California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) announced Thursday that he will request a federal fishing disaster declaration after regional regulators recommended a complete closure of the ocean salmon fishing season for the second year in a row.
The Pacific Fisheries Management Council, which oversees fisheries off the coasts of Washington, Oregon and California, said: unanimous support California’s commercial and recreational Chinook salmon fisheries will be closed until the end of the year, the state announced Wednesday.
These recommendations are similar to those made in 2023, the first such closure in 14 years.
“The prediction that Chinook will return to California’s rivers this year is very low,” Council President Brad Pettinger said in a statement Wednesday.
“Despite improved drought conditions, the freshwater environment that contributed to these low expected returns may still be impacting overall Chinook returns,” Pettinger said. added.
Newsom’s Thursday request provides financial assistance to affected communities, which will help both protect salmon populations and support local fisheries, the governor’s office noted.
“Decades of extreme climate have severely impacted salmon populations, and we are taking action to address this crisis in the long term.” Newsom said in a statement:.
The governor added, “We will continue to work with the Biden Administration and Congress to ensure California’s fishing industry and affected communities are supported during this critical time.”
requestThe report, addressed to Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo, found that “the anticipated closure of California’s salmon fisheries in 2024 will result in the loss of 100 percent of the direct revenues derived from these fisheries.” ing.
A letter sent by Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis (D) on Newsom’s behalf emphasized that California values a similar funding request approved in 2023, with losses of more than $47 million this year. I predict that it will be.
“This request is an important tool to help affected Californians, and I look forward to helping families get the help they need,” Kounalakis said in a statement.
Charlton Bonham, director of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, said: Despite this, he emphasized As the state continues to experience a wet winter, “fish that would benefit from these conditions are not expected to return to California until around 2026 or 2027.”
“This season’s salmon are affected by difficult environmental factors that were present three to five years ago,” Bonham added.
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