State Advances $10M Salmon Strategy, Announces 2026 Funding
TL/DR –
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) has picked 16 projects to receive over $10 million in grants for the restoration, enhancement, and protection of salmon and steelhead habitats. This funding is part of Governor Gavin Newsom’s comprehensive strategy to revive California’s salmon population. The selected projects include removing fish passage barriers, hosting annual Salmonid Restoration Conferences to educate stakeholders on habitat restoration techniques, and implementing various habitat restoration strategies across California.
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California Fish and Wildlife Awards $10 Million in Grants for Salmon Habitat Restoration
In accordance with Governor Gavin Newsom’s plans for salmon revitalization, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) is financing 16 initiatives aimed at protecting, enhancing, and restoring salmon and steelhead habitats in Californian watersheds. Totaling over $10 million, these grant awards play a key role in the strategy to restore and rebuild the state’s salmon population.
The Fisheries Restoration Grant Program (FRGP), established in 1981 and since 2000, has been supporting these projects with funds from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery Fund, Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, and Inflation Reduction Act. These financial resources aim to support the resilience, conservation, and recovery of Pacific salmon and steelhead across California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and Alaska.
These initiatives support the objectives set out in the California Salmon Strategy for Hotter, Drier Future. The outlined actions form a blueprint for the state to improve the health of salmon habitats and devise scientifically sound management practices that will prepare for future challenges.
Natural Resources Secretary Wade Crowfoot stated, “These investments are another step forward to help California salmon. The projects we’re funding will improve the health of creeks and rivers across the state, which will help salmon survive through climate change and benefit all who depend on health salmon fisheries. I’m proud of this progress, with much more work ahead.”
Among the funded initiatives, three barriers obstructing fish passage in coastal streams will be removed to open up over 7 miles of previously inaccessible river habitat. This effort directly supports the Salmon Strategy. The FRGP will continue to fund annual Salmonid Restoration Conferences in 2027 and 2028, offering technical education workshops to various stakeholders to further contribute to the protection and restoration of the salmon and steelhead population.
Among the 16 funded projects, the South Yuba River Citizens League received a grant of $1,817,011 for the Upper Long Bar Salmonid Rearing Habitat Restoration Project. This initiative will restore eight acres on the Yuba River to improve habitat for the juvenile phase of Chinook salmon and steelhead in the California Central Valley. Trout Unlimited was granted $717,463 for the Chamberlain Creek Instream Habitat Enhancement Project, which seeks to improve the stream environment for Coho salmon and steelhead trout.
Trout Unlimited North Coast Coho Project Manager, Nicole Herrera, expressed the organization’s excitement about partnering with Jackson Demonstration State Forest on Chamberlain Creek’s salmon restoration effort. CDFW Acting Director Valerie Termini also highlighted the effectiveness of the Salmon Strategy, stating, “We continue to see salmon and steelhead return to many California rivers and streams where they have not been seen in decades.”
In response to the 2025 FRGP solicitation, CDFW received 53 proposals requesting over $49 million in funding. These proposals underwent a rigorous technical review process involving experts from CDFW and NOAA. For more information and a full list of FRGP-awarded projects, visit the FRGP’s funded project summaries webpage.
The FRGP is now accepting concept proposals for the 2026 grant solicitation. Proposals can be submitted via the CDFW WebGrants Portal until March 2, 2026. CDFW will be hosting an online public workshop on Feb. 4, 2026, to provide an overview of the solicitation. For more information, visit the FRGP solicitation page.
The funded projects aim to remove fish migration barriers, restore riparian habitats, reverse wildfire impacts on rivers, and create a more resilient water resources system capable of withstanding drought conditions. These objectives align with the California Water Resilience Portfolio, State Wildlife Action Plan (SWAP), California’s Salmon Strategy for a Hotter, Drier Future, and the mission of CDFW.
For media inquiries, please contact Matt Wells, Watershed Restoration Grants Branch, (916) 216-7848 or Steve Gonzalez, CDFW Communications, (916) 804-1714.
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