Watch CBS News

Bay Area Salmon Fishermen Excited Over Full Season

SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS) - This could be California's first full salmon fishing season in five years, after new projections from the State Department of Fish and Game show a tripling of the salmon population.

Last year, fishermen got only eight days in July to catch salmon. The two years before that they had none, and the two years before that were bad seasons. This could be the year they've been waiting for.

KCBS' Holly Quan Reports:

Fish and Game spokesman Harry Morse said the department is projecting over 700,000 salmon in coastal waters.

"That's extremely good news, because last year that same number was at about 245,000," said Morse. "This means that when we go forward in this process of setting seasons, we should see some good historical levels of seasons. That means there's going to be some fishing."

It's a relief for long-time Half Moon Bay fisherman Duncan McClean who said it's still going to be expensive to take the boat out.

"It's going to be tough as it is now that fuel is up to $4.13, but at least we'll have the opportunity to try," said McClean.

The Pacific Fishery Management Council meets next week to determine the length of this year's season which traditionally starts in May.

(© 2011 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.