Boxer-Feinstein: relief for salmon fishermen, tribes and related industries

In response to reports that the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) is considering a proposal to severely restrict the upcoming salmon fishing season, U.S. Senators Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein (both D-CA) and Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) today introduced legislation to provide financial relief to salmon fishermen, tribes, and related industries, and support recovery efforts for wild salmon populations in the Klamath River.

"This bill will give our salmon fishermen and their families the support they need to recover should NMFS move forward with this proposal to restrict the salmon fishing season," Senator Boxer said. "Our hard-working fishermen must not pay for this Administration's mismanagement of the Klamath River and our wild salmon populations. We must work to restore our wild salmon population so that these fishermen can continue their livelihoods - this bill is a good first step toward that."

Senator Feinstein said, "The Pacific Fishery Management Council has recommended a 90% closure of the commercial salmon fishery season along a 700-mile stretch of the California and Oregon coasts, which would cause serious hardship for fishermen and their communities. We need to get beyond finger-pointing and take practical, broadly supported steps as soon as possible to begin to restore the Klamath fishery."

The Salmon Assistance and Recovery Act would do the following:

- Provide $81 million in funding for commercial fishermen, tribes and related businesses impacted by the restricted fishing season;

- Secure $45 million for immediate conservation measures on the Klamath River, including requiring NMFS to produce a recovery plan for the salmon population within six months, and to install and update stream gauges and monitoring equipment, improve river habitat and build fish passage projects, and add additional NMFS staff and resources to better track and study the Klamath River's salmon in rivers and oceans; and

- Require NMFS to submit an annual report updating Congress on the progress of its efforts to boost water quantity, improve water quality and increase salmon populations on the Klamath River.

NMFS is estimating that only 29,000 salmon will return to the Klamath River this year to spawn - a dangerously low number. However, despite the improving health of salmon populations on other California rivers, NMFS may close or severely restrict this year's salmon season, jeopardizing the livelihoods of thousands of California fishermen, tribes, and their families.

Congressman Mike Thompson (D-CA) has introduced companion legislation in the House.