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THE ASTORIAN • SATURDAY, AUGUST 24, 2019
California king salmon rebounds after drought
By TERENCE CHEA
Associated Press
SAN FRANCISCO —
Trolling off the California
coast, Sarah Bates leans over
the side of her boat and pulls
out a long, silvery fi sh prized
by anglers and seafood lov-
ers: wild king salmon.
Reeling in a fi sh “feels
good every time,” but this
year has been surprisingly
good, said Bates, a com-
mercial troller based in San
Francisco.
Bates and other California
fi shermen are reporting one
of the best salmon fi shing sea-
sons in years, thanks to heavy
rain and snow that ended the
state’s historic drought.
It’s a sharp reversal for
Chinook salmon, also known
as king salmon, an iconic
species that helps sustain
many Pacifi c Coast fi shing
communities.
Commercial
salmon
catches have surpassed offi -
cial preseason forecasts
by about 50 percent, said
Kandice Morgenstern, a
marine scientist with the Cal-
ifornia Department of Fish
and Wildlife. Harvests have
been particularly strong in
Morro Bay, Monterey and
San Francisco, but weaker
along California’s northern
coast.
“We’re really surprised
to be seeing this many fi sh
being landed so far this sea-
son,” Morgenstern said.
The salmon rebound
comes after three years of
extremely low catches that
resulted from poor ocean
conditions and California’s
fi ve-year drought, which
drained the state’s rivers and
reservoirs.
AP Photo/Terry Chea
The fi shing boat Bounty.
AP Photo/Eric Risberg
Sarah Bates hauls in a Chinook salmon on the fi shing boat Bounty near Bolinas.
Over the past several
years, regulators imposed
severe fi shing restrictions
to protect Chinook salmon,
and offi cials declared fed-
eral fi shery disasters in 2018
to assist fi shing communi-
ties in California, Oregon and
Washington.
This year’s adult salmon
are the fi rst class to benefi t
from record rainfall that fi lled
California rivers and streams
in early 2017, making it eas-
ier for juvenile Chinook to
migrate to the Pacifi c Ocean,
where they grow into full-
size fi sh.
Chinook salmon are also
being helped by improved
ocean conditions that have
produced an abundance of
anchovies, krill and other
feed. Several years ago, an
El Nino event brought unusu-
ally warm water to the Pacifi c
Coast and disrupted the
marine ecosystem.
“For the salmon fi shermen
who’ve been dealing with
disaster for so long, this is an
incredible boon to their live-
lihoods,” said Noah Oppen-
heim, who heads the Pacifi c
Coast Federation of Fisher-
men’s Associations.
The strong salmon season,
which typically runs from
May to October, is positive
environmental news at a time
of growing anxiety about
climate change. A United
Nations report released this
month warns that global
warming threatens food sup-
plies worldwide.
Morgenstern says climate
change is creating greater
fl uctuations in ocean and river
conditions, making chinook
fi sheries “less stable, less pre-
dictable and more challeng-
ing for fi shery managers.”
Most of the Chinook
salmon now being caught
come from the Sacramento
River and its tributaries,
where they spawn. Many
were raised in state-run
hatcheries then released into
rivers to swim to the ocean.
Harvests of chinook from
rivers farther north have not
been strong.
For consumers, the boun-
tiful harvest has driven down
wild salmon prices to $15
to $20 per pound, compared
with $30 to $35 per pound in
recent years. Fishermen are
making up for the difference
by catching more fi sh.
“The market is dictating
right now that there’s a lot
of salmon, so the customers
don’t have to pay as much,”
said Gordon Drysdale, culi-
nary director at Scoma’s, a
seafood restaurant at Fish-
erman’s Wharf in San
Francisco.
The wharf is one of many
California fi shing communi-
ties now benefi ting from the
AP Photo/Eric Risberg
Chinook salmon at Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco.
salmon boom. Pier 45, where
boats unload their fi sh, hasn’t
been this busy in many years,
said Larry Collins, who runs
the San Francisco Commu-
nity Fishing Association.
“This year started out
with a bang, and it’s just kept
banging the whole time,”
Collins said. “We’re all really
excited and happy the fi sh
showed up.”
On a recent morning, com-
mercial fi sherman Brand Lit-
tle, who sells to customers in
the Lake Tahoe area, returned
from four days of fi shing with
nearly 200 salmon weighing
more than 2,000 pounds.
“Best trip of the season,”
Little said. “It’s been a long
time coming.”
The salmon boom is also
welcomed by sport fi shermen
and the boat operators who
take them out to the ocean.
“When the fi sh are bit-
ing, it’s always good for busi-
ness for us,” said Mike Res-
cino, who runs a charter boat.
“When the people see the
big reports, they’re going to
come out and go fi shing with
us.”
Inslee launches bid for 3rd term
Drops out
of crowded
Democratic
presidential fi eld
By RACHEL LA CORTE
Associated Press
SEATTLE — Washington
Gov. Jay Inslee announced
his bid for a third term as
governor Thursday, saying
that while it was an honor to
run for president, he wants to
continue his work leading the
state.
“We told the Washing-
ton story around the United
States,” he told reporters in
Seattle following a news
conference at Planned Par-
enthood regarding the Title
X family planning program.
“Being able to tell that story
led to some good things, even
though I won’t be the nomi-
nee, including the fact that
we have elevated the cli-
mate change crisis to where
it belongs. I’m very proud to
have served for that purpose.”
Inslee had sent an email to
supporters earlier in the day
detailing his plans following
his announcement Wednes-
day night that he was end-
ing his 2020 presidential bid
after nearly six months.
He had made fi ghting
climate change the central
theme of his campaign and
said he was confi dent that
Democrats would select a
nominee who would cham-
pion climate change issues.
When asked if he would
consider a Cabinet position
like head of the Environmen-
tal Protection Agency if it
were offered, he said no.
“There was one position
in Washington, D.C., that I
thought I was interested in,
and I will not be serving in
that capacity,” he said. “So
I’m looking forward to serv-
ing as governor if people
give me this option.”
Governors in Washington
state aren’t subject to term
limits, though most haven’t
served more than two terms.
The last three-term governor
in Washington was Repub-
lican Gov. Dan Evans, who
served from 1965 until 1977.
Three Democrats had
already signaled they would
run for governor, but only if
Inslee didn’t: Attorney Gen-
eral Bob Ferguson, Commis-
sioner of Public Lands Hil-
ary Franz and King County
Executive Dow Constantine.
The political dominos con-
tinued with Democratic can-
didates lining up to run for
attorney general and lands
commissioner if Ferguson
and Franz end up not seek-
ing reelection to their posts.
All have said they wouldn’t
challenge incumbents if Ins-
lee ran for a third term.
Franz said Wednesday
night that she’s not disap-
pointed that she won’t be
entering the governor’s race,
saying that she loves her cur-
rent job and will seek reelec-
tion because she has “a lot of
work to do.” Ferguson, who
had already said he would
seek reelection to a third term
as attorney general if Inslee
ran again, was at the Seat-
tle event Thursday, as was
Constantine.
Ferguson said he wasn’t
disappointed by Inslee’s
decision, saying “he’s earned
the right to run for a third
term.”
A few Republicans have
already announced plans to
run for governor, including
Phil Fortunato, a state sen-
ator, and Loren Culp, the
police chief of Republic,
in Eastern Washington. A
Republican has not occupied
the governor’s offi ce in more
than three decades.
State Republican Party
Chairman Caleb Heim-
lich said that he thinks Ins-
lee could be vulnerable in a
reelection bid.
“Getting elected to a third
term is a tough task,” he said.
“And doing so on the heels
of a failed presidential cam-
paign where you sent a mes-
sage to voters that you want a
different job, that doesn’t sit
very well.”
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AP Photo/Elaine Thompson
Gov. Jay Inslee heads out after speaking with reporters about his plans to run for a third term
as governor.