The federal authority has officially end the salmon season for 2008 before it begins due to unprecedented collapse of the salmon population. However, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s fishery service today affirmed an earlier recommendation from a Pacific advisory body to all but close the salmon season this year. According to Guiterrez the sudden dwindling of salmon numbers will hit fishermen, their families, and fishing communities hard.
Every year large numbers of salmon return to the Sacramento River to spawn, but this year scientists estimate fewer than 60,000 will make the trek. Commenting on this Jim Balsiger, NOAA’s Fisheries Service acting assistant administrator, told that the present number is far below what is needed to sustain the population, and so the authority decided to shut down the commercial ocean salmon fishery for all of California and most of Oregon to aid their recovery.
The closure of salmon fishery opens paves the way for Congress to appropriate money to alleviate the financial hardship for fishermen and related industries, including those doing business in and around Pillar Point Harbour. California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger in a statement issued shortly after the federal declaration, said that the salmon industry contributes greatly to the economy and way of life, and this news couldn’t come at a more critical time for the fishermen and businesses that will be hurt by the loss of the salmon season.
