Record Low for California Chinook Salmon

Record Low for California Chinook Salmon

Feb, 2008  - California Central Valley fall 
Chinook salmon stocks appear to be undergoing a "significant decline," 
said Pacific Fishery Management Council Director Donald McIsaac today. 
Dr. McIsaac warned that if the low abundance is confirmed, all marine and 
freshwater fisheries that target these salmon stocks could be affected. 
"The low returns are particularly distressing since this stock has 
consistently been the healthy work horse for salmon fisheries off 
California and most of Oregon," he said. 
The Pacific Council is a federal advisory panel responsible for managing 
fisheries off the coasts of California, Oregon, and Washington. 

Chinook salmon are also called king, spring, or tyee salmon, and are the 
largest of the Pacific salmon. Chinook salmon are highly prized by 
commercial, sport, and subsistence fishers. Like all Pacific salmon, 
chinook are anadromous, which means they hatch in freshwater streams and 
rivers, migrate to the ocean for feeding and growth, and return to their 
natal waters to spawn. 
California Central Valley fall run Chinook salmon spawn in the Sacramento 
and San Joaquin River Basins and their tributaries. 
California Central Valley fall Chinook salmon are not on the federal 
endangered species list, but they were classified as a Species of Concern 
on April 15, 2004. 
Last week, the Council's Salmon Technical Team met to tabulate salmon 
returns and catches. Two areas of bad news emerged. 
First, in 2007 the adult spawning escapement for Sacramento River fall 
Chinook salmon failed to meet the escapement goal of 122,000 to 180,000 
adults for the first time in 15 years. 
Sacramento River fall Chinook is the largest component of Central Valley 
Chinook. 
The escapement goal, or conservation objective, is the optimal number of 
adult fish returning to spawn in order to maximize the production of the 
stock. 
Second, the count of "jacks" in the Central Valley fall Chinook return 
this past fall was at a record low. Only 2,000 jacks returned, compared to 
a long-term average of about 40,000 and the previous record low of 10,000. 

Jacks are immature fish that return to the rivers at age two, unlike adult 
fish, which return at age three or four. Their numbers are used to 
forecast future returns. This suggests that 2008 abundance will probably 
also be weak. 
Last week, scientists questioned whether returns in 2008 could meet the 
conservation objective even without any commercial or recreational salmon 
fishing. 
If returns do not meet the conservation objective, an emergency rule from 
National Marine Fisheries Service may be required to allow any fisheries 
at all, Dr. McIsaac said. 
The reason for the decline is unclear, he said. Both hatchery and 
naturally produced fish have been negatively affected, and returns of 
coastal stocks in Oregon, in the Columbia River, and in British Columbia 
were all low in 2007. 
"The decline seems to be a coastwide phenomenon, probably related to ocean 
conditions," he said. 
The implications of a precipitous decline could be substantial for both 
commercial and recreational fisheries coastwide. In 2006, a similar 
decline in Klamath stocks led to major cutbacks in salmon fishing 
opportunities. 
Sacramento River salmon have a greater range than Klamath River stocks, 
and are caught in California, Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia. 
They are considered the "driver" of commercial fisheries in Oregon and 
California, explained Dr. McIsaac. 
The Council will consider these numbers and set harvest levels this 
spring. In three to four weeks, the Council will release estimates of 
salmon abundance for 2008. 
Then, at its March 8-14 meeting in Sacramento, California, the Council 
will develop a range of management options. Salmon management discussions 
begin on Tuesday, March 11, when the Council will review 2007 salmon 
fisheries, discuss stock abundance estimates, and tentatively adopt salmon 
management measures for analysis by Council technical teams and 
scientists. 
Friday, the Council is scheduled to adopt management options for public 
review. These options will probably range from status quo harvest levels 
to significant closures. 
Public hearings to receive input on the options are scheduled for March 31 
in Westport, Washington and Coos Bay, Oregon, and for April 1 in Eureka, 
California. The Council will consult with scientists, hear public comment, 
and revise preliminary decisions until it chooses a final option at its 
meeting during the week of April 7 in Seattle. 
All Council meetings are open to the public. Based on previous experience 
with Klamath fisheries, the Council expects there to be a large public 
turnout at both the March and April meetings and the public hearings. 
The Pacific Fishery Management Council is one of eight regional fishery 
management councils established by the Magnuson Fishery Conservation and 
Management Act of 1976 for the purpose of managing fisheries three to 200 
miles offshore of the U.S. coastline. 

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