Salmon Decline

MSN recently ran a video on the lack of King Salmon

California-Oregon coast King Salmon are not returning to breed. The numbers of salmon are so low that for a second season in a row the California salmon fishing season has been canceled.

There is a 90% collapse in the rate of salmon returning to spawn, only 66,000 showed up in 2008, only 122,000 are expected to return this year.

And no one knows why this is happening.

On the human side this means 2,700 jobs lost in the US, a $279 million loss to the industry. $100 million in government relief money was given last year but no one knows if they’ll get the same funding this year because of the economy and other bailouts.

Alaska Department of Fish and Game closed Deshka River for the rest of the king salmon sport-fishing season because there aren’t enough salmon left. On June 10th the count was 865 and the goal is 13,000-28,000.Read the reference story at ksrm radio

So I read some more news articles. Canada.com reported of about farmed salmon and sited one group claiming that open net pens of farmed salmon are transferring sea lice to wild salmon and increasing the mortality rates. I have no idea how true that is but it shows what controversy there is over farmed salmon.

On the other hand, The Western Star reports that salmon in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada’s east coast are not in decline.

Demand for fish is expected to rise by 70% by 2030 and we are having problems sustaining fishing today. Other varieties of fish are becoming increasingly popular and are slower breeding sea life are being fished younger, sometimes before they can breed. You can learn more about the State of the Oceans Health and be sure to watch the video.