A bright note in the West Coast ~ pintoNorCal salmon increase brings hope for fish runs Current change, river projects aid in robust numbers.
Posted at 11:30 PM on Friday, Nov. 12, 2010
By Matt Weiser / The Sacramento Bee
Salmon are returning to Northern California rivers and streams in impressive numbers this fall, restoring hope that years of shortages and fishing closures are over.
It's a dramatic turnaround from last year, when the fall chinook salmon run hit a historic low. Scientists blamed poor ocean conditions and a century of habitat degradation in freshwater spawning areas.
It got so bad that federal officials closed commercial fishing in 2008 and 2009, taking California salmon off dinner menus for the first time ever.
Now the fish are surging back. The numbers are not nearly as robust as in decades past. But ocean conditions have improved, and myriad small habitat projects are starting to bear fruit.
more athttp://www.fresnobee.com/2010/11/12/2158050/norcal-salmon-increase-brings.html#ixzz15I7kjWNw
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