Newport News-Times: Salmon season a disaster; Hooley, DeFazio promise fight for financial aid

Slashed commercial salmon season a disaster; Hooley, DeFazio promise fight for financial aid

By Joel Gallob Of the News-Times

April 12, 2006

Congressman Peter DeFazio (D-OR) and Congresswoman Darlene Hooley (D-OR) told about 100 members of the fishing industry they are proposing legislation that would provide immediate financial assistance to fishers and fishing communities hurt by the severely reduced West Coast salmon fishery this year, as well as funds for research to understand what has gone wrong in the Klamath River - the source of this year's salmon crisis. (Photo by Joel Gallob)

"We are here in support of our coastal communities, fishermen, deck hands, families, businesses, and citizens who are being impacted by federal decisions," Congresswoman Darlene Hooley told more than 100 fishermen and others connected with the fishing industry at a rally Monday morning at the Yaquina Bay Yacht Club in Newport.

Hooley, representing the central Oregon coast, and Congressman Peter DeFazio, representing the south coast, came to Newport to announce legislation to provide direct economic relief to fishermen impacted by the reduced Klamath Chinook-based 2006 salmon season, and to fund research to address the problems that have led to the reduction.

"Today, we stand together and call on the federal government to take action. We call the federal government to provide immediate economic relief to fishermen," Hooley said. "We call on the federal government to develop and implement long-term solutions for the health of the Klamath."

Regulators at the National Marine Fisheries Service reduced the target for returning Klamath fall Chinook spawners from the previously mandated 35,000 to 21,000, and told the Pacific Fishery Management Council to construct a commercial season based around that number. The season will exist, however, not along the entire Oregon coast but only north of the north jetty at Florence. It involves a total of 25 days in June, July and August, plus possible additional days in September (17-30) and October (17-31) - but only as "credit card fish" which, if caught, are deducted against the following year's quota. Further, there will be a cap of 75 fish caught per calendar week for each boat (and no more than 50 per boat per calendar week during September and October).

Fishermen who spoke at the Yaquina Bay Yacht Club gathering made it clear the proposed season is only minimally more than a complete economic disaster. (See related story.)

Hooley also called upon fishermen - and all others in the state's coastal communities - to sign, copy and circulate a petition handed out at the meeting supporting a disaster declaration and the federal provision of economic aid to the fishers and affected West Coast communities.

Hooley said she was glad to see there is "an intact charter season" for salmon fishing this year, but the minimal commercial season that came out of the Pacific Fisheries Management Council meeting last week was "inadequate." The season the council decided upon, she said, "will not generate enough income for fishermen to make boat payments and house payments, to feed their families, and to cover normal living expenses.

"The money that fishermen won't earn this year is money that will be taken out of the local economy," she continued. "Marine supply stores, fuel docks and other associated businesses will struggle to keep the doors open. The council decision threatens the infrastructure necessary to keep Oregon salmon in high demand and in markets across the state and nation. The restrictions placed on the commercial season threaten the life and vitality of this industry, the health of the coastal economy, and a way of life we do not want to lose."

Congressman DeFazio urged everyone present to become active in the petition campaign. "The Klamath farmers in 2002 did a great job of rallying political support. They got themselves a big assistance package, and they got water diverted. You put food on the table, too," DeFazio said. "We know there are a lot of fish out there this year, and you can't fish them. I asked them (the PFMC) for a full season this year, not because they have taken the steps that are needed, but because of the bounty of nature," which is set to provide good numbers of salmon from the Sacramento and other salmon rivers.

"But we can't wait for nature; we need to take action now," DeFazio said. "The Senate has passed an emergency supplemental appropriations bill; they added $1.5 billion for foreign aid, and $3 billion for farmers. We need to convince our people to get the money in it that we need here."

That legislation, Hooley said, began as a supplemental war appropriations bill for the conflict in Iraq but other appropriations have been added.

Hooley and DeFazio said they will need signed petitions at their offices within the next two weeks. That, Hooley explained, will give them a chance to push through their legislation providing emergency assistance to Oregon coast fishermen and related businesses.

DeFazio added that last year, after the regulators cut the salmon season by half, he and others in Congress had pressed for immediate assistance but were told to wait. "The bank won't wait on boat payments or mortgage payments," he said. "Finally, last week, they got back to us and said there was not an emergency last year because the price for salmon went up because the catch numbers went down. They said they would have papers on it."

But this week, DeFazio continued, "They say they have no policy documents, and they won't let us see the statistics. So now we have to file a Freedom of Information Act request to pry out of (the National Marine Fisheries Service) what, if anything, they have."

And, DeFazio said, "We can't let it happen again this year, we have to be pushy."

He noted a recent decision by a Federal District Court in Northern California had recently rejected a federal plan to provide biologically sufficient water for the salmon not now but several years down the road. "Now," he said, "the administration is appealing the decision requiring sending more water to the Klamath. If we can afford $1.5 billion for foreign aid, $3 billion for farmers, we can find the money to fix the Klamath. But you've got to speak up; you've got to get the petitions out. Help us get the entire delegation on board."

The entire Oregon delegation, he said, is not presently on board. When asked by a member of the audience if the holdout is Eastern Oregon Congressman Greg Walled, DeFazio looked down, and said, "No, it's a senator," referring, he said later, to Gordon Smith.

Joel Gallob is a reporter for the News-Times. He can be reached at 265-8571, ext. 223 or joel.gallob@lee.net