Print
Feb 6, 2008 7:33 pm US/Pacific
Endangered Salmon Population Plummets In Marin
LAGUNITAS (AP) ―
The number of endangered coho salmon returning to spawn in Marin County has plummeted, and scientists are trying to figure out why.
Marin's Lagunitas watershed is home to one of the state's largest remaining populations of wild coho salmon. Coho have become extinct in 90 percent of California streams that once supported the species.
The steep coho decline in Marin will make it difficult for its fragile population to bounce back.
Biologists speculate that Marin coho may be affected by ocean conditions possibly related to climate change, flooding that flushed out coho eggs or the Cosco Busan oil spill.
Rivers and creeks throughout California have experienced a sharp decline in returning salmon populations over the past year.
(© 2009 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
