Thursday April 18, 2024
KLCC —
Recommendations for the ocean salmon seasons off the coasts of Oregon, California and Washington were made last week with some OK news for some fishermen and devastating news for those in California.
Once again.
The Pacific Fishery Management Council — which oversees fishing along the West Coast — voted unanimously Wednesday to once again shut California’s commercial and recreational chinook salmon fisheries through the end of the year. Its recommendations are similar to those made in 2023, which was the first time such a closure occurred in 14 years.
The council based its decision on previous low water levels and high temperatures in rivers where salmon spawn, and with scientists saying the poor river and ocean conditions have resulted in historically low numbers of Chinook salmon. California’s Sacramento River provides the greatest proportion of salmon off the West Coast — it used to support 1-2 million fall Chinook every year but in 2023 only 134,000 returned to the river to spawn.