Which factor contributed to the West Coast fishery collapse?

• A. Overfishing
• B. Lack of salmon treaty
• C. Changes in natural conditions
• D. Improved fishing technology

Answer: (A)

When a fish population is removed faster than it can reproduce, the stock declines and can eventually crash. Overfishing directly lowers the number of breeding adults, so fewer fish return to spawn and future recruitment drops. If this pattern continues, catches shrink and the fishery collapses. Changes in natural conditions can cause fluctuations from year to year, and improved fishing technology can make harvesting more efficient, but the core issue behind a collapse is harvesting that exceeds what the population can replace. A lack of a salmon treaty would affect management, but it doesn’t account for the actual decline in fish when removal outpaces reproduction.