.gov/Regulations#fresh-regs.

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Media Contacts:
Dan Troxel, CDFW Klamath River Project, (707) 492-0611
Peter Tira, CDFW Communications, (916) 322-8908

Jason Roberts Named Regional Manager for CDFW’s Northern Region

Thu, 09 Jul 2026 09:09:08 GMT

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) has named Jason Roberts as the new Regional Manager for its Northern Region.

Roberts has more than two decades of experience with CDFW as a fisheries biologist, supervisor, program manager, policy expert and tribal liaison. He joined CDFW’s Northern Region in 2014 and, among other assignments, managed CDFW’s Upper Sacramento River Basin fisheries efforts and most recently served as Inland Fisheries Program Manager.

Roberts was instrumental in two of CDFW’s most ambitious initiatives to help restore north state Chinook salmon populations: The pilot program with the Winnemem Wintu Tribe and federal partners to return endangered, winter-run Chinook salmon to their historic spawning and rearing grounds in the McCloud River above the Shasta Dam and the removal of four California dams on the Klamath River, the largest dam removal effort in world history.

“Jason’s leadership, deep technical knowledge and steady approach to complex challenges have made him an invaluable part of our Northern Region,” said CDFW Director Meghan Hertel. “His experience and longstanding relationships across the department and in our northernmost communities will serve him and all of us well in this new role.”

Headquartered in Redding, CDFW’s Northern Region encompasses nine counties in northern California: Del Norte, Humbold, Lassen, Mendocino, Modoc, Shasta, Siskiyou, Tehama and Trinity. Roberts replaces Tina Bartlett, who retired earlier this year.

Roberts was born and raised in Yuba City, Calif., and earned a bachelor’s degree in biological conservation from California State University, Sacramento. He joined CDFW in 2004 as a Scientific Aid.

Roberts lives in Redding with his wife and two sons. Away from work, he enjoys coaching youth soccer, fishing, camping and water sports with his family, particularly on Shasta Reservoir and Whiskeytown Lake.

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Media Contact:
Alicia de la Garza, CDFW Communications, (916) 754-7237

Chinook Fishing to Reopen on Klamath, Trinity and Sacramento Rivers After 3-Year Closure

Tue, 12 May 2026 16:02:59 GMT

Following three consecutive years of closure, salmon fishing will return to the Klamath River Basin and Sacramento River for the upcoming summer and fall seasons. More good news comes for inland anglers with a full season on the Feather, American and Mokelumne rivers after a shortened season in 2025. These added fishing opportunities come as a result of an increase in numbers of adult Chinook salmon returning from the ocean to the Klamath Basin and Central Valley.

The California Fish and Game Commission at its May 6 meeting adopted amendments to sport fishing regulations specifying season dates, bag and possession limits for the Klamath River Basin and Central Valley, and a quota for the Klamath and Trinity rivers. The adopted regulations aim to protect salmon as populations are expected to continue to rebound as a result of actions guided by California's Salmon Strategy for a Hotter Drier Future (PDF).

“The California Department of Fish and Wildlife is incredibly encouraged to see our public and private collaborative efforts pay off, allowing us to expand opportunities for California’s dedicated angling community while maintaining a steadfast commitment to long-term population recovery,” said CDFW Director Meghan Hertel. “It is a moment of genuine celebration for everyone invested in the health of our watersheds. CDFW looks forward to seeing anglers return to the Klamath Basin and Central Valley for fishing and fun on the river.”

Increases in hatchery production, investments in salmon research and habitat restoration projects, a series of good water years, dam removals and inland and ocean fishery closures have all aligned to bring Chinook and with that, Chinook fishing, back to the Klamath River Basin and Central Valley.

For the Klamath Basin, fishing will open for late spring-run Chinook salmon July 1 and will continue until Aug. 14 on the Klamath River and Aug. 31 on the Trinity River. Fall-run Chinook salmon fishing will begin on Aug. 15 on the Klamath River and Sept. 1 on the Trinity River and continue until Dec. 31. The fall-run adult quota is 3,248 fish, though fishing for jacks will continue after the adult quota is met. For the late spring-run salmon fishery, the daily bag limit is one fish of any size and the possession limit is two fish. For the fall-run salmon fishery, the daily bag limit is two fish, only one of which can be an adult greater than 23 inches; the possession limit is six fish, of which only three may be adults greater than 23 inches.

For the Central Valley, the general fall-run salmon fishing season will open on July 16 and close on Dec. 16, with some variation for upper and lower stretches of the rivers. For each tributary a daily bag limit of two fish and a possession limit of four fish of any size has been set.

All regulations, season dates and boundaries will be printed in the Freshwater Sport Fishing Regulations (PDF) when available.

The Pacific Fishery Management Council finalized its recommendations for California’s recreational and commercial ocean salmon seasons and harvest limits at its April 7-12 meeting. For more information about the 2026 ocean salmon fishing season, see the press release.

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Media Contacts:
Krysten Kellum, CDFW Communications, (916) 825-7120
Sheena Holley, CDFW Fisheries Branch

‘Salmon Everywhere’ One Year After Klamath Dam Removal

Tue, 18 Nov 2025 11:55:30 GMT

A little more than a year after the historic removal of four hydroelectric dams on the Klamath River, California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) scientists are seeing salmon reoccupying just about every corner of their historic habitat.

“The speed at which salmon are repopulating every nook and cranny of suitable habitat upstream of the dams in the Klamath Basin is both remarkable and thrilling,” said Michael Harris, Environmental Program Manager of CDFW’s Klamath Watershed Program. “There are salmon everywhere on the landscape right now, and it’s invigorating our work.”

While adult returns of salmon are ongoing and final estimates won’t be available until January, initial reports indicate a stronger fall-run Chinook salmon return than last year with widespread dispersal of the fish. Recent signs of salmon recovery throughout the Klamath Basin include:

The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife and Klamath Tribes report seeing widespread salmon spawning within the Oregon portion of the Klamath River, including within multiple tributaries upstream of Klamath Lake where salmon haven’t been seen in more than century.

Fish-counting stations on newly accessible tributaries within the former reservoir footprints in California have recorded 208 adult Chinook salmon in Jenny Creek and 260 adult Chinook salmon in Shovel Creek to date. While multiple state and federal agencies, Tribes and non-governmental organizations are monitoring salmon throughout the Klamath Basin, CDFW is particularly focused on monitoring these newly accessible tributaries. CDFW field crews are surveying regularly for salmon nests and adult fish.

CDFW snorkel crews this summer documented juvenile salmon and/or steelhead occupying nearly all of the newly accessible tributaries in the reservoir footprints. In Fall Creek, one of the newly accessible tributaries upstream of the former Iron Gate Dam location, approximately 65,000 wild juvenile Chinook salmon were counted.

CDFW’s Fall Creek Fish Hatchery, a $35 million state-of-the-art facility in its second year of operation, began spawning returning fall-run Chinook salmon in mid-October. To date, the hatchery has spawned 416 female fish and collected roughly 1.27 million eggs – four times the number of salmon spawned this time last year. More than 1,200 Chinook salmon have entered the hatchery so far.

Temperature monitoring in 2024 and 2025 along the mainstem Klamath River following the removal of the four dams reveals the return of natural, seasonal fluctuations of water temperatures benefiting salmon. Post-dam removal water temperatures are cooling sooner in the fall when adult fall-run Chinook salmon are returning and need that cool water most followed by warming temperatures in the spring when juvenile salmon are rearing and out-migrating to the ocean.

Scientists are seeing a lower prevalence of Ceratonova shasta – or C. shasta – a parasite that plagued juvenile salmon prior to dam removal. Harmful algal blooms in the Klamath River are smaller now and less frequent since dam removal.

A primary goal of Klamath River dam removal was the reestablishment of viable, wild, self-sustaining populations of salmon and other anadromous fish species for conservation, for their ecological benefits, and to enhance Tribal, commercial and recreational fisheries.

To that end, CDFW has invested more than $30 million to support fish habitat restoration projects within the Klamath Basin. These investments include:

$20 million in grants awarded to 10 projects within the Scott and Shasta rivers and watersheds, crucial salmon strongholds within the Klamath Basin. These projects, which include improved fish passage and post-McKinney Fire restoration, were developed in collaboration with and in support of local Tribes, ranchers, farmers and nonprofit fish conservation organizations.

A $130,000 grant to Trout Unlimited to remove a manmade concrete barrier on Jenny Creek to reopen approximately one mile of additional salmon and steelhead spawning and rearing habitat.

A $1.4 million grant to Trout Unlimited to install buffer fencing around the Iron Gate and Copco I reservoir footprints. The fencing will protect approximately 3,235 acres of riparian habitat within the reservoir footprints, support restoration plantings and reduce erosion that negatively impacts water quality and salmon and steelhead populations.

A $582,915 grant to the Klamath River Renewal Corporation (KRRC) to develop new public access and a recreational boating launch facility in the Copco Valley, site of the former Copco Lake reservoir, to provide new public access to the restored Klamath River for boating, fishing and other recreation.

The historic Klamath River dam removal project was a key milestone of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s Salmon Strategy for a Hotter, Drier Future, introduced in 2024 to chart important priorities and actions needed to support California’s struggling salmon populations.

Photo: CDFW scientists survey a Klamath River tributary looking for salmon carcasses and salmon nests.

Media Contacts:
Michael Harris, CDFW Northern Region, (530) 410-5334  
Peter Tira, CDFW Communications, (916) 215-3858

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