CHARLESTON -- On Friday, Oregon Governor Ted Kulongoski is
heading to Newport to host "Salmon Summit 2." The plan is
to talk about what state and federal agencies have done since the first Salmon
Summit, held on March 28 2006, to soften the blow of this year's commercial
salmon fishing closures.
But many commercial fishermen are tired of talking. They want
action and disaster relief.
It's been nearly three months since the typical start to the salmon fishing
season. Ideas were tossed around at the first Salmon Summit for
what disaster relief toward coastal communities might look like. Ideas
discussed included breaks on moorage costs, along with the state's potential
creation of temporary jobs.
In April, when the Federal Government called for a near-complete ban of salmon
fishing along the Pacific Coast, there was a lot of confusion as to what ideas
the government would implement to support the fishing fleet.
But again, fishermen don't want ideas. They want something to
happen. "The first governor's summit, we really thought
there'd be some action taken," said Jeff Reeves, an Oregon Salmon
Commissioner. "And maybe it's not in the Governor's power to
do that. But we like to be let known
that if nothing can happen, just let us know. We can move onto some
other plan and move on with our lives."
Reeves added that it's not a matter of fishermen overfishing the ocean;
rather, it's about managing the Klamath River to ensure the future and
well-being of the fishing fleet.
Friday's Salmon Summit II is at the Newport City Hall at 10:30 am. It
will feature state legislators, along with fishermen, business-owners, and
private citizens.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
NOTE: In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107, any copyrighted
material herein is distributed without profit or payment to those who
have
expressed a prior interest in receiving this information for
non-profit
research and educational purposes only. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml
