There Could Be More Salmon Rolls in California's Future

Hey, Californians: We see you. We see you, LA denizens, taking a soul-affirming hike in Topanga, your green juice in one hand and your Labradoodle's leash in the other. We see you, San Franciscans, chowing down on cheap, monstrous Mission burritos and then just hangin' in Dolores Park, opening a bottle of wine, passing out plastic cups to your friends, and drinking in public like it ain't no thang. Over here on the East Coast, we're being buried under this winter's 1,019th snowstorm, and your West Coast life sure looks appealing. But admit it, Californians: in spite of your temperate climate and your access to good Mexican food, you've been feeling a little off lately, perhaps a little—guilty?

You're stabbed by a pang of regret every time you pick up the phone and order a spicy salmon roll for lunch—right?—and even when you dine out at your favorite white-tablecloth, farm-to-table restaurant, selecting the seared wild salmon entree and then eating your feelings when it arrives. And that's because you're a well-informed person. You've read the news, and you know that along with farmers, ranchers, and weed growers, salmon in your state are suffering the effects of the crippling drought that's gripped California since 2013. Their population has plummeted, even forcing a cessation to all salmon fishing in 2008 and 2009, and fisheries experts across the state have been searching for ways to save the fish, even encouraging beavers to build dams in an effort to trap water and recreate historical water distribution patterns. You've been chowing down on one of your state's most delicious natural resources, but you haven't been feeling good about it.

But today, salmon lovers, you have reason to rejoice. Because according to today's LA Times, the annual forecast for California's salmon fishery is slightly bigger than last year's, up to 650,000 from 2014's 630,000. The forecast is just what it sounds like—a prediction, based on on biologists' data—but those biologists say they have reason to believe that, against all odds, the fish population is rebounding.

Part of the reason for the fish's resurgence is due to human intervention. In January, the Times reports, the US Fish and Wildlife Service released a huge number of stocked juvenile salmon into California waterways after an estimated 95 percent of wild salmon eggs died in the heat and shallows of the state's drought-afflicted rivers and streams. Biologists hope that the fish will soon head out to sea.

"There's a pretty good chance we'll see that in the future, maybe as early as next year," Michael O'Farrell, a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration research fisheries biologist, told the Times.

Mature salmon return to the rivers and streams where they were born (or, in this case, released) to spawn, strengthening future populations of fish and therefore increasing the number of individuals eligible for your plate. So come May, when fishing season opens and stores and restaurants replenish their stocks of fresh-caught wild salmon, why not go to town? Forget that vegan spot everyone's been telling you about, and hit up your favorite seafood restaurant—guilt trip-free.