$60 million in salmon disaster aid due this summer

June 7, 2007 , 5:35 p.m. PT

By JEFF BARNARD

The Associated Press

GRANTS PASS, Ore. (AP) — Fishermen, tribes and businesses suffering from cutbacks in salmon fishing last year to protect dwindling Klamath River stocks can expect to see their share of $60 million in federal disaster relief starting this summer.

NOAA Fisheries Director Bill Hogarth gave the news to members of Congress on Thursday in Washington , D.C.

"We still have a lot of work to do to restore the Klamath River Basin, but today we've taken a large step toward helping our salmon industry recover from last year's disastrous season," Rep. Mike Thompson, D-Calif., said in a statement.

Last August, Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez declared salmon fishing a failure from Cape Falon on the northern Oregon coast to Point Sur near Monterey , Calif.

The harvest was cut back about 90 percent by federal fisheries managers to protect chinook returning to the Klamath River in Northern California , where dams, poor habitat and low water have contributed to poor returns.

The Department of Commerce estimated direct losses to salmon fishermen alone were $16 million.

The salmon disaster aid was attached to an Iraq war funding bill, which became the subject of an intense battle between Democrats in Congress and President Bush before it was passed last month.

The money will be distributed through the Pacific Marine Fisheries Commission, based in Portland .

Mark Newell, a Newport fisherman who serves on the Oregon Salmon Commission, said the money would be coming just in time for many people.

"We are having another disaster this year," he said. "It's really going to be a godsend. Unless the season really picks up here it will be two bad ones in a row and a lot of guys would lose their boats," without the disaster assistance.

Prices have been the best ever, running between $6 and $7 a pound paid to fishermen, but few fish are being caught, Newell said. As a result he has been fishing for black cod and crab until salmon fishing improves. Fishermen who do not have permits for other fisheries have no alternatives.

Newell said specifics on how the money will be distributed are still being worked out.

But he said he expected that 10 percent will likely go to tribes, and after administrative costs are taken out the remainder will be shared 60 percent to California , which has about 700 active salmon boats, and 40 percent to Oregon , which has about 500. Fishermen and related businesses who were active from 2000 through 2006 would be eligible.

Fishermen who grossed $50,000 in a good season are likely to see about that much in disaster relief distributed in three rounds, Newell said.

The first round is likely to be about $3,000 per boat for maintaining safety gear, such as rafts and emergency locator beacons, Newell said. The second is $100 per foot of boat length for general maintenance. That would be $3,500 for a typical 35-foot boat. And the last is some factor of a fisherman's landings between 2000 and 2006.

Eureka, Calif. , fisherman Dave Bitts said in May he was boating less than 20 fish a day, compared to 50 a day in a good year.  

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Source:  http://www.oregonlive.com/newsflash/regional/index.

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