SAN DIEGO (NEWSnet/AP) — Federal officials are expected to ban king salmon fishing this season along much of the West Coast.

The Pacific Fishery Management Council, the authority responsible for setting ocean salmon seasons off the Pacific coast, will consider three proposals on April 7.

They call for the closure of the 2023 season for commercial and recreational salmon fishing in California and most of Oregon.

Biologists say the salmon population has declined dramatically after years of drought. 

Many in the fishing industry blame Trump-era rules for allowing more water to be diverted from the Sacramento River Basin to agriculture. 

Copyright 2023 NEWSnet. All rights reserved.