On April 15, the Pacific Fishery Management Council voted to close the commercial salmon fishery for the third year in a row, and restricted sportfishing for salmon to a very brief window.

While these measures are necessary to protect salmon stocks, the impacts are mostly felt by fishing communities and the seafood industries they support…

As I wade into the river, a wispy fog rises from the burbling waters gently pushing against my knees. A deer breaks a branch while getting a drink. A bald eagle screeches overhead looking for fish too. It is cold— frost outlines the yellow and red leaves fallen to the ground and a faint band of snow caps the tops of the steep hills. My tranquility is rudely interrupted…

Returns of Chinook salmon from the ocean last year have been bad enough that the major fishing organizations (commercial and guides) have recommended that the 2023 ocean salmon fishery be closed to most fishing.