Up until 2014, the Amur River salmon season started in summer and ran through mid-October. But in 2013, flooding harmed spawning grounds and caused a significant decrease in stocks, pushing the season later into the year. Since 2014, the season has begun in late August and run through mid-October.

Since the flooding, salmon returns in the region have been dismal as the population of chum salmon – the main species caught in the river – nosedived. In 2021, the season was one of the worst on record, with a projection of 13,000 metric tons (MT) of salmon – much lower than previous years – proving to be optimistic when harvesters only caught 5,700 MT, leaving many local fishermen jobless and indigenous people without fish used for nutrition throughout the year.