Prognosis negative for salmon fishing

John Driscoll

The Times-Standard

03/15/2008

Federal fisheries managers erased nearly all chances for a salmon season along the California coast during a week-long hearing in Sacramento .

By Friday afternoon, it appeared that allowing any sport or commercial fishing south of central Oregon would require an emergency order from the National Marine Fisheries Service, which is frowning at the suggestion.

The Pacific Fishery Management Council hashed out three options at the meeting that will be vetted by its technical team and considered for adoption in April.

The most liberal would allow small commercial quota fisheries, including one in the Humboldt Bay region, and nine days of sport fishing centered on the three major holidays. The second proposal calls for research fishing only in this area. The last option, and perhaps the most likely to be adopted, would close all seasons from Cape Falcon , Ore. south to the Mexican border.

”It does look really bad, the worst I've ever seen,” said Jimmy Smith, a Humboldt County supervisor and sportfishing representative to the Klamath Fisheries Zone Coalition.

Sacramento River king salmon -- the staple of West Coast fisheries -- made an exceptionally poor showing last year. Only about half the fish biologists say are needed to allow a fishery returned to the river. While some are blaming poor ocean conditions for the collapse, others are pointing to water diversions and water quality problems in the heavily utilized river system as major contributors.

”We need to do everything we can to find out if there were problems in freshwater that caused this collapse of stocks in the Sacramento River,” said Eureka commercial fisherman Dave Bitts.

He said fishermen will be seeking disaster relief, and cited an effort by Rep. Mike Thompson, D-St. Helena, and California Sen. Dianne Feinstein to get that under way.

The U.S. Commerce Department reportedly told a House committee that it will have a declaration regarding the disaster by May. That would open the door for Congress to provide millions in aid, which may be more needed than in 2006, when severe cutbacks to fishing were put in place.

John Driscoll can be reached at 441-0504 or jdriscoll@times-standard.com.

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Source:  http://www.times-standard.com/localnews/ci_8583114