With partial closure of the West Coast’s commercial and sport chinook salmon seasons already a fact and a full closure of the season not far behind, the media are sitting up and taking notice.

The economic impacts will surely be huge — big enough to garner attention from around the globe. I thought a quick roundup of articles from a range of media outlets would prove educational. I was right.

First, Britain’s U.K. Independent weighs in with an excellent overview of the situation, including a map of the West Coast of the US (was it for their readers, or the vast majority of geographically challenged Americans?).

America’s west coast looks set to lose almost all of its wild salmon harvest this year, depriving fish retailers and restaurants around the world of one of their key sources of high-quality fish, and raising troubling questions about the viability of commercial fishing in an age of climate change and increased competition over water use.

The New York Times writes some typically tight lead paragraphs focused on the gravity of the situation: Read more →