4/12/06 Restricted Salmon Fishing Impacts

(PART 2) Restricted salmon fishing impacts. I'm Greg Martin with today's Line On Agriculture. Federal regulators voted Thursday to severely restrict salmon fishing off the coasts of Oregon and Northern California this summer. The Pacific Fishery Management Council voted to close most of the 700 miles of coastline to commercial salmon fishing for much of the season. The decision was made to protect dwindling salmon populations in the Klamath River. The 1,200 West Coast fishermen who trolled for salmon last year are worried about the impact of fishing restrictions on their livelihoods as well as coastal communities up and down the West Coast that depend on the trade. Glen Spain is the Northwest regional director of the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen`s Association in Eugene, OR. SPAIN: What we're looking at is a 90% over most of the coast closure below the Columbia River. And some portion from Fort Bragg, California all the way up to Florence, Oregon would be completely closed. It's going to be a very bad year. This is the worst season that we have had as long as fisheries have been managed in the coastline. It's the worst in history. All you can say about what we've got this year is that it's not totally closed. Not only are the people who catch the fish going to be impacted but the effects will be far reaching. SPAIN: Oh it's going to be devastating. These are rural coastal areas with very few economic options. It also will affect all the processors, gear providers, fuel docks, restaurants; everybody who is involved in a salmon dependant economy is going to be severely impacted. I'm really worried about our whole infrastructure because if we wind up with good years in the future, if we lose our docks, lose our processors, lose our ice houses; all the things that we depend on to be able to deliver products to market, it may take years to recover. The sad part is that none of the problems have anything to do with fishing. The problems are all in the Klamath River. There are plenty of salmon in the ocean, but it`s nearly impossible to catch those salmon without taking Klamath fish because fishermen can`t distinguish between salmon from different rivers. Finally Spain says the government is not quick to respond. SPAIN: What is appalling to me is how little response the federal government has made toward preparing for or obtaining disaster assistance for people who are going to out of work through no fault of their own. That's about our only hope at this point is disaster assistance under a declaration of fishery failure by the Secretary of Commerce. That's today's Line On Agriculture. I'm Greg Martin on the Northwest Ag Information Network.