Article Category: West Coast Fisheries

West Coast Fisheries Managers Struggle with Climate Change, Drought Challenges

West Coast Fisheries Managers Struggle with Climate Change, Drought Challenges

A long-term research project that provides vital food sources to juvenile Chinook salmon in California’s river floodplains is utilizing rice fields at rest to help these endangered fish grow robust. In Oregon, removal of four dams is anticipated to begin in 2023 to protect salmon recovery and in Washington state, officials say breaching the four Lower Snake River dams is not yet an option. Meanwhile along the West Coast from California to Alaska, as states struggle with the adverse impact of climate change on fisheries, as well as the economic fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic, the federal government is providing for a second round of relief funding. Those eligible are commercial fishing shellfish, charter and seafood sector industry members who suffered negative financial impacts. The ...