Half Moon Bay Holds Wild Pacific Salmon Summit
HALF MOON BAY (AP) -- Members of Congress, fishermen and scientists are gathering in Half Moon Bay to discuss ways to restore California's once-abundant salmon runs.
U.S. Rep. Jackie Speier helped organize Saturday's wild Pacific salmon summit in Half Moon Bay. It is scheduled to begin at 11 a.m.
The fish's populations have been dwindling for years, with the most dramatic losses in the Sacramento River Basin.
Its numbers there have plummeted from 769,868 returning chinook in 2002 to a record-low 39,500 fall chinook last year.
Officials have responded with a ban on commercial fishing off the coast of California and much of Oregon the past two years, devastating the fishing industry.
Experts say a full recovery of Central Valley chinook salmon could create thousands of new jobs and pump billions into California's economy.
