UC Davis

This thesis is focused on the experience of fishing communities, Tribes, and frontline communities impacted by declining chinook salmon populations in the Bay-Delta Watershed of California, especially considering the 2023 and 2024 salmon season closure. This work analyzes the impacts of state and federal water projects on salmon, salmon conservation policies, community engagement efforts, and how feedback from fishing, environmental, and tribal entities are incorporated into policy and conservation. I use critical discourse analysis to examine news articles and public comments, as well as interviews with area experts on salmon decline, public policy, and advocacy. These results show that fishing communities, including tribal, subsistence, recreational, and subsistence, and salmon-reliant Tribes are greatly impacted by the decline of salmon in California. Additionally, this thesis concludes with some actionable steps that policy makers and agencies tasked with salmon conservation and water resource management can take to improve conditions for all salmon-reliant communities.