The Pacific Fishery Management Council, a federal body that regulates commercial and sport fishing, estimates that only 66,286 adult salmon returned to the Sacramento River in 2008 to spawn.
This is less than 2007's number of 87,881, which still fell far short of the agency's goal of 122,000 to 180,000 fish.
California officials are now heavily considering imposing fishing restrictions of the state's coast again this summer, further threatening what has been a multi-million dollar industry.
The Sacramento River fall run faces collapse, but other runs are threatened too. Lagunitas Creek in Marin County this year had its smallest run of coho salmon ever recorded.
Scientists believe warmer ocean conditions in 2005 and 2006 led to a lean food supply as young salmon were entering the ocean, and that this played a part in the low spawning returns in 2007 and 2008.
Researchers also blame 50 years of water management in California for the decline of the salmon. Dams and conveyance systems separated the fish from their habitats. Pumps, canals and hatcheries built to make up for lost water also depleted once-diverse runs.
SOURCE: The San Francisco Chronicle
Ken O. says:
It can't help that Marin County's sewage pipes broke this week, spilling 300,000 gallons of human feces into the bay... to go with Burlingame's existing sewage overflows into the the same body of water.
The fishermen surely realize that they can't overfish the salmon runs without ruining their future livelihoods... don't they?
Jordana G. says:
Oh man this is a mess.