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<p class=MsoPlainText><b><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;font-weight:bold'>Mike Thompson Unveils Disaster Relief
Legislation at Salmon Rally<o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><b><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;font-weight:bold'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><b><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;font-weight:bold'>by Dan Bacher<o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><b><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;font-weight:bold'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><b><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;font-weight:bold'>Congressman Mike Thompson (D-St.
Helena), before a boisterous rally attended by around 200 commercial fishermen,
recreational anglers and tribal fishermen at San Francisco’s Fishermen’s Wharf
on April 26, <o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><b><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;font-weight:bold'>unveiled disaster relief legislation
for salmon fishermen impacted by this year’s slashed commercial fishing season.<o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><b><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;font-weight:bold'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><b><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;font-weight:bold'>The legislation will provide $81
million for impacted commercial fishermen and fishery-related businesses in
coastal communities in <st1:State w:st="on">California</st1:State> and <st1:State
w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Oregon</st1:place></st1:State>. The Department
of Commerce would distribute the assistance through the Pacific Marine States
Fisheries Commission.<o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><b><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;font-weight:bold'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><b><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;font-weight:bold'>Thompson’s bill would also direct the
<st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">U.S.</st1:country-region></st1:place>
Department of Commerce to complete a Klamath salmon recovery plan within six
months of the bill’s passage. After the completion of the plan, $45 million
would be allocated for conservation projects such as stream gauges and monitoring
equipment, fish passage projects and additional NOAA fisheries staff and
resources to better track and study <st1:place w:st="on">Klamath River</st1:place>
salmon, according to Thompson.<o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><b><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;font-weight:bold'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><b><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;font-weight:bold'>The introduction of the legislation
was spurred by requests for disaster relief by the <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:PlaceName
w:st="on">Pacific</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType w:st="on">Coast</st1:PlaceType></st1:place>
Federation of Fishermen’s Associations and other commercial fishing
organizations that have been ignored by the Bush administration to date.<o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><b><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;font-weight:bold'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><b><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;font-weight:bold'>“The Bush administration’s gross
mismanagement of the <st1:place w:st="on">Klamath River</st1:place> has led to
this year’s and last year’s shortened salmon season,” Thompson, the bill’s
author, stated. “Yet the administration isn’t offering any assistance to the
affected communities nor do they have a plan to restore the salmon.”<o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><b><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;font-weight:bold'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><b><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;font-weight:bold'>Thompson and representatives of
fishing organizations and Klamath River Indian tribes all emphasized the
importance of salmon to the culture, tradition and economy of <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:State
w:st="on">California</st1:State></st1:place>. Fishermen, in front of Scoma's
Restaurant on Pier 47, held signs with slogans including "Don't Kill Our
Salmon Fleet," "Will Work For Salmon," "Fix the Real Problem
- Impeach Bush," and "Bush Destroys Salmon Runs For Agribusiness."
Behind the rally stage, party boats including the Lovely March displayed
banners such as "Pacific Power: Un-Dam the Klamath."<o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><b><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;font-weight:bold'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><b><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;font-weight:bold'>“Salmon fishing represents the heart
and soul of where we live,” said Thompson. “It’s also business along the coast
of <st1:State w:st="on">California</st1:State>, coastal <st1:State w:st="on">Oregon</st1:State>
and in the <st1:place w:st="on">Central Valley</st1:place>. We don’t want to
point fingers, we <o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><b><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;font-weight:bold'>want to take care of the problems and
fix the problems of the <st1:place w:st="on">Klamath River</st1:place>.”<o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><b><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;font-weight:bold'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><b><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;font-weight:bold'>The current slashing of commercial
salmon season and a reduced recreational season are the results of the fish
kills of 2002 and the unhealthy state of the river. Ever since Gale Norton,
Secretary of the Interior, diverted Klamath water that year to fields in the Klamath
Basin, tribes and fishermen warned the administration that <o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><b><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;font-weight:bold'>fish kills would occur. Hundreds of
thousands of juvenile salmon died in disease spurred by low, warm conditions in
the river in the spring of 2002, while as many as 80,000 adult salmon died that
September.<o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><b><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;font-weight:bold'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><b><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;font-weight:bold'>Since that time, the change in water
policy by the Department of Interior and the resulting poor water conditions
have resulted in the deaths of the majority of juvenile salmon migrating down
the river, due to the infestation of a parasite, C. Shasta, that thrives in degraded
water conditions. Even if all recreational and commercial salmon fishing was
closed, the escapement floor goal of 35,000 Klamath fish is not expected to be
met.<o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><b><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;font-weight:bold'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><b><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;font-weight:bold'>Ironically, commercial fishermen are
being being kept off the water in spite of a relatively robust ocean salmon
population. The forecasted 2006 ocean abundance of <st1:place w:st="on">Central
Valley</st1:place> chinooks is 632,482 fish, according to the Pacific Fishery
Management Council. However, the fish mix together when they swim off the <st1:State
w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">California</st1:place></st1:State> and <o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><b><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;font-weight:bold'>Oregon coast, so the fishing
regulations are based on protecting the least abundant stocks.<o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><b><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;font-weight:bold'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><b><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;font-weight:bold'>Although some may have been surprised
by this year's salmon season cuts, <st1:PersonName w:st="on">Zeke Grader</st1:PersonName>,
executive director of the <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:PlaceName w:st="on">Pacific</st1:PlaceName>
<st1:PlaceType w:st="on">Coast</st1:PlaceType></st1:place> Federation of
Fishermen’s Associations, and others who have closely followed the Klamath
water battles aren’t.<o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><b><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;font-weight:bold'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><b><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;font-weight:bold'>“It was no surprise when the fish
kills of 2002 took place,” said Grader. It was no surprise when juvenile
salmon died in 2003, 2004 and 2005 from disease. We warned the Bush
administration that there was trouble ahead, but were met with indifference,
inaction and silence. We now have a disaster on hand, and what’s the administration’s
answer? To close us down!”<o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><b><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;font-weight:bold'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><b><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;font-weight:bold'>Other Bay Area Members of Congress,
including George Miller, Lynn Woolsey, Anna Eshoo and House Leader Nancy
Pelosi, are cosponsoring the bill. Lynn Woolsey addressed the rally herself,
while staff members of Miller’s, Eshoo’s and Pelosi’s office read letters announcing
their co-sponsorship of Thompson’s bill. Michelle Moss, staff member for
Senator Barbara Boxer, also announced that Boxer is introducing a companion
bill to the House bill in the Senate.<o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><b><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;font-weight:bold'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><b><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;font-weight:bold'>“When you have a healthy river, you
have fish, and that’s good for local communities, the commercial fishing
industry, recreational anglers, tribes and the entire West Coast,” said Miller
in his letter. “The bill we’re introducing in congress will help everyone that
depends upon a healthy salmon population.”<o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><b><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;font-weight:bold'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><b><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;font-weight:bold'>“I share the outrage of commercial
and sport fishermen up and down the <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:PlaceName w:st="on">Pacific</st1:PlaceName>
<st1:PlaceType w:st="on">Coast</st1:PlaceType></st1:place>,” said Rep. Anna
Eshoo. “In <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:PlaceName w:st="on">Half</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceName
w:st="on">Moon</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType w:st="on">Bay</st1:PlaceType></st1:place>
in my Congressional District, members of the small commercial and sport fishing
fleet are fighting for their livelihoods. Along with my colleagues, I’m with
them in this fight.”<o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><b><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;font-weight:bold'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><b><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;font-weight:bold'>Former Republican Congressman <st1:PersonName
w:st="on">Pete McCloskey</st1:PersonName>, who is now running against Rep.
Richard Pombo in the upcoming primary election, is strongly supporting
Thompson's bill. "If Pombo doesn't co-sponsor this bill, I will make his
refusal a big part of my campaign," McCloskey said.<o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><b><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;font-weight:bold'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><b><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;font-weight:bold'>Party boat skippers and
representatives of recreational fishing groups showed up at the rally in
support of disaster relief for commercial fishermen and restoring the <st1:place
w:st="on">Klamath River</st1:place>.<o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><b><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;font-weight:bold'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><b><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;font-weight:bold'>“All of the speeches today have
boiled down to 4 words – it’s the river, stupid,” said Mar Gorelnick, spokesman
for the Coastside Fishing Club. Gorelnick noted that while the PFMC approved a relatively
intact recreational fishing season, commercial fishermen are facing a “joke of
a season.”<o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><b><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;font-weight:bold'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><b><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;font-weight:bold'>“Coastside Fishing Club strongly
supports Thompson’s legislation,” he stated. “We consider any threat to the
recreational salmon trollers as a threat also to the commercial fishermen.
Recreational anglers stand shoulder to shoulder with commercial and tribal
fishing to get the river fixed.”<o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><b><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;font-weight:bold'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><b><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;font-weight:bold'>Roger Thomas, president of the Golden
Gate Fishermen’s Association, stressed that the party boat fishing industry,
along with the commercial fleet, represent a “valuable economic contributor” to
all of the ports and all of the communities in California. “The commercial
fishermen need to be in business and stay in business,” he <o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><b><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;font-weight:bold'>stated.<o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><b><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;font-weight:bold'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><b><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;font-weight:bold'>Other recreational fishing
representatives at the rally included Bob Strickland, president of United
Anglers of California; Jim Martin, West Coast Director of the Recreational
Fishing Alliance; and Craig Stone, manager of the Emeryville Sportfishing
Center and charter boat representative of the Salmon Advisory Subpanel (SAS) of
PFMC.<o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><b><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;font-weight:bold'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><b><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;font-weight:bold'>Likewise, representatives of the
Karuk and Yurok Indian tribes affirmed their solidarity with commercial
fishermen and support for Thompson’s bill.<o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><b><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;font-weight:bold'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><b><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;font-weight:bold'>“My people and your people are both
at risk,” said Ron Reed, a Karuk Tribe cultural biologist who dip nets salmon
below <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:PlaceName w:st="on">Ishi-Pishi</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType
w:st="on">Falls</st1:PlaceType></st1:place> in the traditional manner. “What
affects my people affects you and your people. Our tribe of 3,000 members
harvested less than 100 salmon below <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:PlaceName w:st="on">Ishi-Pishi</st1:PlaceName>
<st1:PlaceType w:st="on">Falls</st1:PlaceType></st1:place> in 2004 and 200
fish in 2005. This has had a devastating impact on our way of life.”<o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><b><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;font-weight:bold'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><b><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;font-weight:bold'>“I see the pain on the faces of the
people in this crowd, just like I saw the pain on the farmers' faces when their
water was cut off in 2001,” he emphasized.<o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><b><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;font-weight:bold'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><b><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;font-weight:bold'>Reed urged fishermen to support the t
battle to take down the 4 <st1:place w:st="on">Klamath River</st1:place> dams
as a major step in restoring the fishery. The Tribes and other parties are
currently in negotiations with PacifiCorp to develop a settlement agreement to
determine the fate of the dams.<o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><b><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;font-weight:bold'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><b><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;font-weight:bold'>He described the current Federal
Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) dam re-licensing process as “something that
only happens once every 50 years. It presents all of us with a
once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to restore the Klamath by having the dams
removed.”<o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><b><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;font-weight:bold'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><b><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;font-weight:bold'>Troy Fletcher, consultant for the
Yurok Tribe, said the tribe supports disaster relief – and reiterated the call
that he made at the April PFMC meeting in Sacramento to form a “blue collar
panel.” This panel, made up of fishermen, farmers and others “whose hands touch
the water,” should be tasked with developing recommendations on how fishing
dependent communities can survive this and anticipated closures in upcoming
years.<o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><b><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;font-weight:bold'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><b><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;font-weight:bold'>“There’s no silver bullet that will
have us feeling better tomorrow,” said Fletcher. “We need to form this panel to
form a bridge between today and the time when we get more fish into the river.
There won’t be more fish next year nor the following year – and we need to make
sure that communities depending on salmon survive in the meantime.”<o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><b><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;font-weight:bold'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><b><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;font-weight:bold'>At press time, Secretary of Commerce
Carlos Gutierrez still hadn’t made his decision on whether to approve the
recreational and commercial fishing seasons adopted by the Pacific Fishery
Management Council on April 7.<o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>
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