Sad State of Salmon

Salmon may be identified most closely with the Pacific Northwest and Alaska, but these days California chinook salmon are caught by sport and commercial anglers from California to Puget Sound.

Change that "are" to "were" -- at least for 2008.

Today, a news report from The Associated Press documents an "unprecedented collapse" of the spawning population returning to rivers in the Sacramento and San Joaquin valleys in California. That could mean severe restrictions on sport and commercial salmon fishing this year.

The report, based on an internal memo sent to members of the Pacific Fishery Management Council and obtained by The Associated Press, discloses that only 90,000 returning adult salmon were counted in the Central Valley in 2007, the second lowest number on record. The population was at 277,000 in 2006 and 804,000 five years ago.

That amounts to an 88 percent decline in the spawning population from the high five years ago.

Unspecified "ocean conditions" are cited as the culprit. Based on published research, climate change may underlie the less hospitable ocean conditions for salmon, compounding the impacts of dams and siltation on salmon habitat.

In his e-mail to council members, Donald McIsaac, the agency's executive director, said he wanted to give them "an early alert to what at this point appears to be an unprecedented collapse in the abundance of adult California Central Valley ... fall Chinook salmon stocks. The magnitude of the low abundance ... is such that the opening of all marine and freshwater fisheries impacting this important salmon stock will be questioned."

The agency's own press release details the situation further, and talks about options -- including widespread closures to fishing this season.

Wild-caught salmon from California, Oregon and Washington is currently listed as a "Good Alternative" by Monterey Bay Aquarium's Seafood Watch program, the Blue Ocean Institute and other seafood rating organizations.

But you'll be finding fewer of those fish on menus and in markets -- and in the rivers along the Pacific coast.

It's another reason to take responsibility for reducing your own carbon footprint. A good place to start: get involved in one of the Focus the Nation teach-ins about climate change on Thursday, Jan. 31. There are more than 1,600 to choose from across the United States.