The salmon harvest so far this year has been about 10% of
average because of fishing limits set by federal officials concerned about
ebbing returns of adult fish to the Klamath River.
Though several West Coast tributaries are seeing robust salmon runs, the
Klamath has suffered sharp declines blamed on drought, a proliferation of
disease and parasites that afflict fish, dams that block migration, and
river flows lowered by water diversions to farmers.
The bill died despite a bipartisan effort.
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger sponsored the legislation and two Democrats —
state Sen. Wesley Chesbro of Arcata and Assemblywoman Patty Berg of Eureka
— attempted to shepherd it through the Legislature.
Fishermen held Assembly Speaker Fabian Nuñez (D-Los Angeles) responsible
for the measure's demise, saying he refused to push any meaningful bailout.
"I know I've been this angry before, but I can't remember when,"
said Dave Bitts, a Eureka fisherman. "This seems to lie squarely on the
shoulders of the speaker, and I don't understand how a Democrat would turn
his back on working people and abandon an industry to die."
When the bill ran aground earlier this week, a Nuñez spokesman blamed the
governor's office for failing to settle differences with opponents of the
bill, in particular yacht harbors in Southern California worried about their
own funds being drained to help the fishermen. Fishermen, however, said
those qualms had been settled.
At a news conference Friday morning, Nuñez had to check with staff when he
was asked why the Legislature failed to pass a bill to help the salmon
industry.
"What did we do with salmon relief?" he asked his aides.
They said a bill failed to reach the Assembly from the Senate.
"I know that at one point I had Assemblywoman Berg and Sen. Chesbro in
my office," Nuñez said, "but there were about a thousand other
things going on so I told Danny Eaton [Nuñez's chief of staff], work this
out."
Later, Nuñez spokesman Richard Stapler said there wasn't enough time to
craft effective legislation.
"We need to look for a long-term solution for the fishing industry —
and we cannot do this in the last and busiest week of the legislative
session," Stapler said, adding that Schwarzenegger should use his
emergency powers to provide immediate help.
The failure of the Legislature to approve funding contrasts with actions in
Oregon, where commercial fishermen have received bailout checks.
Now the hopes of California fishermen and the salmon industry will turn to
Congress.
On Aug. 10, U.S. Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez declared a commercial
fisheries failure for the West Coast salmon industry after months of
prodding by Schwarzenegger and the other West Coast governors, U.S. senators
and representatives.
The declaration opened the door for Congress to approve relief funding. Rep.
Mike Thompson (D-St. Helena) is pushing for more than $80 million in
disaster relief as well as money to fix the Klamath River's environmental
ills.
"We're disappointed the state wasn't able to pass the disaster
legislation," said Thompson's legislative director, Jonathan Birdsong.
"But my boss and other lawmakers from the affected region are still
dedicated to getting emergency dollars appropriated."
That could take time. Congress is scheduled to recess at the end of this
month and not return until after the November elections.