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Sacramento Salmon Fall Run Looks Good

DFG photo

The Pacific Fisheries Management Council (PFMC) predicted last Spring that this Fall’s chinook salmon run on the Sacramento would be expected to yield 455,800 adult salmon coming back up the river to spawn. Although it is too early to tell if that will be accurate, Department of Fish & Game scientist Mike Brown is optimistic. ”It looks like we will have at least double the number coming up the river over last year.”
Brown looks at the “effort” exerted by anglers to catch  the prized as one measure that DFG watch. The river is crawling with fishermen. “It sure is looking like a strong run” although we will have to wait through October and early November to get a final reading.

Best since 2005
This week the PFMC said almost 300,000 salmon have been caught off the coast this 2012 season by both sport and commercial fishermen   through August 31. On the commercial side. they estimate about 173,000 chinook landings compared to 67,675 in 2011 and just 15,088 in 2010.The two previous seasons were canceled due to low population and fear of a virtual collapse of the fishery. Some predicted an extinction putting the blame on water pumps that sent Sacramento river water south.
Overall the PFMC has predicted the ocean abundance at at 2.5 million salmon  in 2012 including 880,000 from the Sacramento  – the largest  forecast since 2005.
The rebound in the numbers of the iconic fish now has many disparate viewpoints patting themselves on the back, hailing their favored factors although scientists say ocean conditions are the biggest factor says Brown.”These fish populations are cyclical” although no doubt adequate river water releases, good management and restoration of fish habitat all play a part. Unlike some banner years it was a low rainfall year this past winter.Farmers are thankful. For once, it’s not the fishermen and environmentalists pointing at ag as the reason for low fish returns.
Likely most importantly – a strongly negative PDO (climate factor) for all of 20011 and all of 2012 has helped sustain growing salmon in the ocean with cold temps, strong upwelling and adequate food.
Fisherman this season have had high praise  (“they are jumping right into the boat”,says one headline). Roger Thomas, president of the Golden Gate Fishermen’s Association, a group that includes roughly 50 Bay Area charter boats told one media outlet “We had sensational fishing the latter part of June, all of July and into August,” said Thomas, captain of the Salty Lady out of Sausalito. His customers have been averaging about one fish a person per trip.

He’s The King Of Them All Y’all, 2008 photo

If there is good news off the California coast,not so in Alaska this summer.
Acting U.S. Secretary of Commerce Rebecca Blank this month declared a commercial fishery failure on Alaska’s Yukon and Kuskokwim rivers and in the Cook Inlet due to low Chinook salmon returns during the 2012 fishing season and previous years.
The disaster declaration makes it possible for Congress to appropriate money toward alleviating the financial hardship to fishermen caused by the fishery disaster. If money is appropriated, NOAA will work closely with Congress and the state of Alaska to develop plans to assist coastal communities.
“Some Cook Inlet salmon fisheries have experienced revenue losses of up to 90 percent of their historical average during the 2012 season, seriously hurting local economies that are dependent on fishing,” said Acting Secretary Blank.

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