Much of West Coast faces ban to fish salmon amid low stocks

By JULIE WATSON and LISA BAUMANN
Associated Press

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Federal officials are expected to prohibit king salmon fishing this season along much of the West Coast, which many predict could stretch into 2024 season as the drought and other factors take their toll on the iconic Chinook fish. In early April, the Pacific Fishery Management Council, the regulatory group, will consider three proposals that all call for the closure of the 2023 season for commercial and recreational salmon fishing in California and most of Oregon. Biologists say the Chinook salmon population has declined dramatically after years of drought. Many in the fishing industry say Trump-era rules that allowed more water to be diverted from the Sacramento River Basin to agriculture caused even more harm.