The Pacific Chinook salmon population of Oregon and California is suddenly on the verge of collapse after years of decline. Federal fisheries managers are considering a ban on salmon fishing from Oregon to the Mexican border.
The fishery council is expected to decide which action to take in April during its meeting in Seattle.
"I think the likeliest outcome this year is no one will put a hook in the water," said Humboldt County fisherman Dave Bitts, who was attending the weeklong meeting in Sacramento.
The Sacramento River chinook run is usually one of the most plentiful on the West Coast, providing the bulk of the fish caught by commercial trollers off California and Oregon.
But this year's returns - even with no fishing allowed - are expected to reach less than half the council's goal for spawning a new generation. It marks the third straight year of declines, and the outlook for next year is no better.
John Larson reports on the dire situation in the NBC video below.
