Salmon fishing season canceled in California and Oregon due to population decline and climate disruption.

Near-record low numbers of Chinook salmon have forced officials to ban salmon fishing for a good portion of the West Coast through spring. The National Marine Fisheries Service announced that there would be no salmon fishing from Cape Falcon, Oregon to the U.S./Mexico border until May 15, well past the sport and commercial April start. The agency also proposed plans to keep California closed for salmon fishing through April 2024. Continuous droughts in the area and an increasing number of dams have put the species’ survival in danger. However, the winter’s atmospheric river storms, which have already alleviated California’s drought severity, bring a silver lining. The flooding rains could mean a population bounce-back in 3 years.