State wildlife regulators voted to ban commercial salmon fishing along the coast of California to protect the Chinook salmon run in the Sacramento River after a sharp drop in population. Tuesday's unanimous vote by the Fish and Game Commission follows last week's decision by federal regulators. California regulators decided to ban salmon fishing in state waters extending three miles from shore after surveys found a near-record low number of Chinook salmon returning to spawn in the Sacramento River and its tributaries last fall. According to Bloomberg news, the Sacramento River supports a $103 million commercial and recreational salmon fishery covering California and most of Oregon. In California, commercial salmon fishing is a $150-million business.

The drop in production will likely raise the cost of a salmon dinner as worldwide buyers for Chinook, also known as king salmon, turn to supplies in Washington and Alaska. The number returning to the river to spawn, the measurement officials use to gauge the health of the population, is projected to be 54,000 this year, less than half of the 122,000 to 180,000 average. In 2002, 775,000 adult salmon returned to the river. The fisheries council plans to examine 46 different possibilities for the loss, including the diversion of water from the river for agriculture and less food for the fish. “The reason for the sudden decline of Sacramento River fish is a mystery,'' said Don McIsaac, executive director of the Pacific Fishery Management Council, in a statement. California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has declared a state of emergency and is seeking additional federal aid for restoring the fisheries and the communities that will be affected. Right now, the decision does not include fishing in local rivers or the Delta. The Fish and Game Commission has scheduled a May 9th meeting to consider whether to allow sport salmon fishing in California rivers this year.