Salmon fishing banned in CA, OR

[A9]

BIG NEWS.
Article on komo4.com. URL on the bottom...
Wow, that's quite a surprise. I didn't see them doing this. I like the big steps our fishery managers are taking though...
What are your thoughts?

All commercial salmon fishing banned off Calif., Oregon coasts

Story Published: Apr 10, 2008 at 5:51 PM PDT

Story Updated: Apr 10, 2008 at 6:52 PM PDT
By KOMO Staff & News Services
Watch the story
SEATAC, Wash. -- West Coast fisheries managers have voted to cancel all commercial salmon fishing off the California and Oregon coasts this year.

The Pacific Fishery Management Council decided Thursday to allow limited recreational coho fishing on holiday weekends off the Oregon coast.

"It is absolutely critical to maintain some fishing opportunity to maintain hope and optimism with regard to what is a tough year in a lot of other arenas," said Steve Williams, Oregon's representative on the council.

Scientists and government officials are expecting this year's West Coast salmon season to be one of the worst in history. Although commercial salmon fishing off the Washington coast is scheduled to begin May 1, fisheries managers do not predict a good season off either the north or south Pacific coasts.

Wild salmon count is currently at an all-time low due to the collapse of the Sacramento River Chinook run, which is usually one of the most productive on the Pacific Coast, providing the bulk of the salmon caught by sport and commercial trollers off California and Oregon.

But only about 90,000 adult Chinook returned to the Central Valley last fall - the second lowest number on record and well below the number needed to maintain a healthy fishery. That number is projected to fall to a record low of 58,000 this year. By contrast, 775,000 adults were counted in the Sacramento River and its tributaries as recently as 2002.

"It's probably more than 50 percent lower than what we've set for a conservation objective. So, for me, there's a lot of risk associated with fishing on that stock when it's so low," said Marija Vojkovich, California's representative on the council.

The council's decision still must be confirmed by the National Marine Fisheries Service.

The salmon run collapse is a blow to fishermen, tackle shops, charter boat operators and other businesses that depend on commercial and recreational salmon fishing.

Several fishermen told KOMO 4 News canceling the commercial salmon season would cut their salaries by 25 to 40 percent. However, they supported the cancellation, stating their current losses will help boost the salmon count in the future.

For consumers, it will be hard to find any Chinook, also known as king salmon, which are prized by anglers, seafood connoisseurs and upscale restaurants. There should still be abundant supplies of farm-raised salmon and wild sockeye from Alaska, but prices could be higher.

"It's going to be devastating to the marketplace to have no California king salmon at all," said David Goldenberg, CEO of the California Salmon Council. "For people who want high-quality salmon, they're not going to have that choice."

There is concern that without a commercial season, the price of wild salmon could hit $40 per pound. As of Thursday afternoon, a pound of Columbia River King salmon was priced at $32.50.

Biologists and others are trying to figure out what caused the salmon collapse so they can make sure California's Chinook populations rebound.

There are many potential factors, because wild salmon are born in streams and rivers, migrate to the ocean when they're juveniles and spend two to four years there before returning to spawn in the areas where they were born. In between they have to navigate the often treacherous waters of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and San Francisco Bay.

The council has asked state and federal scientists to research 46 possible causes, including water diversions, habitat destruction, dam operations, agricultural pollution, marine predators and ocean conditions.

Many scientists point to unusual weather patterns that disrupted the marine food chain along the Pacific Coast in 2005, when thousands of seabirds washed up dead or starving because they couldn't find enough to eat.

Researchers believe those poor ocean conditions also devastated the juvenile salmon that would have returned to the Central Valley last year. Young Chinook couldn't find the tiny shrimp and fish they depend on to survive.

"The fish went to the ocean in 2005 and found nothing to eat when they got there. They either starved to death or got so weak from not eating enough that they got eaten by predators," said Bill Peterson, an oceanographer with the National Marine Fisheries Service.

Peterson said ocean conditions have improved since then, which could help revive West Coast salmon populations.

Many fishermen and environmentalists believe the main problem lies in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. They say too much water is being diverted to farms and water districts in the San Joaquin Valley and Southern California.

They want the state and federal government to limit pumping from the delta, which disorients migrating salmon and kills young fish that get sucked into the powerful pumps. They're also calling for a reduction in agricultural runoff and the restoration of salmon habitat in the rivers.

"We did have some poor ocean conditions, but that doesn't explain why the Central Valley stocks took such a severe hit," said Zeke Grader, who heads the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen's Associations.

But California state water officials believe the ocean is the chief culprit. The water pumps continue to meet stringent operating standards, and while more water has been diverted in recent years, there's also been more water available to export, said Jerry Johns, deputy director of the California Department of Water Resources.

"Ocean conditions are the most likely cause here," Johns said. "The requirements that we have to abide by to protect these fish haven't changed in the last several years."
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[shawn]

=d> I am all for it.It's about time something is done to up the numbers for the future.Way to go California and Oregon.Thanks for that bit of info Sam.

[fishaholictaz]

Now the Salmon are getting something done for them that may actually help!

Now if we can slow down the fresh water netters the salmon may have a chance.

[dilbert]

I heard on NPR this morning that they were banning Commercial and Sport fishing for salmon off the OR and CA coasts.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/stor ... d=89551881

[bpm2000]

im guessing this has no impact on tribal fisheries?

[SmokinAces]

yeah, go figure...the tribal netter will more than likely still have all there nets lined up at the mouth's of the rivers. Anyways, regardless I think its a good think to protect this hurting run of salmon.

[A9]

yeah, go figure...the tribal netter will more than likely still have all there nets lined up at the mouth's of the rivers. Anyways, regardless I think its a good think to protect this hurting run of salmon.

Let's not turn this into an indian/netting thread. These always go down the wrong road and often get locked up...

[bpm2000]

Lets keep it civil, but to not discuss it (it IS commercial fishing, and has a large impact on the population) would be a strange omission given the nature of the closure.

[eustace]

I heard on NPR this morning that they were banning Commercial and Sport fishing for salmon off the OR and CA coasts.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/stor ... d=89551881

WOW! what do I think? We need to do something. I also think this is a Short term solution to a long term problem.
How much of that rivers waters actually reach the bay? To me there needs to also be a long term solution included, they may be planning something, I don't know. Over time if they don't solve the larger problem(s) this would have all been in vien.

Don't get me wrong I am all for I just am wondering about the bigger picture.

[Derrick-k]

yeah, go figure...the tribal netter will more than likely still have all there nets lined up at the mouth's of the rivers. Anyways, regardless I think its a good think to protect this hurting run of salmon.

So are they going to do anything about the tribal netting? Or are they still going to be netting?

The one bad thing about the closures is that some of Oregon's commercial fishermen are going to come up to southern washington and fish.

[fishnislife]

=d> :thumleft:
This is a good thing. I'm glad they've done it.




fishnislife

[kayak chris]

This is a two part issue regardless of the 2005 ocean conditions. Habitat & Pressure. Clean rivers, low fishing pressure=more fish. I salute what had to be a hard decision given the impact on those salmon dependent enconomies.