West Coast fishermen will have the smallest ocean salmon harvest on record this year, a dismal turn in fortunes that underscores the challenges in trying to rebuild the region's once-abundant fish runs.

Salmon fishing will be nearly halted off most of the Oregon and California coasts and harvest levels would shrink significantly off the Washington coast under a plan approved Thursday by the Pacific Fishery Management Council.

The cutbacks will hit sport, tribal and commercial trollers, as well as coastal towns which look to strong salmon seasons to help draw visitors. The cutbacks also could mean scarce supplies and steeper prices for consumers who buy fresh-caught Northwest salmon rather than much more abundant wild Alaska salmon or farmed salmon.

"Collectively, from Canada to Mexico, this will be the worst ever season off the West Coast," said Don McIssac, executive director of the Pacific Fishery Management Council, which will pass on the harvest plan to NOAA Fisheries for final approval. Both Oregon Gov. Ted Kulongoski and Washington Gov. Christine Gregoire are expected to seek federal assistance for the hardest-hit fishermen.

Most of the salmon in trouble spend their ocean time off the coasts of Oregon and California, rather than heading north to feed off Alaska. Scientists say these fish have encountered a scarcity of food in recent years that could have greatly reduced survival rates.

"Since 2003, the [ocean] food chain that supports the salmon has not been very productive," said Bill Peterson, a NOAA Fisheries marine scientist based in Newport, Oregon who tracks ocean conditions in the Northwest.

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