Years of drought have taken such a toll on California’s fall run of Chinook salmon that, for the first time in 14 years, fishery managers are canceling next year’s fishing season off the state’s coast to help the population recover.
The Pacific Fishery Management Council, a quasi-federal body that oversees West Coast fisheries, finalized a decision Thursday to recommend closing the salmon season until next spring. NOAA Fisheries, a federal agency, is expected to implement the closure. Salmon fishing off the coast of much of Oregon also will be limited. hardy fishing
The canceled salmon season comes as recreational anglers, professional fishers and biologists have watched populations of the largest species of Pacific salmon plummet off the coast of California. Before the recent winter storms, drought and heat waves drained and warmed the state’s rivers and reservoirs, hampering the ability of salmon to spawn and reach the ocean safely. Competition among farmers, urban residents and wildlife managers over dwindling water resources have only made matters worse.
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