Time running out for Northwest salmon species, report says

SEATTLE (AP) — A Washington state report has found one the state’s iconic fish, salmon, is facing a threat to its existence because of climate change.

Northwest News Network reports that the 2020 State of Salmon in Watersheds report by the Washington State Recreation and Conservation Office found that the state’s salmon are teetering on the brink of extinction.

The report says 10 of 14 threatened or endangered salmon and steelhead runs in the state are not improving and that five face a crisis scenario.

The report says the state must change its response to climate change and a growing number of Washington residents.

“I’m not going to sugarcoat things. Salmon are in crisis. And they need our help now more than ever,” said Erik Neatherlin of the Governor’s Salmon Recovery Office.

Glaciers melting into cold, salmon-bearing streams are predicted to disappear and conditions for salmon will worsen as the climate changes, Neatherlin said.

Read more at: https://apnews.com/article/climate-climate-change-salmon-fish-washington-7dad440d7565edaf4684f72ebc4bb423