The low number of Klamath River Chinook salmon has prompted major restrictions on the commercial salmon fishing season, prompting some legislators to call for federal relief.
The Pacific Fishery Management Council, which is responsible for managing fisheries off the West Coast, voted April 6 to recommend limiting the 2006 fishing season by commercial, recreational and tribal fisheries after previously considering a complete closure of the season.
The council is expecting the National Marine Fisheries Service to approve its recommendations on May 1.
The restrictions are intended to protect and encourage the spawning of more Chinook salmon from the Klamath River, which is projected to fall below the conservation objective of 35,000 naturally spawning salmon. This would make it the third year the Chinook salmon figures have fallen below the objective, according to Staff Officer for Outreach and Communication Jennifer Gilden.
Gilden said the restrictions will hopefully allow more fish to return to the Klamath and spawn, resulting in a higher number of fish for future seasons. She said because Chinook salmon swim with other fish, the restrictions affect the ability of fishers to catch other fish.
The restrictions vary throughout seven fishing regions along the West Coast, with the most affected areas being along a 700-mile stretch between Cape Falcon near Manzanita, Ore., to Point Sur south of Monterey, Calif.
All fishers are allowed to work only during certain periods in the season and they are limited in their overall catch quotas and the size of fish.
“We have had major cutbacks in salmon fisheries before, but these are the most restrictive cutbacks we’ve recommended,” Gilden said. “At the same time, we recognize this is very hard on the fishing communities.”
Low water flows caused by drought, in conjunction with dams and water loss for farmers’ irrigation along the Klamath, have raised river water temperatures and eliminated spring floods that once swept fish out to sea, resulting in parasites, according to a press release from the council. Gilden said a drought in 2002 also contributed to the death of more than 30,000 salmon.
To raise awareness about the need for immediate federal assistance and for a long-term solution to improve the Klamath River, U.S. Reps. Peter DeFazio, D-Springfield, and Darlene Hooley, D-West Linn, spoke at a rally at the Coos Bay Boardwalk on Monday.
In a letter to Dr. William Hogarth of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, DeFazio, Hooley, and 12 other Democrat representatives from affected fishing regions in Oregon and California asked the agency to declare a disaster because of the economic toll. The letter requested the agency to provide an initial estimate of the direct compensation costs to fishers and deckhands, and to include ideas for long-term changes in the management of the Klamath River system.
DeFazio’s press secretary, Danielle Langone, said DeFazio had discussed with the Oregon and California Departments of Fish and Wildlife the reasons for the low returns. She said members of Congress had also started discussing the underlying problems for the declines in fish spawning, and that legislation is forthcoming.
Gilden said the council had sent letters to the Bureau of Reclamation and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission requesting action, including one asking for the removal of four dams on the Klamath River. She said the agency was limited in the action it could take to deal with dwindling fish populations.
She said the council would “definitely support” a disaster declaration if it would help fishers in the region.
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