Governors Push For Emergency Funds For Salmon Fishermen, Businesses 

Columbia Basin Bulletin

April 25, 2008  

Oregon Gov. Ted Kulongoski and Washington Gov. Christine Gregoire have 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.

“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,” 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 .

Gregoire said the “economic impacts to our states will total nearly $300 million and result in the loss of over 4,000 jobs.

“Economic assistance to commercial and recreation fishermen and women and the affected communities will be essential to deal with these closures and restrictions to our salmon fisheries. In mid-March, we sent a letter to Commerce Secretary Gutierrez imploring him to declare a federal fishery resource disaster. Now we are turning to Speaker Pelosi to ask for her assistance in this critical time. We cannot sustain the affected families, businesses or communities without federal support.”

Click here http://governor.oregon.gov/Gov/pdf/letters/042108_pelosinancy_salmon_

emergency_appropriations.pdf for a copy of the April 21 letter to Pelosi.

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