It is fact that salmon is king along the Mendocino coast but the ban on salmon fishing leave all the fishermen in this hardworking town fearing for their livelihoods in a way they never have before. Randy Thornton, boat owner, said that as of now it is useless as there is nothing to do in life. Thornton’s charter-fishing business has been killed by an unprecedented yearlong ban on salmon fishing — commercial and sport.
State Department of Fish and Game officials have recently voted to ban salmon fishing in the state waters as the federal and state biologists believe closing the season virtually all the West Coast before it even revs up is the only way to boost the number of chinook salmon returning from ocean waters to spawn in the Sacramento River this fall. Last year it was recorded the lowest spawning season alonf the Sacramento River and its tributaries.
Fort Bragg is better know for its fishing and lumber occupations. Lumber mills have closed due to unavoidable circumstances and fishing has been buffeted by increasing regulations and restrictions, informed Thornton. According to him out of 1,400 commercial salmon permits issued by the state this year, about 100 went to fishermen in Fort Bragg. But the commercial season in Fort Bragg was delayed until August and September, forcing locals to chase the fish south, where the seasons were longer.
