American fisheries managers say overfishing has reached an all-time low in a new report, although some salmon runs are still struggling.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration released its annual “Status of Stocks” report this week, which shows the number of fish stocks on the overfishing list are at their lowest. It also shows that since 2000, 50 stocks have been rebuilt to sustainable levels, including coho salmon just last year only a few kilometres south of the BC border in the Snohomish region.
However, other salmon stocks on the border are in trouble. Chinook from northern Washington are now considered overfished, and coho in the Juan de Fuca Strait are still rebuilding.
Salmon fisheries off the Alaska panhandle, which take mostly BC-origin fish, are considered sustainable.
