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Commercial Salmon Fishing Closed, Very Limited Sport Season
Allowed
Governor Issues Disaster Declaration
by
Dan Bacher
Ocean salmon fishing will be limited this year to a 10-day
recreational season off California's North Coast in late August and early
September, while salmon fishing in the Central Valley will be restricted to a
short stretch of the Sacramento River from November 16 through December
31.
The
Pacific Fishery Managemement Council (PFMC) closed all commercial salmon fishing
off California and Southern Oregon during their meeting in Millbrae on April 8,
due to the collapse of the Sacramento River fall run Chinook salmon
population.
The
adoption of closed and severely restricted salmon seasons in California prompted
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger to issue a proclamation on April 21 declaring a
state of emergency in California and to send a letter to U.S. Secretary of
Commerce Gary Locke asking for his support in obtaining federal disaster
assistance.
The
only positive news is that recreational anglers will be able to fish for Chinook
salmon in California ocean waters for the first time since 2007 when the 10 day
season in the Klamath Management Zone (KMZ) of northern California and southern
Oregon opens from August 29 through September 7. The PFMC approved the short
season to target Klamath River Chinooks in California from the OR/CA border to
Horse Mountain, just south of the Mattole River mouth, and in Oregon from Humbug
Mountain to the OR/CA border.
Anglers will be allowed to take two Chinooks over 24 inches per day
in this area during the season. The season is still subject to approval by the
National Marine Fisheries Service. With the exception of the ten-day North Coast
season, recreational salmon fishing off the California coast will be closed for
the second year in a row.
As
recently as 2002, 775,000 adults returned to spawn in Central Valley rivers.
Last year, 66,200 fall run Chinook returned to the Sacramento. “About 122,100
fish are forecast to return this year—twice last year’s returns but still not
enough to support commercial and recreational Chinook fisheries,” said Don
McIssac, executive director of the PFMC.
“If
the weather cooperates during the 10 day period, this will be a boon to the
North Coast economy,” said Jim Martin, West Coast Director of the Recreational
Fishing Alliance. “The theory behind having a season at this time is that it is
late enough in the season that Sacramento Chinooks will have already passed
through the region.”
The
season was proposed by the Klamath Management Zone Fishery Coalition, a bi-state
coalition, and Humboldt Area Saltwater Anglers, a group affiliated with
RFA.
“The season timing was designed around minimizing impacts to
Sacramento River Chinooks,” said Ben Doane, who is on the board of both
organizations. “The season will be based on an ocean abundance of 474,000
3-year-old Klamath Chinooks. The projected impact upon Sacramento River stocks
this year would be 26 Chinook, including 18 in California and 8 in
Oregon.”
The
fishing is expected to be productive, though the fish will not be as plentiful
as they are in July and August. “However, the salmon caught this time of year
tend to be the largest fish,” he said. “It’s a tradeoff.”
The
season was crafted around two weekends so that charter boat operations, tackle
stores, motels, r.v. parks and other businesses would benefit most from the
short season.
Ports that anglers will be able to fish out of include Port Orford,
Gold Beach, Brookings, Crescent City, Trinidad and Eureka. Anglers launching out
of Shelter Cove will also be able to fish for salmon north of Horse Mountain,
according to Doane.
In
Oregon, anglers will also be able to participate in a selective coho salmon
fishery from June 20 through the earlier of August 31 or an 110,000 marked coho
quota for the area between Cape Falcon and the OR/CA border. “The ocean
abundance of combined hatchery and wild coho is estimated to be 1.3 million in
2009,” noted Doane.
Meanwhile, the California Fish and Game Commission on April 21
voted to allow salmon fishing only on the Sacramento River between Knights
Landing and the Lower Red Bluff Boat Ramp from November 16 and December 31. The
bag limit is one Chinook salmon per day and in possession.
This season was reduced 2 weeks from last year's 2-month season
over fears that fall run Chinooks were being caught. The fishery targets late
fall run Chinooks, a separate run of fish that is not considered to be in
collapse. Salmon fishing in all other Central Valley rivers, including the
American, Feather and Yuba, will be closed again this year.
The
second year of fishery closures in California and southern Oregon will be
devastating to coastal and inland fishing communities dependent upon the income
generated by recreational and commercial fishing. Congress last year allocated
$170 million in salmon disaster relief to keep fishing businesses afloat. It is
expected that the $54 million of this aid that remains will be distributed this
year, but more aid is needed to fully address the economic devastation caused by
the salmon closures.
On
April 21, Governor Schwarzenegger issued a proclamation declaring a state of
emergency in California caused by the economic impact of the salmon closures.
Schwarzenegger sent a letter to U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke asking for
his support in obtaining federal disaster assistance for commercial and
recreational salmon fishing businesses.
“California’s salmon are a vital resource that contributes greatly
to our economy, our environment and our way of life,” said Governor
Schwarzenegger. “Today I am asking the federal government to make the necessary
resources available to help the fishing industry cope with a second year of
economic and recreational impacts.”
Schwarzenegger joined with Oregon Governor Kulongoski in sending a
letter to Commerce Secretary Locke requesting a fishery resource disaster under
the Interjurisdictional Fisheries Act of 1986 and a commercial fishery failure
under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act of 1976.
salmon decline. For more information, go to http://www.pcouncil.org.
Below is the full text of the Governor’s
proclamation:
A
PROCLAMATION OF A STATE OF EMERGENCY
WHEREAS California’s salmon runs are a vital component of our great
State’s resources and contribute significant environmental, recreational,
commercial, and economic benefits to the people; and
WHEREAS the Sacramento River Fall Run Chinook Salmon have been
significantly impacted by poor ocean conditions, and other environmental
factors; and
WHEREAS the Sacramento River Fall Run Chinook Salmon, traditionally
a mainstay salmon population for the West Coast, have declined in population to
a level where California's and Oregon’s recreational and commercial fisheries
are being provisionally closed; and
WHEREAS Sacramento River Fall Run Chinook Salmon are predicted to
have low ocean abundance again in 2009 in waters from Cape Falcon in northern
Oregon to the U.S./Mexico Border in San Diego County, California;
and
WHEREAS appropriate management of the Sacramento River Fall Run
Chinook Salmon is critical to California’s businesses, and local communities
that provide goods and services in support of California’s salmon fisheries;
and
WHEREAS on April 21, 2009, I requested U.S. Secretary of Commerce
Gary Locke to use his authority under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation
and Management Act to determine that there has been a commercial fishery failure
due to a fishery resource disaster; and
WHEREAS on April 8, 2009, the Pacific Fishery Management Council
adopted final regulatory recommendations to close commercial salmon fishing and
impose severe restrictions on recreational salmon fishing, and it is anticipated
that the National Marine Fisheries Service will adopt an emergency rule followed
by a declaration by the U.S. Secretary of Commerce, that is consistent with the
Council's action; and
WHEREAS these restrictions will have significant impacts to
California’s commercial and recreational ocean salmon and Central Valley
in-river recreation salmon fisheries and will result in severe economic losses
throughout the State, including an estimated $279 million economic impact and
the loss of an estimated 2,690 jobs; and
WHEREAS the serious circumstances of the Sacramento River Fall Run
Chinook Salmon put at risk the livelihoods of families and businesses dependent
upon them.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER, Governor of the State of
California, find that conditions of disaster or of extreme peril to the safety
of persons and property exist within California due to the poor ocean conditions
and resulting from the significant restrictions that have been imposed again on
the State’s salmon fisheries, and the magnitude of this disaster will likely
exceed the capabilities of the services, personnel, and facilities of any single
county, city and county, or city in California, and require or will
likely require the combined forces of a mutual aid region or regions to
combat. Therefore, I find California to be in a state of emergency, and under
the authority of the California Emergency Services Act, I HEREBY PROCLAIM A
STATE OF EMERGENCY exists in California.
In
addition, pursuant to this Proclamation:
I
DIRECT the Director of the California Department of Fish and Game and the
Secretary of the Natural Resources Agency to: (1) report to me immediately upon
final action of the Department of Commerce and the California Fish and Game
Commission on any further actions necessary to ensure the protection of the
resource and of the economic livelihood of the fishery participants and local
communities; and (2) address the long-term restoration and management of the
Sacramento River Fall Run Chinook Salmon in ongoing discussions with federal
agencies and representatives from conservation and fishing organizations and
fishing communities.
I
FURTHER DIRECT the Secretary of the Business, Transportation and
Housing
Agency, with the cooperation of the Department of Finance, to
activate the Small Business Disaster Assistance Loan Guarantee Program to
guarantee loans to prevent business insolvencies and loss of employment in
California as a result of this State of Emergency.
I
FURTHER DIRECT that to ensure that adequate assistance is available to
individuals who have lost their jobs as a result of this emergency, the
Secretary of the Labor and Workforce Development Agency and the Director of the
Employment Development Department shall make available additional assistance
grants in those circumstances where the local Dislocated Worker formula
allocation is not adequate to cover the demand for services to individuals who
have lost their jobs as a result of this State of Emergency.
I
FURTHER DIRECT the Director of the Department of Fish and Game to request from
the U.S. Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service, that California
continue to receive the maximum apportionment for federal funds under the
federal Sport Fish Restoration Act allowable for the years 2009 and 2010 through
an exemption from the apportionment calculation of other suitable means since a
predicted decrease in fishing license sales may negatively affect the State's
apportionment.
I
FURTHER DIRECT the Director of the Department of Fish and Game to take all
necessary actions to issue refunds for commercial fishing salmon stamps issued
under Fish and Game Code section 7860, and for Commercial Salmon Vessel Permits
issued under Fish and Game Code sections 8235 and 8245, paid for the current
2009 commercial fishing salmon season because retention of such fees would
hinder mitigation of the effects of this emergency.
I
FURTHER DIRECT that no administrative charges, by any State department, agency,
board, commission or office, will be claimed or charged to the Department of
Fish and Game for the processing of these refunds.
I
FURTHER DIRECT that as soon as hereafter possible, this proclamation be filed in
the Office of the Secretary of State and that widespread publicity and notice be
given of this proclamation.
IN
WITNESS WHEREOF I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Great Seal of the
State of California to be affixed this 21st day of April
2009.
___________________________________
ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER
Governor of California
ATTEST:
___________________________________
DEBRA BOWEN
Secretary of State
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