NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – With the West Coast’s salmon fisheries in crisis, on Thursday California Gov. Edmund G. Brown Jr. and Oregon Gov. Kate Brown sent a letter to U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross requesting declaration of a catastrophic regional fishery disaster and commercial fishery failure for salmon in their states.
Officials report that there has been an unprecedented collapse in the salmon population in California and Oregon.
Tribal allocations are at an all-time low, and the proposed closures and minimal open salmon fishing seasons will have significant negative impacts on thousands of West Coast residents.
The declaration the governors are seeking begins the process for requesting federal aid to assist commercial salmon anglers and salmon-dependent business who continue to suffer from declining salmon populations.
“California salmon fishermen are facing an unprecedented crisis and we are grateful for the governor who is standing strong for the hard-working men and women of California’s salmon fleet,” said Sen. Mike McGuire, who represents California’s North Coast, including Lake County.
“The California salmon fishery is our state’s oldest and it’s one of the most iconic fisheries in America. Thousands of working families on the North Coast are in crisis and desperately need our help – today’s action by the governor brings us one step closer to providing that support,” McGuire said Thursday.
Last month, the Pacific Fishery Management Council’s projections for salmon in these states were dire.
In the 2017 season, many miles of coastline will be closed to commercial salmon fishing and allowable catch will be greatly reduced, compounding the already significantly lower economic returns seen in 2016.
The drought, poor ocean conditions and federal water management policies caused high mortality and very low survival of juvenile salmon resulting in low adult numbers and devastating closures for the 2017 salmon season.
For more information about declared West Coast disasters, visit the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration list at www.nmfs.noaa.gov/sfa/management/disaster/determinations/wcro.html .
The governors’ letter can be seen below.
052417 California and Oregon governors salmon disaster letter by LakeCoNews on Scribd