Weak salmon season done, fishermen look for government help

By David F. Smydra Jr.

Half Moon Bay Review

October 31, 2007 

The brokenhearted are often consoled that there are plenty of fish in the sea.

As commercial salmon fishermen can attest, that isn't always true around here.

Commercial salmon season out of Pillar Point Harbor closed Oct 14,, leaving many area fisherman wondering yet again how to rejuvenate a struggling industry that continues to take hard hits.

Local fisherman Jim Anderson said it was hard to tell just haw many fish were in the sea.

"I can't say there weren't a lot of fish in the ocean," Anderson said.  "There weren't a lot of fish in the area that we were allowed to fish in."

For most of the season, Pillar Point fishermen were only allowed to fish as far north as Point Arena.  They say the fish didn't stay in the area long enough to be caught, instead moving across the line.

Chuck Tracy, spokesman for the Pacific Fishery Management Council, said he was in the middle of preparing a report showing estimates of commercial salmon catches along the California coast.

"The chinook catch in California was up form what it was in 2006, but not nearly what it was in 2005," Tracy said.  "There was quite a bit more opportunity this year," he added, meaning that fishermen didn't have to contend with landing limits imposed on them as they were last year.  "But, unfortunately, given that, there weren't that many fish around," he said.

Tracy said that this year's estimated commercial catch was 94,000 salmon through August, compared to 45,000 the year before.  In 2005, however, before salmon shortages from the Klamath River severely impacted the fishery, fishermen reeled in 257,000 chinook salmon.

Responding to the emergency salmon deficit in 2006, Congress approved $60 million in disaster relief money this summer for those hurt by the diminished stock.  Federal authorities diverted Klamath waters in 2002 and 2003, which ended up killing as many as 70,000 salmon that would have spawned runs for the past couple of years.

Checks from that pot of money have started to trickle in to local fishermen, by way of forms available from the California Salmon Council.  So far, the checks only covered basic licenses that commercial fishermen obtained, which generally total up to $1,000.

"The next form that comes out will be on your catch history," said Anderson.

The disaster money has to be spread wide to cover as many people who suffered from the inferior season as possible.  Anderson said that includes fishing guides on the Klamath, recreational vehicle parks where fishermen stayed, and suppliers of fishing equipment.

Though it's early to predict next year's prospects, Anderson offered one clue.

"We haven't seen much short fish on the ocean," he said.  "Normally on a good season, during September or October, you see a bunch of short fish out there," meaning younger salmon that will grow to commercial sizes next year.

"This is way early, but right now this doesn't look real promising, as far as the Klamath salmon go," Tracy said.

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