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California’s decision to reopen salmon fishing — even with tight limits — ignores a painful reality: Salmon remain a struggling species pushed to the brink by human activity. This area was originally closed because Chinook numbers fell so low that fishing was no longer sustainable, yet the state is reopening it before ecosystems have truly recovered.
The science is clear. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Chinook salmon populations in the Salish Sea (a vital marine ecosystem in Washington and British Columbia that significantly affects California fish populations) have declined by roughly 60% since the 1980s, a long-term downward trend driven by habitat destruction, dams, climate disruption and warming water.
Fishing adds yet another stressor to animals already fighting to survive. These sensitive, intelligent animals feel pain and panic when they are hooked or netted and hauled into an environment where they can’t breathe. They are also essential to healthy rivers, forests and coastal ecosystems — and to the survival of endangered animals that depend on them.
Protecting wildlife requires restraint, compassion and a commitment to letting nature heal. Salmon deserve to be left in peace — not be put back on the hook for humans’ entertainment or appetites.
Blair Patrick Schuyler
Research specialist, hunting & wildlife issues
The PETA Foundation
Norfolk, Virginia