California announced a request for a Federal Fishing Disaster Declaration to support salmon fishermen, ahead of the imminent closure of the 2023 season expected to be implemented in May, after projections indicate California Chinook salmon abundances are at lows. historical.
Recognizing the importance of salmon to California's commercial fisheries, Acting Governor Eleni Kounalakis, on behalf of Governor Newsom, submitted the request to US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo immediately after the Pacific Fisheries Management Council recommended the complete closure of the commercial and recreational season for California oceanic salmon .
If approved, the Federal Fisheries Disaster Declaration would begin the process of providing necessary relief to fishing communities financially affected by the closure.
“Countless families, coastal communities and tribal nations depend on salmon fishing – it's more than an industry, it's a way of life. That is why we are requesting expedited assistance from the federal government," Governor Gavin Newsom said.
"The Federal Fisheries Disaster Declaration we are requesting today is vital to supporting our coastal regions, and we look forward to providing families with the help they need," said Lieutenant Governor Kounalakis.
Prolonged drought, severe wildfires, and associated impacts on spawning and nursery habitat, harmful algal blooms, and ocean forage changes have combined to result in some of the abundance forecasts for lowest stocks on record for Sacramento River Fall Chinook and Klamath River Fall Chinook.
In large part, the low yield and abundance forecasts are due to difficult environmental factors these salmon faced on their initial journey to the ocean three years ago.
Forecasts of low abundance in the ocean, coupled with low returns by 2022, led the Pacific Fisheries Management Council ?PFMC? to recommend the complete closure of the commercial and recreational salmon fisheries in the California ocean.
Commercial fishing in southern Oregon is also anticipated to face closures through the end of 2023.
For its part, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife ?CDFW? announced $22.5 million for 19 projects last month to support critical salmon habitat restoration, climate resiliency, wildlife corridors and wetland restoration.
The funding is part of a new $200 million effort to support critical restoration across the state.
Last summer, in collaboration with the Winnemem Wintu Tribe and federal partners, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife ?CDFW? returned approximately 20,000 fertilized endangered winter Chinook salmon eggs to the McCloud River upstream of Shasta Reservoir for the first time since the construction of Shasta Dam in the 1940s.
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