Coalition requests expedition of Salmon Disaster Relief funds
Dear Senator Maria Cantwell
United States Senate 511 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510
We represent the commercial salmon fleet, for hire charter vessels, and charter river guides in California, all of which are small family businesses that depend on Pacific salmon for our livelihoods and to provide food and recreation for fellow Californians. We are writing to urgently request your support in expediting the distribution of the 2023 and 2024 Pacific Salmon Disaster Relief funds. As you are aware, salmon fishing communities have been facing unprecedented challenges due to the back-to-back closures of the 2023 and 2024 ocean salmon seasons, resulting from critically low population estimates for Sacramento and Klamath River fall Chinook salmon.
On April 6, 2023, the Pacific Fishery Management Council unanimously recommended this closure, and Lieutenant Governor Eleni Kounalakis promptly requested a federal fishery disaster declaration, which was approved by the U.S. Secretary of Commerce on October 30, 2023. Following this approval, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) was notified on February 15, 2024, that $20,625,729 had been allocated by the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to respond to this disaster. Although this amount was less than requested and disappointing, we supported the spend plan developed by CDFW as the best option to try and get relief to our members without further delay.
On April 6, 2023, the Pacific Fishery Management Council unanimously recommended this closure, and Lieutenant Governor Eleni Kounalakis promptly requested a federal fishery disaster declaration, which was approved by the U.S. Secretary of Commerce on October 30, 2023. Following this approval, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) was notified on February 15, 2024, that $20,625,729 had been allocated by the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to respond to this disaster. Although this amount was less than requested and disappointing, we supported the spend plan developed by CDFW as the best option to try and get relief to our members without further delay.
In April 2023, representatives of the salmon industry stood side by side with elected leaders who promised to distribute funds with all due haste, recognizing the severity of the economic collapse. However, despite these allocations and the efforts of Senator Huffman, Senator Padilla, and others, the funds have yet to be distributed. The prolonged delay is causing severe hardship for ocean fishermen, charter vessels, and river guides, all of whom are struggling to survive. Many have already been forced to leave the industry due to the lack of any mitigation measures, and we fear our fleets may never recover.
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