Salmon Fishery
The Salmon Fishery
Oregon salmon are hard to find in the market these days. It is because they are not currently being fished by commercial fishermen. Over the last few years, marine biologists, fishermen, seafood companies, and fisheries managers have agreed that it is best to reduce fishing pressures and concentrate activities on restoring and strengthening salmon populations.
The abundance of salmon in any given year is determined by a range of natural and human-caused factors. The natural factors range from stream flow and temperatures to ocean upwelling and El Niño. The human-caused factors are known as the "four Hs."
The four Hs are Harvest, Hydropower, Hatcheries, and Habitat. All Hs have both short- and long-term effects on salmon that are the subject of much study and debate.
The harvest affects are monitored through the fisheries management system. Since 1912, salmon have been a part of the Oregon commercial fisheries. A quarter-century ago, more than 8,000 fishing vessels were catching salmon commercially off California and Oregon. Today there are fewer than 1,000.
Starting in 2006 the Klamath River fall Chinook and Sacramento River fall Chinook runs have shown serious problems, with abundances far below the conservation targets. The immediate cause of these low abundance seems to be a combination of poor river conditions and poor ocean conditions. The ocean, at least, is getting better, so prospects for fisheries are improving.
In 2009 the Sacramento River fall Chinook population remains very low and will limit fishing options. Other salmon, like the Coho, are projected to be stronger. This is typical, with the weak or "limiting" species changing from year to year and decade to decade.
It is a goal of Pacific Fish Trax to develop tools to help improve the condition of the salmon populations. These tools will provide fine-scale and "near-real-time" monitoring information of salmon characteristics, salmon habitat and harvest rates.