Council to recommend salmon rules for Calif. coast; more fishing expected for Oregon, Wash.

Council eyes Calif., Oregon, Wash. salmon changes

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California salmon fishermen may not get much, if any, time on the ocean this year.

The Pacific Fishery Management Council meets Thursday in Sacramento and is expected to issue three proposals that outline where West Coast fishermen would be allowed to cast lines and nets.

Washington and Oregon fishermen are expected to fare better because salmon are more abundant there.

Fishing off the California coast could be canceled for a third straight year because of concerns about the decline in fall-run chinook salmon returning to rivers in the Central Valley.

But the council also will consider limited fishing for both recreational and commercial fishermen in California.