Final answer:
Pacific Ocean salmon, like the Chinook salmon, reproduce only once in their lifetims before death. Improved weather conditions can increase salmon quantity and potentially reduce price.
Step-by-step explanation:
During its lifetim, a Pacific Ocean salmon, such as the Chinook salmon, reproduces only once before it dies. The reproductive cycle of the salmon includes several stages: starting off blue tinged with silver in the ocean, they turn red with green heads before spawning. The young salmon, or fry, then spend up to three years in their freshwater lake before migrating to the ocean where they spend one to four years. Navigational cues for finding their way back to their home river to spawn include the unique smell of their natal stream and possibly cues from the sun.
The excellent weather conditions during the summer of 2015 off the California coast, which included heavier than normal river flows and cooler ocean temperatures that boosted plankton growth, would likely have increased the quantity of salmon due to improved breeding opportunities and food supply. This increase in supply could potentially lower the price of salmon due to greater availability.