Ocean salmon fishing unlikely

“The only comfort is it’s an upward trend, but not upward enough this year to expect anything but closures all the way up to Cape Falcon,” said Glen Spain of the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Associations, which represents California-based salmon fishermen.

Ocean seasons were generous in 2007, but the catch was poor. In 2008, the seasons were practically shut down coastwide for fear of wiping out the Sacramento chinook run after it took a sudden drop. Both years, Congress voted disaster assistance to salmon fishermen. California has traditionally had the biggest fleet, followed by Oregon and then Washington.

“This is a continuing emergency situation for local communities,” Young said. “We depend on ocean salmon fishing, and this type of closure echoes for years. People get out of the habit of coming out to fish. This will and is having a terrible impact on our local businesses.”

The average economic impact of the fishery dropped from $66 million between 2003 and 2007 to $6.9 million in 2008.

Last year’s collapse was blamed primarily on poor ocean conditions producing little for salmon to eat. Fishermen and conservation groups also pointed to large irrigation withdrawals from the Sacramento Delta as juvenile salmon were migrating to the ocean in 2005 and 2006.

Scientists have said a switch in climatic conditions in recent years has produced more food in the ocean, setting up more abundant salmon returns in 2010.

In coming decades, salmon are expected to have it tougher, as warming temperatures reduce the amount of water stored in mountain snowpacks, diminishing flows in rivers where salmon spend the first part of their lives.

A draft report on 41 potential factors in the Sacramento decline is to be delivered to the council in April, when it meets in Milbrae, Calif., to set the final ocean salmon seasons.

Proposed seasons are to be set in Seattle next month.

Actual returns regularly fall short of forecasts, but this year’s prediction for the Sacramento calls for 122,196 salmon if none are caught by fishermen — just 196 more than the minimum for spawning a new generation. Tracy said up to half of those fish would be taken if coho fishing is allowed off Oregon, leaving even fewer to be caught on purpose.

The Klamath River forecast was also up, but marked the fourth straight year below what is needed for a new generation. Low returns to the Klamath have been a perennial headache for fisheries managers due to dams, logging and poor water quality.

Rep. Mike Thompson, D-Calif., said he would work to see that any leftover 2008 disaster assistance is made available to fishermen.

Triplicate Staff Writer Kurt Madar contributed to this report.