When Captain James Cook found the Columbia River, so began the change in salmon habitat on the west coast. Soon after, in 1818, the harvesting of Chinook salmon on the Columbia River begins.
In the late 1800s, hatcheries were built in California and Oregon to better propagate the species. This was followed, however, by the closing of numerous fisheries throughout the 1900s in an effort to protect stocks.
Today, California King Salmon is carefully managed and sustainable, and much effort is being put into further enhancing the stocks.