The original article can be found here: http://www.sfgate.com/science/article/High-expectations-as-salmon-season-opens-5446695.php?cmpid=hp-hc-bayarea

By Kurtis Alexander

Dozens of fishing boats dropped lines into calm waters along the California coast Thursday in hopes of bringing the year's first locally caught salmon to market by the weekend.

The state's celebrated commercial salmon season arrived Thursday morning amid high expectations. Preliminary fish counts this year have been relatively strong, and sport fishermen, whose season started last month, have reported decent catches so far.

There was also the customary optimism that marks opening day.

While initial word from the Monterey Bay to the Farallon Islands was that early morning fishing was slow, seafarers noted that it was only the beginning of a long season.

"There's a lot of ocean to cover. The boats will be looking around, and they'll start finding fish soon," said Bill Dawson, owner of San Francisco's Seafood Suppliers Inc. at Pier 33, who is waiting for fresh salmon to deliver to local restaurants. "I think we'll have a good year."

The success of the salmon season is tough to forecast. The chinook or king salmon, which once thrived on the West Coast, has dwindled in population with the expansion of dams and increased water pollution. The fishery's numbers have begun to increase, but a rebound remains dicey.

The National Marine Fisheries Service estimated in February that 634,650 chinook salmon from the Sacramento River system were at sea, a slightly smaller number than last year, but far greater than the numbers in 2008 and 2009, when commercial salmon fishing was shut down.

The Sacramento River is the backbone of the state's salmon catch.

"We're hopeful that we're back to some better abundance years," said Michael O'Farrell, a biologist with the National Marine Fisheries Service. "But we know that salmon populations fluctuate quite a bit, and there's no telling where it's going to go in the future."

The drought has raised additional concerns. Low flows in rivers where salmon breed have prevented juveniles from swimming downstream. In some parts of California, state wildlife officials have begun trucking thousands of smolts to sea - fish that would otherwise perish in dried-up creek beds.

O'Farrell said the fate of the young fish, which aren't harvestable until they're at least 3 years old, wouldn't affect salmon fishing for another few years.

The commercial fishing season runs until August, September or October, depending on the location.

Larry Collins, a longtime fisherman and president of the San Francisco Community Fishing Association, said Thursday he was still waiting to hear from boats that had left from city piers for multiday trips at sea. But he was confident they would be back this weekend with plenty of salmon.

"We're anticipating firing up the barbie and having that first delectable king on Monday," he said.

Kurtis Alexander is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail:kalexander@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @kurtisalexander