Fewer fish in the sea curtails fishing
Low numbers of adults swimming off Pacific Coast prompt restrictions
California’s commercial salmon industry is being slashed this year because of lingering environmental impacts from the drought.
In a decision expected to make chinook salmon scarcer at markets and restaurants, federal fishery managers called Tuesday for sharp restrictions on commercial catches in response to low numbers of the adult fish swimming off the Pa-
cific Coast.
“While the governor has declared the drought over, the severe impacts are still being felt by fishermen,” said Noah Oppenheim, executive director of the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Associations. “It’s a financial disaster. This is really going to hurt people who rely on fishing for a living, both culturally and in the pocket book.”
The Pacific Fishery Management Council called for sharp restrictions that limit the commercial season to August and September off the coast from Pigeon Point near San Francisco to Point Arena in Mendocino County.
In a portion of that area from Point Reyes to Point San Pedro, a few other fishing days will be provided from Oct. 2 to Oct 6 and from Oct. 9 to 13. This represents about half the season in normal years.
The entire commercial salmon season will be canceled this year in an area from Florence in southern Oregon to Horse Mountain south of Eureka to protect struggling Klamath River salmon, the Pacific Fishery Management Council decided.
In the Fort Bragg area, commercial fishing will be limited to September, with a quota of 3,000 salmon imposed there on the entire fishing fleet.
While officially a recommendation, the advice is expected to be adopted by May 1 by the National Marine Fisheries Service.
Federal fishery biologists say the restrictions are warranted because of diminished numbers of adult fish swimming off the Pacific Coast before they return through the Delta to spawn in Central Valley rivers, or return up the Klamath River to reach spawning grounds there.
The adults were hatched three or four years ago when the drought led to low flows of overheated water in rivers.
Salmon from the Klamath and Central Valley rivers supply the largest share of salmon that support a $1.4 billion annual California commercial and recreational salmon industry.
Recreational fishing opened April 1 in the Bay Area, but will close during the first half of May before reopening again through Oct. 31, according to the council.
Members of the federal fishery council say sharp fishing limits are necessary to protect Central Valley chinook salmon, including the endangered Sacramento River winter run salmon.
“We have made the tough decisions and implemented fishery restrictions to protect salmon stocks while providing at least some opportunity for commercial, recreational and tribal fishing along much of the West Coast,” said Herb Pollard, chairman of the management council.
Biologists said the returns of spawning Klamath River fall Chinook are expected to be the lowest on record this year due to drought, disease and poor ocean conditions.
Plans are being made to remove some dams on the Klamath River to benefit the salmon.