State bans coastal salmon fishing

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More bad news for salmon fishers: State regulators Tuesday banned salmon fishing this year in coastal waters off California, just days after a federal decision to cancel the season for the first time ever.

The California Fish and Game Commission voted unanimously to prohibit commercial and recreational salmon fishing in state waters, which extend three miles off the coast.

The federal ban approved last week by the Pacific Fishery Management Council applies to U.S. waters extending from three to 200 miles off the coasts of California and Oregon.

Government regulators are taking the unprecedented action because runs of fall-run chinook salmon are experiencing a sharp decline.

Scientists say the most worrisome trouble is on the Sacramento River.

-- Eric Bailey