Salmon fishing banned off the California coast for the second year in a row

In a major setback for California’s beleaguered fishing industry and the latest reminder of the state’s long-running battles over water supplies, particularly during drought years, all commercial and recreational salmon fishing will be prohibited off the California coast this year for the second year in a row.

The Pacific Fishery Management Council, a federal agency based in Oregon, announced the decision Wednesday evening, citing low numbers of Sacramento River winter Chinook, Central Valley Spring Chinook, and Upper-Sacramento River fall Chinook salmon.

The state’s salmon populations are struggling from the effects of the severe drought that gripped California from 2020 to 2022, when hotter temperatures and lower water levels in streams and rivers killed many of the young fish.

During the drought, cities, farms and fishing interests battled for limited water supplies.

On Thursday, fishing and environmental groups said state and federal water managers should have kept more water in rivers and behind dams to reduce the impact and managed it more effectively. That almost certainly would have meant less water would have been pumped to cities and farms during the drought.

“It’s heartbreaking. It’s a travesty,” said Scott Artis, executive director of the Golden State Salmon Association.

“State and federal water managers are devastating our rivers,” he added. “They are removing vast amounts of water and creating lethally high temperatures in those rivers that are destroying salmon. If you kill all the baby salmon through California water policy, then two or three years later you aren’t going to have adults returning, or very few. This is the governor’s legacy.”

Gov. Gavin Newsom on Thursday announced the state would ask the federal government for a disaster declaration to provide financial assistance to the owners of commercial salmon fishing boats, recreational boats, and others in the industry.

“Decades of climate extremes have severely impacted our salmon populations, and we’re taking action to address this crisis for the long-term,” Newsom said. “We’ll continue working with the Biden Administration and Congress to ensure California’s fisheries and impacted communities are supported during this critical time.”

Last year, the U.S. Commerce Department approved spending $20.6 million to help salmon fishermen after the season was closed. But Thursday, fishing industry officials said they have not yet received the money.

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