SANTA CRUZ — Slowly but surely, wild salmon are popping back up on area menus..

To local foodies, May means the arrival of wild salmon to the markets and restaurant tables encircling the Monterey Bay. The bad news is, despite predictions of a strong 2015 season, recreational and commercial fishermen are so far reporting catches far below average.

In fact, the commercial season has been so slow that some area boats have ventured as far north as Fort Bragg to catch fish, he said.

Regardless of the slow start, most remain optimistic that the chinook, or king salmon, will begin biting in earnest soon.

“The prediction for the season was good, but you need the bait, water clarity and the wind to all cooperate. And even when those things come together, it doesn’t always happen,” Schell said. “The season will come around. The salmon don’t always have the same calendar we have, that’s all.”

Keith Dillon, a fishmonger at H&H Fresh Fish at the harbor, agreed.

“It’s coming in slowly, but that’s not necessarily unusual for this time of year,” he said.

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