By Valliant Corley

Pilot staff writer

Curry County commercial fishermen are overjoyed that federal officials have declared a salmon fisheries failure. They say that disaster declaration could help keep some fishermen from being forced out of business.

Federal officials Thursday made the declaration, necessary for Congress to appropriate money for direct grants and other aid to those affected by the salmon shutdown.

"This disaster declaration paves the way for Congress to provide critical financial aid to the fishermen and small businesses devastated by the closure of the salmon fishery," said Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore. "This assistance may make the difference between being able to put groceries on the table or make their mortgage payments. Securing this funding will be a top priority for us when Congress returns in September."

Deputy Secretary of Commerce David A. Sampson and Director of National Marine Fisheries Services Bill Hogarth made the declaration during a meeting with fishermen in Charleston.

Curry County Commissioner Ralph Brown, a boat owner and fisherman, called the declaration "a needed step. It wasn't rosy last year and they declined to declare. This year is worse."

"I really welcome it," said Ralph Dairy of Brookings, who has been a commercial salmon fisherman since the late 1970s. "It's a long time in the works. It's better late than never."

"Oregon's fishermen now have priority for aid," Sen. Gordon Smith, R-Ore., said. "The declaration clears the way for federal funds to be distributed to the fishermen and businesses supported by salmon fishing."

Smith said he would continue pressing the federal purse for aid.

"The salmon industry must be sustained to maintain the vitality of the local economy," Smith said. "Commerce officials meeting with the fishermen and seeing the closure's impact helped make the case for the declaration crystal clear."

The U.S. Senate has agreed to $10 million in aid, however, funding is not final. Senators Smith and Wyden said they will be working to reconcile the Senate bill with a House of Representatives version that includes $2 million in funding to support the salmon fishermen and affected businesses.

The federal government has severely restricted salmon fishing off the coast of Northern California and Oregon in an effort to protect dwindling returns to the Klamath River.

"A lot of people went ahead and spent money to get their boats ready," Dairy said. "They charged up their credit cards and had nowhere to go.

"A lot of fishermen will be welcoming the news," he said.

Dairy said there are more than 30 salmon trollers in Brookings.

"It's kind of a blessing, really," Dairy said. "I hope we can prevent this from happening in the future."

Dairy said he has been fishing salmon since 1978.

"I was a teenager," he said. "I've got my whole life to commercial fishing."

Brown estimated that 100 or more Curry County fishermen could be affected.

"The state of Oregon received over 300 applications for that $500,000 they came up with," Brown said of funds Gov. Ted Kulongoski and legislative leaders earlier provided to help commercial salmon fishermen.

Kulongoski said he would release $500,000 from his Strategic Reserve Fund.

Senate President Peter Courtney, D-Salem, and House Speaker Karen Minnis, R-Wood Village, agreed that the Legislature's Emergency Board will reserve another $500,000 to be released in September.

That money will help fishermen pay bills associated with their boats and businesses.

Brown said that the federal disaster funds would likely require a 25 percent local match.

"The money the state has come up with provides that local match," he said. "The state doesn't have to scurry around and find the match. They've already done that."

Brown said he doesn't fish for salmon so isn't affected the way those fishermen are.

"But my brother does," he said.

Dairy said officials need to do something to keep the Klamath fish from hurting those fishing for other salmon.

"What really needs to happen is to mark every one of those Klamath fish," he said. "We would catch and release them all. There would still be plenty of fish."