For Immediate Release,
June 1, 2021
Contact:
Salmon Fishery Plan Change Proposed to Protect Endangered Orcas
Fishing in Pacific Northwest Would Be Limited if Salmon Population Drops
SEATTLE— Federal fisheries managers proposed an amendment to the Pacific Coast Salmon Fishery Management Plan today to ensure critically endangered Southern Resident killer whales don’t starve. The proposal would limit non-tribal commercial Chinook salmon fishing in years where the estimated population falls below 966,000 salmon so that the orcas can still get enough to eat.
The amendment responds to a 2019 lawsuit by the Center for Biological Diversity and Wild Fish Conservancy and a resulting federal biological opinion to revise the fishing plan to protect orcas. The Pacific Fisheries Management Council proposed “Amendment 21” to the National Marine Fisheries Service for its review and approval.