Sacramento River (© christy mitchell | Dreamstime.com)

The richest source of King salmon south of Alaska has almost completely collapsed, according to a report in the New York Times. King, or Chinook salmon, are among the most prized wild fish from the Pacific Ocean.

Normally, the salmon swim upstream each fall to spawn, the most robust run in the Sacramento River. Their virtual disappearance has experts baffled and led to accusations of mismanagement. Some fishermen believe that government agencies diverted too much water for the benefit of powerful agricultural interests and dry cities to the south. Government officials and some scientists believe the salmon vanished due to upwelling ocean currents being out of sync, but no one knows for sure.

The article in the Times quotes Donald McIsaac, executive director of the Pacific Fisheries Management Council, “It’s unprecedented that this fishery is in this kind of shape.” The regional $150 million fishery is almost certain to remain closed this year.

If you’d like to read the article in the New York Times cited above go to: Chinook Salmon Vanish Without a Trace