Support for LAist comes from
We Explain L.A.
Stay Connected

Share This

This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.

This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.

Food

The King Is Back: Local Salmon Shortage May Be Over

salmon_shutterstock.jpg
Salmon via Shutterstock
Support your source for local news!
Today, put a dollar value on the trustworthy reporting you rely on all year long. The local news you read here every day is crafted for you, but right now, we need your help to keep it going. In these uncertain times, your support is even more important. We can't hold those in power accountable and uplift voices from the community without your partnership. Thank you.

Good news for seafood lovers -- after years of waiting, the local salmon recession may have ended.

Salmon season opened May 1, and according to the Los Angeles Times, initial reports look promising that the king of salmon, chinook, is making a comeback.

Local fisheries bring in 5 to 7 million pounds of king salmon in a good year. This year's catch should total almost 3 million pounds, according to the California Salmon Council. In the past two years, there was a very limited supply, and back in 2008 and 2009, salmon season was called off entirely due to the severe shortage.

Low catches were attributed to water diversions from rivers that produce salmon and ocean conditions that reduced the amount of kill, which salmon eat.

Support for LAist comes from

Salmon is the third-most popular seafood in the U.S., after shrimp and canned tuna, and about 600 million pounds are consumed annually, according to Smithsonian Magazine. Unlike the more common Atlantic salmon raised in fish farms, California's coast is where king salmon is caught, the fancy kind served as steaks, not in cans.

Most Read