The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) has put a temporary rule in place to stop people from fishing for Chinook salmon in the Cook Inlet exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of Alaska due to concerns about low salmon numbers. This ban applies from May 1 to August 15, 2025, to help conserve the salmon population as recent reports show they are not abundant. The decision follows assessments by NMFS and Alaska’s Department of Fish and Game, predicting poor salmon runs in upcoming years. To address these issues quickly, NMFS made the rule effective immediately, waiving the usual 30-day wait period after publication.
Simple Explanation
The people in charge of fish in Alaska are stopping fishing for a special kind of salmon called Chinook in a specific area because there aren't many of them right now. They hope this will help there be more salmon in the future.