Help for salmon fishermen now has a more bipartisan base in California, with Republicans joining in supporting beleaguered commercial salmon fishers.
Democratic Assemblywoman Patty Berg said last week that Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger had taken an important step in helping the North Coast fishing community by declaring a state of emergency due to severe federal restrictions on this year”s salmon season.
The governor”s declaration, which came days after Berg and a bipartisan group of lawmakers sent a letter seeking his help, includes a provision to make guaranteed loans available to fishing men and women who are suffering from the depleted salmon season.
“This is a good step and a welcome step,” said Berg, D-Eureka, in a press release. She represents Mendocino County especially if it leads to federal assistance and new water policies on the Klamath.
The bipartisan efforts to help commercial fishermen last week was followed on Monday, when the U.S. Senate approved the Magnuson-Stevens Reauthorization Act which includes two key provisions to help salmon fishermen. With the new provisions, fishermen and those who depend on salmon fishing to make a living are made eligible for assistance, and the Secretary of Commerce is required to complete a recovery plan for Klamath River Coho salmon.
Fort Bragg”s salmon fleet is virtually out of business this year and has been in decline for a decade, as seasons have been cut because of river habitat issues. The commercial fleet once provided many local jobs and even donated fish for the annual World”s Largest Salmon Barbecue and many restoration efforts. Sport fishermen have picked up the slack for this year”s event, which is July 1.
While California”s Democratic contingent, including Congressman Mike Thompson and Sen. Dianne Feinstein, has long been pushing the aid for salmon fishers, a Republican senator from Oregon, who has been blamed for pushing to divert more water to farmers in the Klamath watershed, has been a key player in getting aid for the commercial fishers.
Some expressed dissatisfaction following Schwarzenegger”s June 5 proclamation of a state of emergency in 10 California counties, including Mendocino, because it guaranteed only emergency loans to those who had suffered damage from the severely restricted salmon season. Many feel that more aid and action on the Klamath River is required for a long-term solution.
Federal regulators have imposed stringent restrictions on salmon fishing this year because of a dramatically depleted stock of salmon on the Klamath River. The restrictions have all but suspended the usually robust salmon harvest off the coast of California and Oregon.
Schwarzenegger promised $778,000 as a state guarantee to help fisher men and women obtain emergency loans. More importantly, though, his declaration may be a precursor to federal assistance and long-term change.
The governor called salmon fishing the economic lifeblood of many Northern California communities, and said he hoped his proclamation would help the communities recover.
Berg praised the governor”s efforts and said she hoped more help would come, both from Sacramento and the White House.
“Loan guarantees obviously aren”t a long-term solution,” said Berg, in the press release. “Restoration of flows and water quality on the Klamath is what we need. I look forward to the day when we don”t have to search for relief money, because we”ve restored the system, and salmon are once again spawning as they should in our rivers.”
The governor”s proclamation included the counties of Monterey, Santa Cruz, San Mateo, San Francisco, Marin, Sonoma, Mendocino, Humboldt, Del Norte, and Siskiyou.
Also this week, the National Marine Fisheries Service will deliver to Congress the 2005 Status of U.S Fisheries detailing the health of U.S fish populations. The annual report is required under the Magnuson-Stevens Act.
A recent analysis of past reports by the Marine Fish Conservation Network entitled “Shell Game: How the Federal Government is Hiding the Mismanagement of Our Nation”s Fisheries” found administrative shuffling was responsible for a statistical decline in overfished populations. The report is available at: www.conservefish.org/site/pubs/network_reports/.
