Chinook photo courtesy of Seattlest Flickr Group contributor rjl20

Nothing fishy about this breaking news. Yesterday, the Pacific Fishery Management Council voted to ban Chinook salmon fishing off the California coast and most of Oregon for this year. The regulations ban commercial salmon fishing outright for the season, but do allow for limited sport fishing of Coho salmon. The regulations approved are the most severe in the history of Pacific Coast salmon fishing.

The salmon season in Washington will also be curtailed to protect dwindling Chinook and Coho populations. Salmon lovers will still be able to find farm-raised salmon at stores and restaurants this summer, as well as wild sockeye from Alaska, since that state's commercial salmon fishing has not been affected by this decision.