Seen any salmon?

March 7, 2008

San Francisco Chronicle Editorial

Salmon stocks are prone to wild swings, hinging on water flows, weather and food-rich ocean waters. Right now, California is enduring one of the lowest points in decades with barely half of an already-low estimate returning to the Sacramento River this past fall.

What's on tap is unthinkable but unfortunately necessary: a full or partial closure of fishing season coming in April. "We're basically in a crisis," said Allen Grover, a biologist with the federal agency that sets rules on sport and commercial fishing.

That means higher prices at the market and hard times for commercial fishermen, party boat skippers and weekend anglers.

There are a number of factors working against salmon. The chief suspect, biologists believe, is a change in cold-water ocean currents that has disrupted the food chain that fish depend on. Also, fishing groups blame water diversions of the Sacramento , source of an estimated 90 percent of the fish caught off Northern California . There are other factors such as water quality and loss of habitat along the river's 450-mile journey from the Siskiyous to the sea.

Though the stars seem aligned against salmon, there is also room for hope. Weather patterns and currents can turn, bringing back the right conditions for rearing. Though 88,000 salmon were counted last fall on the Sacramento , a total of 268,000 were tallied the year before and 394,000 in 2005. Given a chance, this iconic fish could stage a rally.

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Source:  http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/03/07/EDGIVEV21.DTL