The salmon fishery faces an uncertain future, as do we all. Apart from changes in ocean regime and climate which are beyond human control, many human factors must be considered: the attitudes of regulatory agencies toward the fishery, the interest and perseverance of those who would protect the resource, and most important, the fundamental attitudes of society towards natural resources and the way we use them. The regulatory climate for ocean salmon fisheries may be stabilizing. With the commercial fishery concentrated below Pt. Arena and apparently successfully targeting Sacramento fall-run chinook while avoiding Klamath fall run, coastal fall chinook, winter run, and coho, the regulatory agencies may be content to leave this remnant fishery more or less alone while monitoring it closely. The Klamath Basin and smaller coastal streams occasionally produce an outstanding run of naturally-spawned chinook or coho salmon, giving reason to hope that, with good rainfall and ocean conditions, our rivers are not yet totally ruined for salmon and may be restorable. With over 33 million people living in California, it’s pretty remarkable that we have the best salmon fisheries remaining south of Alaska. It’s even more amazing considering that most of the salmon supplying those fisheries pass through the middle of one the nation’s largest urban areas. But if we had to rely on naturally produced fish alone, we would have tiny token fisheries at best – in spite of all the work supported by the Stamp Committee and the hundreds of millions of other state and federal dollars that have been invested in salmon recovery. Since few if any salmon fishermen, let alone biologists, think hatcheries are the long-term answer for all river systems or for the future survival of salmon, it’s clear that a whole lot of work remains to be done. Fishermen thought that many of the long-term reforms in water management policy they have fought for would be achieved with passage of the Central Valley Project Improvement Act, through the Calfed process, and under the Endangered Species Act, especially with the listing of winter-run salmon. Indeed, much of the public money invested in salmon recovery in the Central Valley appears to have been well-spent. Winter run and spring run spawning numbers have been increasing steadily and sometimes dramatically in recent years. Attitudes towards salmon in the Central Valley have changed for the better. Who would have thought we’d see the water contractors and Metropolitan Water District joining fishermen to open up habitat in Battle Creek and other streams for winter- and spring-run chinook? But we are just embarking on a long and difficult political and social voyage. If salmon, and salmon fishermen, are to have a future in California, we must continue to struggle along the path that Nat Bingham first among many others has shown us. Great perseverance will be required, and nothing worthwhile will be achieved without effort. Although the fishery faces a totally uncertain future, the commitment of the salmon fishing industry and the Stamp Program to restore California’s magnificent salmon resources remains firm. “We can bring back the salmon and with your help we will.” (Nat Bingham, Commercial Salmon Stamp Committee chairman, speaking to President Clinton, April 1993.)