Commercial Salmon Fishing Closed, Very Limited Sport Season Allowed

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.

Anglers are reminded that that there will be three exclusion zones where anglers cannot fish for salmon during this period (refer to Section 27.75 a, b & c of the DFG Ocean Sportfishing Regulations, http://www.dfg.ca.gov/marine/pdfs/oceanfish2009.pdf).

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

###