University of Washington study finds Chinook salmon size, age declining

KGMI News

SEATTLE, Wash. –  A new study finds that Chinook salmon in the Columbia River and the northeastern Pacific Ocean are smaller and younger.

The Seattle Times reports researchers have found big chinook have decreased both in numbers and in size — as much as 10 percent in length and substantially more in weight.

Scientists from the University of Washington, and other agencies examined 85 chinook populations along the West Coast of North America and found in some Alaska populations, big chinook are virtually nonexistent.