I read today in theOregonian that the Federal Fisheries people are proposing closing commercial and recreational salmon fishing off the coast of Oregon and California to protect the Klamath River run. This will significantly reduce the supply of salmon from the West Coast, and leave us Left-Coasters looking to Alaska for our fish. Usually our best source of salmon during the summer months is the local fishery - Half Moon Bay and SF itself for Northern California and Newport, Coos Bay, and Astoria for Oregon. This will also have a significant negative economic impact on many of the smaller towns along the coast from Half Moon Bay to Tillamook.

Salmon in fact is more expensive. I have seen the first of copper river salmon at Central Market. King salmon was 34.99/lb (it was 29.99/lb last year) and sockeye salmon for 24.99 (it was 19.99/lb last year).

Let's break out the pinots!

Maybe it's just me, but it seems that there are two choices:

1) Enact federal limitations to protect salmon runs and breeding grounds, thereby causing economic hardships today for some towns but potentially protecting the species from overfishing; or

2) Allow current levels of fishing which will wipe out the species at some point in the near or distant future, causing economic hardships tomorrow for some towns.

Either way, it doesn't look good.

Alaska salmon fisheries are managed to maintain a self-renewing run. The run is monitored carefully to allow sufficient numbers of spawning salmon escape to ensure the sustainability of the fishery.

This is a complex issue, but the particular fish at risk currently seem not to be threatened by overfishing, but by poor management of water levels in the Klamath River. Since you can't tell a Chinook that was born in the Kalamth from one born elsewhere, 700 miles of coastal fishing is affected.West Coast Eyes Ban on Salmon Fishing

Paul is exactly right. The frustrating part of this is that the Klamath River problems are primarily a Federal issue that goes back decades. The Feds created the problem back after WWII by incenting returning soldiers to settle and grow crops in the Klamath basin, which is essentially a desert, using Klamath water. Add some misadvised dams and Native Americen issue and you've got a major problem.

We live just under 300 miles north of the mouth of the Klamath, and usually we would have a lot of boats out fishing for salmon. Instead we have a bunch of fisherman putting their boats up for sale.