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Short Salmon Season is in the Works

Posted on: Friday, 7 April 2006, 15:00 CDT

By Matt Weiser, The Sacramento Bee, Calif.

Apr. 7--Salmon fishermen on Thursday received a whisper of hope that they will be able to catch fish this year during a shortened season. But, still, it will be a lean year.

The Pacific Fisheries Management Council, meeting in Sacramento, voted in favor of a partial 2006 ocean salmon fishing season for both commercial and recreational anglers. The action went against an advisory by the National Marine Fisheries Service, which proposed a total closure of the season along 700 miles of the California and Oregon coast.

Although the decision is not final, federal officials said they will support the partial season when a final rule is adopted by May 1. Even if that partial season is approved, it may not be enough to support many fishermen and the industry they depend on.

Barbara Stickel, a commercial salmon fisher along with her husband, Tom, said the proposed 2006 rules amount to "one-tenth" of a typical season.

"There isn't a happy person in the fleet. But we'll do something and we'll make it, God willing," said Stickel, who lives in Morro Bay.

The trouble stems from crashing salmon populations on the Klamath River. Spawning chinook, or king salmon, on that river are expected to number fewer than 35,000, a key management target, for the third year in a row.

Fishermen blame spring 2002 water diversions by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation that redirected water in a drought year to serve farmers in the Klamath basin. Subsequent studies support this claim, though the Klamath also suffers from sedimentation, warm water and dams that are impassable to fish.

By fall 2002, 70,000 fish died in the river as they were crowded into stagnant pools while trying to swim upriver to spawn.

Overall, Pacific salmon are expected to be abundant this year, thanks to healthy runs on the Sacramento River. But because salmon mingle in the ocean, the fisheries service proposed closing all ocean fishing to protect remaining Klamath fish.

An alliance among fishermen, American Indian tribes and environmentalists worked to persuade the Pacific Fisheries Management Council to recommend at least a partial season. They hope this will preserve the fleet until Klamath salmon recover.

That same coalition won a big victory last week when it won a legal battle requiring the federal government to leave more water in the Klamath River starting this year. The fisheries service also called for fish passage ladders on four dams on the Klamath River.

The proposed season sharply limits the catch to small periods, which vary by location. It further limits the commercial catch to 75 fish per week south of Point Arena, and 30 fish per week north to the state line. Oregon waters face similar restrictions. The tribal catch is also limited.

In a normal year, most commercial fishermen catch 75 fish a day.

"The only upside for fishermen is it will possibly keep the price high. But it is not good for the infrastructure we need," said Barbara Emley, who fishes with her husband, Larry Collins, out of San Francisco.

She said fishermen simply may not go out enough to support the fuel and ice suppliers and other businesses that are the foundation of so many fishing ports.

About 300 fishermen and their supporters attended the meeting, and about 100 addressed the council.

The prospect of a curtailed season, and the difficult choices it will bring, brought some to tears.

Bill Dawson, a seafood buyer in San Francisco, warned of broad impacts. He may have to lay off workers, and it could mean that wild salmon become scarce in Boston and New York restaurants. He said Pacific salmon are a $750 million industry.

"All major metropolitan markets in the country buy this product," he said. "This is going to impact people all over the United States of America."

The proposed season will produce an estimated spawning return of 21,100 chinook on the Klamath River next fall. That is below the 35,000 management target for the river, requiring an emergency ruling by the National Marine Fisheries Service.

Service officials at Thursday's meeting said they would fight for the proposed season to protect the fishing fleet. They also said a management council proposal has been rejected only once in 28 years.

"We are going to aggressively sell this package," said Frank Lockhart, an assistant regional administrator with the fisheries service and a voting member of the council.

Virtually all the council members voted for the limited season with mixed emotions, knowing it will be a hard swallow for the industry.

"This is about as brutal an action as I've seen the council have to make," said Bob Alverson of Seattle, a council member representing the Fishing Vessel Owner's Association. "It was not the fishermen who caused this problem. It was the management of that river."

A GLANCE AT THE ISSUE:

--Overview: Federal regulators consider imposing strict limits on salmon fishing off 700 miles of coastline in Oregon and Northern California to protect dwindling populations in the Klamath River.

QUESTION: Isn't the ocean full of salmon?

ANSWER: Yes, but it's nearly impossible to catch those salmon without taking Klamath fish. Fishermen can't distinguish between salmon from different rivers.

Q: How many salmon fishermen are there?

A: There were 1,200 West Coast fishermen trolling last year. They are worried about the impact on their livelihoods.

Q: How big is the industry?

A: Commercial salmon landings were worth $23 million in California and $13 million in Oregon last year, while recreational fisheries were worth $18 million in California and $5 million in Oregon.

Associated Press and Bee reports

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Copyright (c) 2006, The Sacramento Bee, Calif.

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Source: The Sacramento Bee

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