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WASHINGTON, DC - Today, Congressman David Wu released the statement below as federal fishery officials visit the Oregon coast to witness the effects of the federally mandated salmon fishing closure and to determine the level of assistance to be provided to affected communities.
"I am pleased to hear that Dr. Hogarth took time to meet face-to-face with Oregon salmon fishermen and to hear their stories. My sincere hope is that Dr. Hogarth realizes our communities are suffering from this erroneous federal policy and that they deserve all available federal assistance.
"This disaster wasn't created by fishermen, but rather by poor Klamath Basin management decisions made back in Washington, DC. Federal fishery officials can't expect fishermen to pay the bills and support their families with 56 day season."
On July 6, 2006, Secretary of Commerce Carlos Guitierrez declared a "Fishery Resource Disaster" to provide assistance to fishing communities in Oregon and Northern California impacted by the salmon fishing closure. This week, Dr. William T. Hogarth, director of the National Marine Fisheries Service, is visiting the Oregon coast to witness the effects of the fisheries closure on these communities.
On Thursday, July 13, Dr. Hogarth met with Oregon state officials to discuss the fishing closure, the "resource disaster" declaration, and to collect quantitative data on the effects of the closure. Today, Dr. Hogarth traveled to Newport, Oregon, to witness first-hand the effects of the fishing closure and to hear from local fishermen, port officials, and community members. The information gathered by Dr. Hogarth on his visit will help the Commerce Department determine the federal government's role in providing assistance to those communities affected by its policies.
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In April, the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) completely closed commercial ocean salmon fishing south of Florence, Oregon to Big Sur California. North of Florence to Cape Falcon, Oregon, commercial salmon fishers are restricted to a 56-day fishing season. This is a further reduction from the 96-day commercial fishing season in 2005.
NMFS says their decision to close the salmon commercial fishing season is to restore the Klamath River fall Chinook salmon run. However, ocean salmon fishing only accounts for an estimated 5% of salmon loss.
This erroneous federal policy brings unnecessary economic harm to salmon fishers, their families, related businesses and Oregon's economy. Salmon fishers expect to only catch about 10% of what is normally caught off the coasts of Oregon and California.
Congressman Wu has written several letters on behalf of Oregon salmon fishers and has attended meetings with federal officials to discuss the April decision. Officials have agreed that water mismanagement and environmental degradation are the primary causes of salmon loss, not fishing.
After pressure from Congressman Wu and other Oregon and California members of Congress, NMFS declared a fishery resource disaster, which makes fishers and related businesses eligible for loans, but not grant assistance. Tomorrow's visit to the Oregon coast, and later to the California coast, will hopefully result in a commercial fishery failure and grant assistance to salmon fishers.
Congressman Wu also played an integral role in amending an annual spending bill to include $2 million in disaster relief for salmon fishers. The account created by the amendment acts as a place holder for further action in the Senate. Congressman Wu hopes Oregon and California Senators will continue to work towards the estimated $81 million needed to help every affected salmon fisher and related businesses in Oregon's and California's coastal communities.
The situation in the Klamath Basin is not new. This is not the first time salmon fishers have seen their season cut, nor the first time they have been denied assistance. However, when Klamath Basin farmers were required to sacrifice and irrigation water was held back to protect fish, a disaster was declared within weeks and farmers received aid less than four months later.
Current federal policy has failed both fishers and farmers. Congressman Wu is a cosponsor of legislation that would require the Federal government develop and implement a coordinated, comprehensive research and recovery plan for Klamath River fall Chinook and Coho salmon. A recovery plan based on better water management and habitat restoration is the only solution that will recover salmon runs in the Klamath Basin.
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