Federal Regulators Will Cut Pacific Salmon Season To The Bone - Reuters

[hatrack]

PORTLAND, Oregon (Reuters) - Federal regulators recommended on Friday severely scaling back salmon fishing this year along most of the Oregon and Northern California coastline to preserve shrinking Chinook salmon populations.

The recommendation from the Pacific Fishery Management Council, a quasi federal-state agency, would restrict salmon fishing along the 700-mile (1,127 kilometre) stretch of coastline for most of May, June and July.

If approved by the National Marine Fisheries Service, this year's schedule would be the most restricted salmon fishing season ever in the region, regulators said. "This at least avoided a complete closure and gives some relief to the fishing industry," said John Coon, deputy director of the Pacific Fishery Management Council.

The Pacific Fishery Management Council estimates that the schedule, which includes a complete suspension in some areas, will be a 75 percent reduction of the commercial fishing season from last year. The 2005 season was also scaled back compared to 2004.

EDIT

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=2627&ncid=2627&e=1&u=/nm/20060407/sc_nm/environment_salmon_ban_dc_1