On Thursday, the Pacific Fishery Management Council acted unanimously to recommend the closure, due to historic lows in Chinook salmon. The ocean closure will be effective in mid-May. The California Fish and Game Commission will consider closing the inland fisheries at a teleconference on May 17.
Immediately following the announcement, the governor’s office requested an expedited federal fishery disaster declaration.
On Friday morning, Congressmen Jared Huffman and Kevin Mullin, Secretary of California Natural Resources Agency Wade Crowfoot, and former Speaker Nancy Pelosi stood in the rain on Pier 45 in San Francisco and listened to people whose livelihoods depend on salmon.
Congressman Huffman pledged a commitment to the expedited part.
