North Coast reps. request funds for salmon emergency

MENDOCINO CO., 5/8/17 — North Coast State Senator Mike McGuire and Assemblyman Jim Wood called for a statewide declaration of a “Salmon Fishery Disaster” last week in response to predictions estimating the lowest runs in history for California’s salmon fishery. In a joint letter to Governor Jerry Brown, McGuire and Wood called for California to request federal funding and declare a federal fisheries disaster, to support salmon industry workers. If approved said funding would come from the federal Department of Commerce.

The California salmon fishery experienced significant declines over the last decade, with record low numbers of adult and juvenile salmon counted during the 2014 and 2015 seasons. The salmon population this year is expected to be not much more than a third of 2012 levels, impacting thousands of people who depend on salmon for their livelihoods. Due to the population crisis, in 2017 the salmon fishing season has been greatly reduced. There will be no commercial or recreational fishing season in the Klamath Management Zone, and the Klamath and Trinity River recreational salmon fisheries will also be closed. Tribal salmon allotments are at an all-time low of less than one fish per ten tribal members, and there will be no commercial tribal fishery this year.