Governors Ask Congress to Support Disaster Funding for Salmon Fishers

April 22, 2008 -- Salem – Oregon Governor Ted Kulongoski, together with Governors Schwarzenegger (CA) and Gregoire (WA), sent a letter to U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi asking Congress to begin working on securing emergency appropriations for ocean salmon fishermen and related businesses that will be affected by the expected closure of much of the West Coast commercial and recreational ocean salmon fishing season.

Salmon sculpture, Oregon: Photo by p medved (CC)

“Unfortunately this is familiar territory. Ocean salmon fishermen, related businesses and their families were hit hard in 2006, and now are bracing for an even greater economic hit this year,” Governor Kulongoski said. “We know what the financial losses will be so there should be no delay in getting these emergency funds to affected Oregonians.”

The need for emergency funds follows the Pacific Fishery Management Council recommendation to the National Marine Fisheries Service to completely close commercial and recreational ocean salmon fishing on the West Coast, from Cape Falcon, Oregon and south. The council also recommended that fishing north of Cape Falcon also be severely restricted.

The closure is in response to a decline in the number of Sacramento River fall chinook returning to the river to spawn, and the poor status of coho salmon returning to Oregon and Washington rivers. It is the most restrictive fishing season in history.

The state of Oregon has estimated the financial loss to Oregon commercial and recreational ocean salmon fishermen and related businesses to be $44.9 million, including the loss of 763 jobs. For all three states, the total loss is expected to be $290 million and 4,200 jobs.

In comparison, the fishing season restrictions of 2006 amounted to $60.4 million in financial losses to Oregon and California.

The letter to Speaker Pelosi follows the Governors’ request of Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez to declare a fishery resource disaster and a commercial fishery failure. The declarations provide Congress significant leverage to appropriate disaster relief funds.

Source: Oregon Governor

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