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US Halts Commercial Salmon Season •
Fishery Council Closes Salmon Fishing Off Oregon and California
By Dan Bacher
t r u t h o u t | Report
Friday 11 April 2008
The Pacific Fishery Management Council (PFMC) at its meeting in Seattle on
Thursday, April 10, voted to close recreational and commercial salmon fishing
off the coast of California and most of Oregon this year.
The only exception to the closure will be a selective recreational fishery
for coho salmon in Oregon, according to Dan Wolford, PFMC member and Coastside
Fishing Club science director. The fishery closure will extend from Cape Falcon
in northern Oregon to the US-Mexico border.
This complete closure of fishing for chinook salmon will be the first since
commercial fishing began in California in 1848. The decision was made because
of the "unprecedented collapse" of Central Valley salmon stocks. The
Sacramento River fall chinook population, until recently the most robust West
Coast salmon run, was the driver of West Coast salmon fisheries.
As recently as 2002, 775,000 adults returned to spawn. This year, even with
all ocean salmon fishing closures, the return of fall run chinook to the Sacramento
is projected to be only 54,000 fish.
"It was a very emotional day," said Wolford. "We until the end
were considering the possibility of doing a genetic stock assessment of chinook
stocks to be conducted by commercial fishermen in a catch and release fishery.
However, the council determined that the hooking mortality caused to Central
Valley chinooks wouldn't be justified, since every fish is important when the
numbers of salmon are so low."
The council also voted against any option for a fishery in the Klamath Management
Zone (KMZ) on California's North Coast because of the estimated mortality of
Sacramento River salmon that would occur. "We could not even risk the estimated
mortality of 34 Central Valley chinooks that would occur if this fishery was
approved," noted Wolford.
The Department of Fish and Game will also be recommending to the California
Fish and Game Commission the closure of Central Valley rivers to any directed
chinook salmon fishing this year, according to Wolford.
Sen. Patricia Wiggins (D-Santa Rosa), chair of the Joint Legislative Committee
on Fisheries and Aquaculture, responded to today's recommendation by the PFMC.
"We are experiencing a grave crisis with regard to our salmon fishery,
and the council's recommendation reflects the urgent need to do something now
to return the fishery to sustainability," Wiggins said. "We owe that
to these magnificent fish and to the salmon industry itself, a $100 million
industry comprised not just of fishermen, but of Native peoples, tackle shops,
processors, ice suppliers, restaurants, and tourism as well."
Wiggins is the author of Senate Bill 562, which allocates nearly $5.3 million
in Proposition 84 funds to the California Department of Fish and Game (DFG).
The DFG will incorporate the funds into its coastal salmon and steelhead fishery
restoration efforts. SB 562 would also enable the state to leverage up to $20
million in federal matching funds for salmon habitat restoration.
After the decision was made, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger issued a proclamation
declaring a state of emergency in California and sent a letter to President
Bush asking for his help in obtaining federal disaster assistance. He also said
he will sign SB 562, currently on his desk.
Wiggins has scheduled a hearing on the collapse of the salmon fishery on Thursday,
April 17, at the state Capitol in Sacramento. The hearing of the Joint Legislative
Committee on Fisheries and Aquaculture is scheduled to begin at 2 PM.
Causes of the Sudden Salmon Collapse
PFMC Executive Director Don McIsaac and NOAA Fisheries claim the cause of the
Central Valley salmon collapse is a "mystery."'
"The reason for the sudden decline of Sacramento River fish is a mystery
at this time," said McIsaac. "The only thing that can be done in the
short term is to cut back the commercial and recreational fishing seasons to
protect the remaining fish. The longer-term solution will involve a wide variety
of people, agencies, and organizations. But for now, unfortunately, those involved
in the salmon fisheries are paying the price."
However, a coalition of recreational and commercial fishermen, Indian Tribes
and environmental groups, along with some prominent scientists, say the collapse
of the Central Valley salmon stocks and the commercial and recreational salmon
fisheries is a disaster that could have been prevented with proper management
by the state and federal governments.
Although Sacramento River chinook salmon suffer from an array of problems,
the most significant are the massive export of water from the California Delta
by the state and federal pumps and declining water quality. Meanwhile, Gov.
Arnold Schwarzenegger and his corporate agribusiness and developer buddies are
pushing for a peripheral canal and more dams that would allow the projects to
export even more water in an estuary whose fisheries are already crashing.
On the Sacramento, where the salmon collapse is the immediate cause of the
fishery closure, state and federal government water managers diverted and pumped
an all-time record high of 6.4 million acre feet of water from the delta in
2005, the same year juvenile salmon that would have returned as adults in 2007
were attempting to migrate through the delta and out to sea, according to Earthjustice.
"What's happened is no surprise given the massive water diversions from
the Sacramento San Francisco Bay delta and the failure to address toxic discharges
into this estuary, an ecosystem critical to the survival of the salmon run that
drives our west coast fishery," emphasized Zeke Grader, executive director
of the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen's Associations (PCFFA). "It's
obvious that we've got to go to work to both save fishermen and fix the delta
to bring back our fishery."
A delegation of seven commercial salmon fishermen from California, Oregon and
Washington traveled to Washington, DC, last week seeking relief for the West
Coast salmon fishery. The fishermen are asking for Congressional hearings to
look into the root causes of the Pacific salmon crisis.
"Congressional hearings are needed to focus on measures we need to fix
our rivers and the California Delta so that we can again have fishermen on the
water and locally caught king salmon in our markets," said Grader of PCFFA.
==================
Here is the press release from Earthjustice and PCFFA, followed by the release
from the National Marine Fisheries Service about today's unprecedented decision:
For Immediate Release: April 10, 2008 Contact: Todd True, Earthjustice, 206-343-7340
ex 30 Zeke Grader, Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen's Associations 415-561-5080
Seattle, WA - West Coast fishery officials announced the shutdown of salmon
fishing this year for all of California and most of Oregon. The decision is
based on the failure of California Sacramento River fall run Chinook salmon,
the run commercial and sport fishermen target. These fish did not return last
summer and fall. The lack of income for salmon dependent communities could prove
to be a severe economic blow.
"It's going to be devastating," said Zeke Grader, executive director
of the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen's Associations (PCFFA). "We're
going to be asking for federal assistance and looking for alternatives to keep
our fishermen afloat for the next year or two until we get a chance to fix salmon
problems."
Although today's news is tied primarily to Sacramento River salmon stocks,
west coast salmon problems are becoming chronic and result in large a part from
government mismanagement of the three big salmon-producing rivers: the Sacramento,
Klamath, and Columbia. The crisis is coast wide, affecting fisheries and coastal
communities from Washington to Oregon to California and even to Alaska.
The salmon news comes as we await new or revised federal management plans or
court rulings on existing plans for massive dam, diversion or irrigation projects
on all three major salmon rivers. Federal fishery experts are currently reviewing
the affects on salmon of these federal projects and will issue new or revised
"biological opinions" for the Klamath and Columbia projects later
this spring.
On the Sacramento River, a federal and California plan to divert even more
water from the delta south has been challenged in court because of the harm
it will do to the protected runs of salmon in the Central Valley. A ruling is
expected anytime on this case. All three rivers contain both protected, and
non-protected, runs of salmon.
"These salmon are recoverable if we make smart choices and make them soon,"
said Earthjustice attorney Todd True. "The science tells us it's not hopeless,
but it is increasingly urgent to pay attention and change the way we're managing
these three rivers so all people can enjoy salmon again."
On the Sacramento, where the salmon collapse is the immediate cause of the
fishery closure, water managers diverted and pumped an all time record high
of 6.4 million acre feet of water from the delta in 2005, the same year juvenile
salmon that would have returned as adults in 2007 were attempting to migrate
through the delta and out to sea.
"What's happened is no surprise given the massive water diversions from
the Sacramento San Francisco Bay delta and the failure to address toxic discharges
into this estuary, an ecosystem critical to the survival of the salmon run that
drives our west coast fishery," emphasized Grader. "It's obvious that
we've got to go to work to both save fishermen and fix the delta to bring back
our fishery."
During the first week of April a delegation of commercial salmon fishermen
from California, Oregon, and Washington visited Washington DC where they asked
for Congressional hearings to look into the root causes of the Pacific salmon
crisis.
"Congressional hearings are needed to focus on measures we need to fix
our rivers and the delta so that we can again have fishermen on he water and
locally caught king salmon in our markets," said Grader of PCFFA.
==============
Pacific Fishery Management Council NEWS RELEASE
For Immediate Release: Contact: Ms. Jennifer Gilden, Communications Officer,
503-820-2280 Dr. Donald McIsaac, Executive Director, 503-820-2280
Record Low Salmon Fisheries Adopted
Seattle, WA - The Pacific Fishery Management Council today adopted the most
restrictive salmon fisheries in history for the West Coast, in response to the
unprecedented collapse of Sacramento River fall Chinook and the exceptionally
poor status of coho salmon from Oregon and Washington. The recommendation will
be forwarded to the National Marine Fisheries Service for approval by May 1,
2008.
"This is a disaster for West Coast salmon fisheries, under any standard,"
said council Chairman Don Hansen. "There will be a huge impact on the people
who fish for a living, those who eat wild-caught king salmon, those who enjoy
recreational fishing, and the businesses and coastal communities dependent on
these fisheries."
The council adopted a complete closure of commercial and sport Chinook fisheries
off California and most of Oregon and allowed only a 9,000 fishery for hatchery
coho only off Central Oregon. Salmon fisheries off California and Oregon typically
have been large - involving seasons that span from May 1 to October 31 and averaged
over 800,000 Chinook caught per year from 2000 to 2005.
"The reason for the sudden decline of Sacramento River fish is a mystery
at this time," said council Executive Director Don McIsaac. "The only
thing that can be done in the short term is to cut back the commercial and recreational
fishing seasons to protect the remaining fish. The longer-term solution will
involve a wide variety of people, agencies, and organizations. But for now,
unfortunately, those involved in the salmon fisheries are paying the price."
Fisheries north of Cape Falcon will also be severely restricted. Although Chinook
quotas in this area are similar to 2007 and Chinook stocks are generally more
abundant, depressed natural coho stocks are constraining access of commercial
fisheries to Chinook stocks. Sport fisheries, many of which depend primarily
on coho, are even more restricted. Coho quotas are less than 20 percent of the
2007 season for non-Indian fisheries and about 50 percent of 2007 levels for
treaty-Indian fisheries.
Background
The closures south of Cape Falcon, in northern Oregon, are due to a sudden,
unprecedented decline in the number of Sacramento River fall Chinook returning
to the river this year. The stock is the driver of commercial and recreational
salmon fisheries off California and most of Oregon. The minimum conservation
goal for Sacramento fall Chinook is 122,000 - 180,000 spawning adult salmon
(this is the number of salmon needed to return to the river to maintain the
health of the run). As recently as 2002, 775,000 adults returned to spawn. This
year, even with all ocean salmon fishing closures, the return of fall run Chinook
to the Sacramento is projected to be only 54,000.
Social and Economic Impacts
"The salmon fishing culture that has been a cornerstone of the coastal
communities has reached a low ebb point in 2008 for the collective three West
Coast states," said Mark Cedergreen, council vice chairman. "This
was the responsible thing to do, but it will hurt, particularly south of Cape
Falcon, Oregon."
The economic implications of the low abundance of Sacramento River fall Chinook
salmon will be substantial for commercial, recreational, marine and freshwater
fisheries. In California and Oregon south of Cape Falcon, where Sacramento fish
stocks have the biggest impact, the commercial and recreational salmon fishery
had an average economic value of $103 million per year between 1979 and 2004.
From 2001 to 2005, average economic impact to communities was $61 million ($40
million in the commercial fishery and $21 million in the recreational fishery).
The record low seasons are devastating news to beleaguered salmon fleets on
the west coast. California and Oregon ocean salmon fisheries are still recovering
from a poor fishing season in 2005 and a disastrous one in 2006, when Klamath
River fall Chinook returns were below their spawning escapement goal. The catch
of salmon in 2007 in these areas was also well below average, as the first effects
of the Sacramento River fall Chinook stock collapse was felt.
Causes
The reason for the sudden collapse of the Sacramento fall Chinook stock is
not readily apparent, although both natural and hatchery-produced fish have
been similarly affected. However, it is clear that overfishing did not cause
the depressed condition, as the parent spawning populations were all above the
goal. The National Marine Fisheries Service has suggested ocean temperature
changes, and a resulting lack of upwelling, as a possible cause of the sudden
decline. Many biologists believe a combination of human-caused and natural factors
will ultimately explain the collapse, including both marine conditions and freshwater
factors such as in-stream water withdrawals, habitat alterations, dam operations,
construction, pollution, and changes in hatchery operations.
The council has requested a multi-agency task force led by the National Marine
Fisheries Service's West Coast Science Centers to research about 50 potential
causative factors and report back to the council at the September meeting in
Boise, Idaho.
Process
The council reached this decision after several weeks spent reviewing three
season options. The review process included input by federal and state fishery
scientists, fishing industry members, public testimony and three public hearings
in coastal communities. The council received additional scientific information
and took public testimony before taking final action. The decision will be forwarded
to the National Marine Fisheries Service for approval and implementation into
federal regulations.
In addition, the coastal states will decide on compatible freshwater fishery
regulations at their respective Commission hearings.
Press Packet and Briefing Materials Available
A press packet with contacts, background information, a map of affected areas,
and acronyms is available on the council web site at http://www.pcouncil.org/newsreleases/sal_presspacket.html.
Council Role
The Pacific Fishery Management Council is one of eight regional fishery management
councils established by the Magnuson Fishery Conservation and Management Act
of 1976 for the purpose of managing fisheries 3-200 miles offshore of the United
States of America coastline. The Pacific Council recommends management measures
for fisheries off the coasts of California, Oregon, and Washington.
---------
On the Web:
Pacific Fishery Management Council: http://www.pcouncil.org
Options for 2008 salmon management: http://www.pcouncil.org/salmon/salcurr.html#saloptions08
Schedule of hearings: http://www.pcouncil.org/events/2008/salproc08.html#hearings
Geographical points used in salmon management: http://www.pcouncil.org/facts/geosalmon.pdf
Online press packet: http://www.pcouncil.org/newsreleases/sal_presspacket.html
Go to Original
US Halts Commercial Salmon Season
By Eric Bailey
The Los Angeles Times
Friday 11 April 2008
Regulators are trying to protect slumping
chinook population off California and Oregon.
Eureka, Calif. - Instead of preparing to hit the Pacific's wind-tossed
waters next month, veteran fisherman Dave Bitts sat at the counter of a dockside
restaurant on Humboldt Bay recently, mulling fate and a cloudy future.
For the first time since the birth of the West Coast fishing industry 150 years
ago, Bitts and other fishermen face a season without salmon.
Federal regulators, worried about sagging runs up and down the coast, agreed
Thursday to cancel this year's commercial and recreational catch of chinook
- the prized king salmon of the fish market - off California and Oregon.
The ban adopted by the Pacific Fishery Management Council after a weeklong
meeting in Seattle marks the new low point for a trade enshrined in the West
since the Gold Rush.
An aborted season will wallop coastal communities in which salmon has long
been a financial and cultural mainstay. Repercussions are expected to ripple
out, with the ban hurting not just fuel docks and tackle stores but also supermarkets
and truck dealerships.
In California, commercial salmon fishing is a $150-million business.
Hardest hit will be full-time fishermen like Bitts, a gray-bearded Stanford
graduate who three decades ago chucked plans to follow his family into teaching.
He preferred the sea.
Like most North Coast fishermen, a hearty but shrinking brotherhood scattered
in harbor towns like Fort Bragg, Bodega Bay and Santa Cruz, Bitts depends on
the salmon catch for more than half his income.
After the last two dismal salmon seasons, he and other commercial fishermen
knew 2008 would be bad.
The Sacramento River has in recent years been the West Coast's spawning powerhouse.
While other rivers suffered, it became the backbone of the industry, with a
productive run that reliably dispatched enough fish into the Pacific to keep
the commercial fleet afloat and sport fishermen happy.
But lately the number of chinook returning to the river has been dropping.
Scientists now predict that fewer than half the fish needed to ensure a sustainable
population will return this fall.
Given these bleak realities, Bitts and many other fishermen are greeting the
ban as a grim necessity for a livelihood that depends on the fickle nexus of
Mother Nature and mankind.
"Going fishing this year would be like a farmer eating his seed corn,"
Bitts said. "For a sliver of a season and a tiny catch, it's not worth
it."
Federal regulators approved a truncated salmon season for Washington and allowed
a 9,000-fish catch of hatchery-raised coho salmon off central Oregon.
A normal season in the West is long and prosperous, running from May to October,
with more than 800,000 fish caught off California and Oregon.
This year the season ended before it started.
"Fishermen are born with an extra helping of hope," Bitts said. "But
I never had much hope for this season."
Now he and other fishermen are pushing hard for financial help and for the
government to find a way to fix what ails the salmon.
Last week, Bitts and half a dozen peers flew to Washington to lobby for disaster
relief. They warned that the economic hit they will take this year will eclipse
that of 2006, when a sharply curtailed season required more than $60 million
in federal aid to keep the commercial fleet from sinking in red ink.
The fishermen also are aggressively promoting potential solutions - such as
better practices at hatcheries that raise juvenile salmon and environmental
fixes for the ecologically challenged Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta.
Federal scientists have laid much of the blame for the salmon slump on shifting
ocean conditions and a flagging offshore food chain, possibly brought on by
global warming.
But fishermen contend that there are other culprits. "We've come to the
conclusion there are a whole bunch of smoking guns," said Duncan MacLean,
a Half Moon Bay angler representing fishermen at this week's meeting.
Factors as unexpected as bridge construction - in particular the underwater
noise caused by pile-driving tower supports - may have impeded tiny juveniles
venturing to sea, MacLean said.
The fishermen also see trouble in long-enshrined hatchery practices.
A federal hatchery in the state's far north releases baby salmon right into
the upper reaches of the Sacramento River for a perilous 250-mile journey out
to sea. Studies have found that in some years just 2% survived the trip, said
MacLean, who believes the fish should travel by truck.
State hatcheries do haul juveniles by truck, dumping them beyond the delta
near the entry to San Francisco Bay. The fish have traditionally been placed
first in floating "net pens" to ease their adjustment to a predatory
world. By 2005, however, the pens had fallen into such disrepair that state
crews stopped bothering to use them. When the juvenile salmon were dumped into
the bay, "it was like having a neon dinner sign up," Bitts said. Little
fish quickly fell prey to sea gulls and striped bass, he said. Chastened, the
state resumed use of the pens last year.
But the 800-pound gorilla remains the troubled delta.
The state's biggest estuary saw a marked decline in several fish species as
water exports ballooned, peaking in 2005 at more than 6 million acre-feet. The
pumps are so strong they can suck up fish, including migrating juvenile salmon.
Salmon may be benefiting this year from a federally ordered pumping cutback
intended to protect the tiny delta smelt. Bitts and other fishermen want permanent
cutbacks in the water exported to Southern California cities and San Joaquin
Valley farmers.
They are pushing for the state to meet future water needs with conservation,
recycling, increased groundwater storage and bolder efforts at desalinization.
They would like to see Central Valley farmers shift away from water-intensive
crops, and they want regulators to crack down on pesticides that taint delta
water.
Salmon are survivors, Bitts said. They can rebound. But they need help.
"It's painful to watch what's happening," he said. "To the fish
and the fisherman."
---------
eric.bailey@latimes.com
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