Northwest salmon are struggling to survive.

[WB Staff]

Northwest salmon are struggling to survive.

A new count shows a significant drop in salmon returning to spawn, which creates a major ripple effect in Western Washington -- from decreased orca sightings to negative effects on the commercial fishing industry.

The numbers are staggering. Salmon returning to spawn in Eastern Washington are the lowest in decades, scientists said. While the situation isn't as dire on the west side of the state, there are still immense challenges.

In Puget Sound, Chinook salmon have decreased by nearly 30% since 1999. In the Snohomish River, the Chinook salmon population is only between 5% and 25% of what scientists hope to see.

"I think we've had profound climate regime changes that have changed the survival of salmon and now we're getting like one tenth of survival that we used to get 30 to 40 years ago," said Michael Crewson, a scientist with the Tulalip tribes.

He works with dozens of people who are trying to support local salmon. "Even though we're restoring a lot of habitats, we're losing it faster than we can gain," he said.

More info and video: https://kcby.com/outdoors/low-salmon-co ... washington

[hydro]

no doubt this is a man caused crisis ( by men in ships with very large nets )

[mark poulson]

no doubt this is a man caused crisis ( by men in ships with very large nets )

I'm sure the Tunnel folks will use this as a reason for us not to worry about the effects their water theft has on the salmon, since they are declining anyway, due to climate change/global warming.

[zethkinnettfishing]

no doubt this is a man caused crisis ( by men in ships with very large nets )

Yup and some of those very same people are up here on the lakes exercising their rights to gill net just about everything that swims in an attempt to eradicate bass as if they are the problem. Walk into any grocery store, costco etc and you can see why there are no freaking salmon left. They've all been caught in a net and are sitting in the stores frozen to be eaten or sold in a plastic wrapped cardboard box and laced with preservatives.