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State wildlife officials propose a 2009 Sacramento River recreational salmon fishing season that is two weeks shorter than last year, which at the time was the narrowest season ever.
The proposal, discussed at today's California Fish and Game Commission meeting in Lodi, is a component of a federal decision Wednesday to close all commercial salmon fishing in the ocean for the second year in a row. The 2008 Central Valley fall-run Chinook population was the lowest in recorded history, a circumstance blamed mostly on poor ocean conditions but also possibly related to environmental problems in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.
The proposed recreational season in the Sacramento River is to be finalized by the commission on April 21. It would run from Nov. 16 to Dec. 31, or two weeks shorter than in 2008. Anglers could fish for salmon only between Knights Landing and the Red Bluff Diversion Dam, and keep only one salmon at a time. All other areas of the Sacramento River and its tributaries, including the American and Feather rivers, would be closed to salmon fishing as they were last year.
The shorter season is designed to ensure that anglers target only late fall-run Chinook, considered a different species. The goal is to preserve a limited recreational fishery until the fall-run recovers. Its numbers are expected to rebound to 122,050 fish this fall, about double the number in 2008, yet not quite enough to ensure the species is out of danger.
"We are saddened on this salmon situation," said Commissioner Daniel Richards. "We're doing everything we can to continue to allow some fishing."
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The proposal, discussed at today's California Fish and Game Commission meeting in Lodi, is a component of a federal decision Wednesday to close all commercial salmon fishing in the ocean for the second year in a row. The 2008 Central Valley fall-run Chinook population was the lowest in recorded history, a circumstance blamed mostly on poor ocean conditions but also possibly related to environmental problems in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.
The proposed recreational season in the Sacramento River is to be finalized by the commission on April 21. It would run from Nov. 16 to Dec. 31, or two weeks shorter than in 2008. Anglers could fish for salmon only between Knights Landing and the Red Bluff Diversion Dam, and keep only one salmon at a time. All other areas of the Sacramento River and its tributaries, including the American and Feather rivers, would be closed to salmon fishing as they were last year.
The shorter season is designed to ensure that anglers target only late fall-run Chinook, considered a different species. The goal is to preserve a limited recreational fishery until the fall-run recovers. Its numbers are expected to rebound to 122,050 fish this fall, about double the number in 2008, yet not quite enough to ensure the species is out of danger.
"We are saddened on this salmon situation," said Commissioner Daniel Richards. "We're doing everything we can to continue to allow some fishing."
More...
