CA Central Valley Fall Chinook Run Near 2008's Record Low Levels - Further Restrictions Likely

[hatrack]

Salmon didn't make the big fall comeback in Central Valley rivers that anglers and nature lovers yearned for, raising the likelihood of a third year of fishing restrictions. Some areas saw more fall-run chinook return from the ocean to the Sacramento River and its tributaries. This includes the American River, where the state's Nimbus Hatchery spawned about 40 percent more salmon in 2009.

But the run as a whole seems likely to turn out the same or slightly smaller than in 2008, which was the smallest year ever recorded. "We are really upset," said Dick Pool, president of Pro-Troll Fishing Products, a Bay Area manufacturer of salmon fishing tackle. "Every appearance is the fall run returns this year (2009) may set a new record low."

The Central Valley fall chinook is arguably the most important salmon run on the West Coast. It makes up virtually all of the commercially harvested salmon in California and Oregon.

The run's poor condition led regulators to ban all commercial salmon fishing in both states in 2008 and 2009. Recreational fishing was banned in 2008 and severely limited in 2009.

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http://www.sacbee.com/378/story/2435402.html