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<p class=MsoNormal><span class=articletitle><b><font size=4 face=Tahoma><span
style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Tahoma;font-weight:bold'>$2 million netted
for fishermen - <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:City w:st="on">Eureka</st1:City></st1:place>
Times-Standard<o:p></o:p></span></font></b></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span class=articletitle><b><font size=4 face=Tahoma><span
style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Tahoma;font-weight:bold'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></b></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=4 color=black face=Tahoma><span
style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Tahoma;color:black;font-weight:bold'>FISH
FIGHT TURNS BITTER; Demanding $81 million in aid for struggling salmon
fishermen, angry West Coast lawmakers stage protest in House -- and get $2
million; FEDERAL LIMITS: Restrictions to protect Klamath stocks are squeezing
the industry - <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:City w:st="on">San Francisco</st1:City></st1:place>
Chronicle </span></font></b><span class=articletitle><b><font size=4
face=Tahoma><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Tahoma;font-weight:bold'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></b></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span class=articletitle><b><font size=4 face=Tahoma><span
style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Tahoma;font-weight:bold'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></b></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=4 face=Tahoma><span style='font-size:14.0pt;
font-family:Tahoma;font-weight:bold'>$2 million OK'd for salmon fishermen;
Funds approved by House fall far short of $81 million sought - <st1:place
w:st="on"><st1:City w:st="on">Santa Rosa</st1:City></st1:place> Press-Democrat </span></font></b><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=4 face=Tahoma><span style='font-size:14.0pt;
font-family:Tahoma;font-weight:bold'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=4 face=Tahoma><span lang=EN style='font-size:
14.0pt;font-family:Tahoma;font-weight:bold'>House OKs $2 million in disaster
aid for salmon fleet - <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:City w:st="on">Sacramento</st1:City></st1:place>
Bee <o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=4 face=Tahoma><span lang=EN style='font-size:
14.0pt;font-family:Tahoma;font-weight:bold'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=4 color=black face=Tahoma><span
style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Tahoma;color:black;font-weight:bold'>FISH
FIGHT TURNS BITTER; REACTION: Modest help from Congress disappoints commercial
fishermen, who say season is 'basically a total loss' - <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:City
w:st="on">San Francisco</st1:City></st1:place> Chronicle <o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=4 face=Tahoma><span lang=EN style='font-size:
14.0pt;font-family:Tahoma;font-weight:bold'>Yurok Tribe wins greater say on
Klamath River - <st1:City w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Sacramento</st1:place></st1:City>
Bee <o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span class=articletitle><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span class=articletitle><b><font size=4 face=Tahoma><span
style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Tahoma;font-weight:bold'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></b></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span class=articletitle><b><font size=4 face=Tahoma><span
style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Tahoma;font-weight:bold'>$2 million netted
for fishermen<o:p></o:p></span></font></b></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><st1:place w:st="on"><st1:City w:st="on"><span
class=articletitle><b><font size=4 face=Tahoma><span style='font-size:14.0pt;
font-family:Tahoma;font-weight:bold'>Eureka</span></font></b></span></st1:City></st1:place><span
class=articletitle><b><font size=4 face=Tahoma><span style='font-size:14.0pt;
font-family:Tahoma;font-weight:bold'> Times-Standard – 6/29/06<o:p></o:p></span></font></b></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span class=articletitle><b><font size=4 face=Tahoma><span
style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Tahoma;font-weight:bold'>By James Faulk,
staff writer</span></font></b></span><span class=articletitle><font size=4><span
style='font-size:14.0pt'><o:p></o:p></span></font></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><st1:place w:st="on"><st1:City w:st="on"><font size=4
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:14.0pt'>EUREKA</span></font></st1:City></st1:place><font
size=4><span style='font-size:14.0pt'> -- Congressman Mike Thompson and other
West Coast representatives would not take no for an answer this week when it
came to securing emergency aid for area fishermen. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'>The group was told by the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric
Administration on Tuesday that no money and no disaster declaration would be
forthcoming, at least until next February, to help fishermen deal with a
severely curtailed commercial salmon season. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'>Lawmakers originally asked for $81 million, but settled for $2 million
after a strange legislative display in which the lawmakers used procedural
votes to force action on an amendment Wednesday. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'>”What we decided to do was pull out all the plugs,” said
Thompson, D-St. Helena. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'>The $2 million may sound like little compared to the original amount
requested, but it gets the foot in the door, said Thompson's press secretary,
Matt Gerien, and allows for the U.S. Senate to provide even more money down the
legislative line. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'>The $2 million comes from the U.S. Commerce Department's administrative
funds and goes into NOAA's general fund to help with fishermen. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'>Thompson's measure passed on voice vote as an amendment to an annual
spending bill funding the departments of Justice, Commerce and State. The
underlying bill was expected to pass this week. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><st1:place w:st="on"><st1:City w:st="on"><font size=4
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:14.0pt'>Eureka</span></font></st1:City></st1:place><font
size=4><span style='font-size:14.0pt'> fisherman David Bitts said Thompson and
his staff have been working hard on this issue. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'>”His persistence looks like it may pay off,” Bitts said.
“If it happens, it's going to happen in spite of NOAA fisheries and not
because of them -- this not-till-February thing is basically thumbing their
nose at fishermen.” <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'>First District Supervisor <st1:PersonName w:st="on">Jimmy Smith</st1:PersonName>
also credited Thompson and his staff, as well as other West Coast lawmakers. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'>”This is good work,” Smith said. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'>Thompson downplayed the victory Wednesday and said the work would only
be done when the fishermen get the aid they need and the Bush administration
takes responsibility for the problems it created in the <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:PlaceName
w:st="on">Klamath</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType w:st="on">Basin</st1:PlaceType></st1:place>.
<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'>Thompson said he met with Sen. Dianne Feinstein on Wednesday, and that
she committed to supporting the funding on the Senate side, and to finding even
more money. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'>Thompson said the difficulty has been exacerbated by the fact that only
a few congressional districts are affected by this, and that Republicans are
reluctant to support help for the fishermen because it “would be an
admission that the Bush water policy caused this problem.” <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'>So it came time to take drastic action, he said. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'>”We created some ... civil disobedience,” Thompson said. #<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:14.0pt;color:black'><a
href="http://www.times-standard.com/local/ci_3993682"
title="http://www.times-standard.com/local/ci_3993682">http://www.times-standard.com/local/ci_3993682</a><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:14.0pt;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:14.0pt;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=4 color=black face=Tahoma><span
style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Tahoma;color:black;font-weight:bold'>FISH
FIGHT TURNS BITTER; Demanding $81 million in aid for struggling salmon
fishermen, angry West Coast lawmakers stage protest in House -- and get $2
million; FEDERAL LIMITS: Restrictions to protect Klamath stocks are squeezing
the industry<o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=4 color=black face=Tahoma><span
style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Tahoma;color:black;font-weight:bold'>San
Francisco Chronicle – 6/29/06<o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=4 color=black face=Tahoma><span
style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Tahoma;color:black;font-weight:bold'>By
Zachary Coile, staff writer</span></font></b><font size=4 color=black><span
style='font-size:14.0pt;color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:14.0pt;color:black'>(06-29) 04:00 PDT Washington -- Lawmakers
from California and Oregon, angry at the Bush administration for refusing to
aid struggling Pacific Coast salmon fishermen, brought the House to a
standstill Wednesday -- ultimately forcing GOP leaders to offer a small amount
of economic relief. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:14.0pt;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:14.0pt;color:black'>The issue has simmered for months as West
Coast fishermen have struggled to cope with the nearly complete closure of the salmon
season by federal officials, who are trying to protect critically low salmon
stocks in the <st1:place w:st="on">Klamath River</st1:place>. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:14.0pt;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:14.0pt;color:black'>Lawmakers have been urging Congress to
pass an $81 million relief package for fishermen and fishing-related businesses
along the <st1:State w:st="on">California</st1:State> and <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:State
w:st="on">Oregon</st1:State></st1:place> coasts to address the economic
fallout of closing the fishery. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:14.0pt;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:14.0pt;color:black'>"The administration is refusing to
even look at it," Rep. Mike Thompson, D-St. Helena, said on the House
floor. "The Republican Congress is ignoring the fact that working families
are being displaced, being put out of jobs and going bankrupt." <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:14.0pt;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:14.0pt;color:black'>Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Oregon Gov.
Ted Kulongoski have declared state disasters for coastal fishing communities
and are urging Congress to offer economic relief. But the White House so far
has refused to declare a disaster, and until Wednesday House GOP leaders
opposed economic assistance. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:14.0pt;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:14.0pt;color:black'>"It's just unfair that this would
happen, especially when this is a disaster that was created by the Bush
administration," said Rep. George Miller, D-Martinez. "They ought to
take responsibility; they ought to be held accountable for their actions, and
they ought to provide relief for these hard-working families." <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:14.0pt;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:14.0pt;color:black'>In protest, Miller and other lawmakers
used procedural moves to slow the House to a crawl. All morning, lawmakers
labored through a series of 15-minute "motion to rise" votes that
delayed action on a spending bill for the Commerce, Justice and State
departments. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:14.0pt;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:14.0pt;color:black'>West Coast lawmakers won a small victory
and ended their protest when the House passed an amendment specifying $2
million for disaster relief for salmon fishermen. The money is seen as a
placeholder so <st1:State w:st="on">California</st1:State> and <st1:place
w:st="on"><st1:State w:st="on">Oregon</st1:State></st1:place> senators can seek
to add more disaster aid to the bill later in a conference committee. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:14.0pt;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:14.0pt;color:black'>The troubles for West Coast fishermen stem
from the poor state of wild salmon stocks in the <st1:place w:st="on">Klamath
River</st1:place> near the California-Oregon border. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:14.0pt;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:14.0pt;color:black'>Chinook -- or king -- salmon are bountiful
this year off the <st1:PlaceName w:st="on">Pacific</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType
w:st="on">Coast</st1:PlaceType>, but most of them are from the <st1:place
w:st="on">Sacramento River</st1:place>. Salmon from the Klamath River are at
perilously low numbers, and because Klamath and <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:City
w:st="on">Sacramento</st1:City></st1:place> fish intermingle in the ocean, the
Pacific Fishery Management Council, a federal agency, called for strict
reductions in the commercial catch to protect the threatened Klamath stocks. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:14.0pt;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:14.0pt;color:black'>Fishermen's groups argue that the poor
condition of the Klamath salmon is the result of years of controversial federal
water management decisions. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:14.0pt;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:14.0pt;color:black'>Much of the river's flow is diverted to
farmers, and four hydropower dams along the river warm the water, killing
salmon through disease or parasites. In 2002, more than 33,000 salmon died
because of low water, high temperatures and disease, and large die-offs of
young salmon have followed in recent years. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:14.0pt;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:14.0pt;color:black'>The restrictions by federal authorities
sharply limited the season, banned fishing in some areas and allowed commercial
fishermen to catch only 75 fish each week, which fishermen's groups and state
officials say is economically unfeasible. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:14.0pt;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:14.0pt;color:black'>"No one can afford to go far out and
catch 75 fish, so no one is fishing," said Rep. Peter DeFazio, D-Ore. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:14.0pt;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><st1:PersonName w:st="on"><font size=4 color=black
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:14.0pt;color:black'>Zeke Grader</span></font></st1:PersonName><font
size=4 color=black><span style='font-size:14.0pt;color:black'>, executive
director of the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen's Associations, said
fishermen in <st1:State w:st="on">California</st1:State> coastal communities
such as <st1:PlaceName w:st="on">Bodega</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType w:st="on">Bay</st1:PlaceType>,
<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:PlaceType w:st="on">Fort</st1:PlaceType>
<st1:PlaceName w:st="on">Bragg</st1:PlaceName> and <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:City
w:st="on">Eureka</st1:City></st1:place> have seen their incomes plummet as the
harvest of salmon has dropped by as much 90 percent. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:14.0pt;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:14.0pt;color:black'>"The younger people, who still have
boat payments, they aren't going to make it," Grader said. "It's
pretty bleak." <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:14.0pt;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:14.0pt;color:black'>The issue came to a boil Tuesday at a
meeting on Capitol Hill between lawmakers and officials at the National Oceanic
and Atmospheric Administration, which oversees fisheries, including the
agency's administrator, Conrad Lautenbacher. According to Congressman Thompson,
agency officials said they wouldn't be able to declare a disaster until next
year after the salmon season had ended. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:14.0pt;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:14.0pt;color:black'>Lawmakers were irate. DeFazio asked why
the agency didn't just cancel the salmon season so fishing communities could
qualify for disaster relief. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:14.0pt;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:14.0pt;color:black'>A spokesman for the agency said lawmakers
were mistaken and that officials could declare a fishery disaster at any time
based on data they receive from the state about salmon populations. NOAA
spokesman Jordan St. John added that the agency was trying to allow limited
fishing to keep the industry alive. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:14.0pt;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:14.0pt;color:black'>"The original discussion was to close
the entire fishery," <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:City w:st="on">St. John</st1:City></st1:place>
said. "At the request of fishermen's groups and some of the very same
members of Congress, they worked out some way to keep the season partially open
so there could be fishing." <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:14.0pt;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:14.0pt;color:black'>But Thompson said the agency's plan has
been a disaster for fishermen, who have invested thousands of dollars in
fishing permits, fuel, bait and payments on their boats. Federal officials are
opening areas off the coast for two weeks at a time, but there's no guarantee
there will be fish in those areas during those windows, he said. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:14.0pt;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:14.0pt;color:black'>"I think the fishing industry is
going to evaporate," Thompson said. "It's not just the people who are
going out fishing. This has an impact on the whole community." <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:14.0pt;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:14.0pt;color:black'>Grader said he hopes for a technological
solution: Fishermen are starting to use new technologies that can distinguish
between the salmon from the Sacramento River and those from the depleted <st1:place
w:st="on">Klamath River</st1:place>. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:14.0pt;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:14.0pt;color:black'>"We've been trying to use modern
technology to do a better job," he said. "But we've gotten no help
from the agencies. There's no leadership." <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:14.0pt;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=4 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:14.0pt;color:black;font-weight:bold'>By the numbers <o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:14.0pt;color:black'>80 million <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:14.0pt;color:black'>Amount, in dollars, fishermen expect to
lose this season <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:14.0pt;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:14.0pt;color:black'>100 million <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:14.0pt;color:black'>Average year's dollar value of the
commercial salmon fishery in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:State w:st="on">California</st1:State></st1:place>
<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:14.0pt;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:14.0pt;color:black'>2 million <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:14.0pt;color:black'>Amount, in dollars, of aid approved by the
House of Representatives <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:14.0pt;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:14.0pt;color:black'>29,000 <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:14.0pt;color:black'>Number of spawning salmon expected to
return to <st1:place w:st="on">Klamath River</st1:place> this year <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:14.0pt;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:14.0pt;color:black'>637,000 <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:14.0pt;color:black'>Number of spawning salmon expected this
year in the <st1:place w:st="on">Sacramento River</st1:place> system <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><i><font size=4 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:14.0pt;color:black;font-style:italic'>Source: <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 Fisherman's
Associations #<o:p></o:p></span></font></i></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'><a
href="http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/06/29/MNGTOJMHB61.DTL"
title="http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/06/29/MNGTOJMHB61.DTL">http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/06/29/MNGTOJMHB61.DTL</a><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=4 face=Tahoma><span style='font-size:14.0pt;
font-family:Tahoma;font-weight:bold'>$2 million OK'd for salmon fishermen;
Funds approved by House fall far short of $81 million sought<o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><st1:place w:st="on"><st1:City w:st="on"><b><font size=4
face=Tahoma><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Tahoma;font-weight:
bold'>Santa Rosa</span></font></b></st1:City></st1:place><b><font size=4
face=Tahoma><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Tahoma;font-weight:bold'>
Press-Democrat – 6/29/06<o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=4 face=Tahoma><span style='font-size:14.0pt;
font-family:Tahoma;font-weight:bold'>By Katy Hillenmeyer, staff writer</span></font></b><font
size=4 color="#435e8f"><span style='font-size:14.0pt;color:#435E8F'><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'>The House approved $2 million Wednesday to help salmon fishermen whose
seasons have been sharply reduced this year, but West Coast lawmakers who have
angled for $81 million in disaster aid said federal fisheries managers are
thwarting that relief.<br>
<br>
An amendment by Rep. Mike Thompson, D-St. Helena, was added to a 2007 spending
bill that funds the Departments of Commerce, State and Justice. It was passed
Wednesday as part of a larger appropriation the House is expected to back this
week.<br>
<br>
The measure's passage came a day after Thompson and fellow West Coast Democrats
met with National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration officials, who said
they must calculate economic damage to <st1:State w:st="on">Oregon</st1:State>'s
and <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:State w:st="on">California</st1:State></st1:place>'s
fishing-dependent communities before declaring a disaster.<br>
<br>
Though conservation-driven delays in the commercial fishing season have idled
many Sonoma and Mendocino coast trollers, NOAA spokesman Jeff Donald said
Wednesday the two months of lost salmon harvests and sales they've endured is
not enough to gauge how hard-hit fishermen will be.<br>
<br>
"Legally, we can't declare a disaster based on predictions," Donald
said. "We have to have more economic data from the entire season."<br>
<br>
Those numbers could come "as late as February" or sooner, he said,
but "we don't actually have a timeline at this point."<br>
<br>
In April, federal regulators adopted ocean fishing restrictions affecting 700
miles of the <st1:State w:st="on">Oregon</st1:State> and Northern California
coasts to protect dwindling chinook salmon that spawn in the <st1:place w:st="on">Klamath
River</st1:place>.<br>
<br>
<st1:place w:st="on"><st1:PlaceName w:st="on">Bodega</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType
w:st="on">Bay</st1:PlaceType></st1:place> fishermen, including Chuck Wise,
have relied on what's left of the crab season for earnings, but they're barred
from commercially catching salmon until July 26.<br>
<br>
"Looking at the amount of disaster we're suffering, $2 million is not
much," said Wise, who presides over the Pacific Coast Federation of
Fishermen's Associations. "We were able to have a little income (from
crab) for the month of June, but there won't be any in basically the whole
month of July."<br>
<br>
After meeting with top NOAA leaders Tuesday, Thompson criticized the delay in a
disaster declaration, which he and his aides said is critical for Congress to
allot millions more in relief dollars.<br>
<br>
"They're derelict in their duty. They're completely callous toward the
very real issues facing working families up and down the coast," Thompson
said. "They're being disingenuous to suggest they need time to figure this
out."<br>
<br>
In a letter Monday to Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez, Gov. Arnold
Schwarzenegger said fishermen will be limited to 20 percent of their normal
season.<br>
<br>
"I cannot understand why another day needs to pass without a declaration
of disaster," the governor wrote.<br>
<br>
But Donald said <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:State w:st="on">California</st1:State></st1:place>
politicians are overestimating NOAA's influence over funding for fishermen,
which he suggested Congress could appropriate without such a declaration.<br>
<br>
"There's this idea that the disaster declaration is going to trigger all
this money. It does not. We're not FEMA," the NOAA spokesman in <st1:place
w:st="on"><st1:State w:st="on">Washington</st1:State></st1:place> said.<br>
<br>
"We're trying to look at all the options we have to help these guys
out," he said, declining to elaborate on NOAA policies that might help the
industry. "This isn't something we're sitting around idly watching
happen." #<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'><a
href="http://www1.pressdemocrat.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060629/NEWS/606290330/1033/NEWS01"
title="http://www1.pressdemocrat.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060629/NEWS/606290330/1033/NEWS01">http://www1.pressdemocrat.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060629/NEWS/606290330/1033/NEWS01</a><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=4 face=Tahoma><span lang=EN style='font-size:
14.0pt;font-family:Tahoma;font-weight:bold'>House OKs $2 million in disaster
aid for salmon fleet<o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><st1:place w:st="on"><st1:City w:st="on"><b><font size=4
face=Tahoma><span lang=EN style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Tahoma;
font-weight:bold'>Sacramento</span></font></b></st1:City></st1:place><b><font
size=4 face=Tahoma><span lang=EN style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Tahoma;
font-weight:bold'> Bee – 6/29/06<o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=4 face=Tahoma><span lang=EN style='font-size:
14.0pt;font-family:Tahoma;font-weight:bold'>By David Whitney, staff writer</span></font></b><font
size=4><span lang=EN style='font-size:14.0pt'><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><st1:State w:st="on"><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span
lang=EN style='font-size:14.0pt'>WASHINGTON</span></font></st1:State><font
size=4><span lang=EN style='font-size:14.0pt'> -- Under pressure from angry
West Coast Democrats, the House agreed Wednesday to open the door to emergency
disaster assistance for commercial fishermen whose livelihoods are in jeopardy
because of the failure of the <st1:place w:st="on">Klamath River</st1:place>
salmon fishery. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span lang=EN
style='font-size:14.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span lang=EN
style='font-size:14.0pt'>The amount of money involved thus far is $2 million, a
tiny fraction of the estimated $81 million in losses that fishermen and fishing
dependent communities are expecting to endure because of the <st1:place w:st="on">Klamath
River</st1:place> fishery collapse. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span lang=EN
style='font-size:14.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span lang=EN
style='font-size:14.0pt'>House members from <st1:State w:st="on">Oregon</st1:State>
and <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:State w:st="on">California</st1:State></st1:place>
tried in vain to convince Commerce Department officials at a meeting Tuesday
that the assistance is critically needed now to keep boat owners and related
businesses financially afloat through the 2006 season, but they were rebuffed. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span lang=EN
style='font-size:14.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span lang=EN
style='font-size:14.0pt'>They charged onto the House floor Wednesday ready to
force a series of procedural votes on the 2007 funding bill for the Commerce
Department and other agencies to force some relief into the bill. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span lang=EN
style='font-size:14.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span lang=EN
style='font-size:14.0pt'>They were in the process of doing so when Republican
leaders agreed to permit the amendment offered by Rep. Mike Thompson, D-St.
Helena. It passed on a voice vote. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span lang=EN
style='font-size:14.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span lang=EN
style='font-size:14.0pt'>"This is a huge step forward," Thompson said
afterward. "And it's the only step we had." <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span lang=EN
style='font-size:14.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span lang=EN
style='font-size:14.0pt'>Thompson said House supporters were going to work
immediately with <st1:State w:st="on">California</st1:State> and <st1:place
w:st="on"><st1:State w:st="on">Oregon</st1:State></st1:place> senators in an
effort to bring the disaster funding up to $81 million when the two chambers
meet later this summer to work out a compromise spending bill.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span lang=EN
style='font-size:14.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span lang=EN
style='font-size:14.0pt'>Within an hour of the House victory, Sen. Barbara
Boxer, D-Calif., released a letter the senators were sending to the heads of
the Senate Appropriations Committee asking for the needed funding. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span lang=EN
style='font-size:14.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span lang=EN
style='font-size:14.0pt'>"The more time that passes without assistance,
the greater the threat of permanent damage to our rural, coastal
economies," the letter said. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span lang=EN
style='font-size:14.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span lang=EN
style='font-size:14.0pt'>Under the restrictions on the salmon season,
commercial boats are permitted to catch no more than 75 fish a week in the few
weeks that they can still fish. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span lang=EN
style='font-size:14.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span lang=EN
style='font-size:14.0pt'>That's fewer than fishermen can catch in an average
day, and some said it is too few to even pay the fuel costs of their boats. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span lang=EN
style='font-size:14.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span lang=EN
style='font-size:14.0pt'>The financial impact is already showing up. Thompson,
in his floor speech, cited calls he had received from a Klamath lodge that
caters to fishermen and has lost $21,000 so far this season from cancellations,
fish buyers who don't have fish to sell to retailers, and from fishermen who
are all in desperate straits. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span lang=EN
style='font-size:14.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span lang=EN
style='font-size:14.0pt'>"We traditionally make between $80,000 and
$100,000 a year on salmon, and now we have nothing," said Barbara Stickel
of <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:PlaceName w:st="on">Morro</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType
w:st="on">Bay</st1:PlaceType></st1:place>, one of the families Thompson cited.
<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span lang=EN
style='font-size:14.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span lang=EN
style='font-size:14.0pt'>Stickel said she has dropped out of college in <st1:place
w:st="on"><st1:City w:st="on">San Francisco</st1:City></st1:place> so she can
help her husband, Tom, in what little fishing remains. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span lang=EN
style='font-size:14.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span lang=EN
style='font-size:14.0pt'>She estimated that as many as 60 families in the <st1:PlaceName
w:st="on">Morro</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType w:st="on">Bay</st1:PlaceType>
and <st1:place w:st="on"><st2:Sn w:st="on">San</st2:Sn> <st2:middlename w:st="on">Luis</st2:middlename>
<st2:Sn w:st="on">Bay</st2:Sn></st1:place> areas are in similar situations --
idled at what should be the most lucrative time of their business. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span lang=EN
style='font-size:14.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span lang=EN
style='font-size:14.0pt'>Asked if she thought she would be able to make it
through the year, Stickel replied: <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span lang=EN
style='font-size:14.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span lang=EN
style='font-size:14.0pt'>"I don't know. I am terrified." #<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'><a
href="http://www.sacbee.com/content/politics/story/14273035p-15083215c.html"
title="http://www.sacbee.com/content/politics/story/14273035p-15083215c.html">http://www.sacbee.com/content/politics/story/14273035p-15083215c.html</a><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=4 color=black face=Tahoma><span
style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Tahoma;color:black;font-weight:bold'>FISH
FIGHT TURNS BITTER; REACTION: Modest help from Congress disappoints commercial
fishermen, who say season is 'basically a total loss'<o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=4 color=black face=Tahoma><span
style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Tahoma;color:black;font-weight:bold'>San
Francisco Chronicle – 6/29/06<o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=4 color=black face=Tahoma><span
style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Tahoma;color:black;font-weight:bold'>By
Glen Martin, staff writer</span></font></b><font size=4 color=black><span
style='font-size:14.0pt;color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><font size=4 color=black
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:14.0pt;color:black'>Commercial
fishermen reacted to news about minimal federal disaster relief for the
truncated West Coast salmon season with both black humor about their plight and
bitter recrimination for the Bush administration. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><font size=4 color=black
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:14.0pt;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><font size=4 color=black
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:14.0pt;color:black'>"Got a
towel?" asked <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>
salmon troller Duncan MacLean, feigning weepiness when asked about his economic
situation. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><font size=4 color=black
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:14.0pt;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><font size=4 color=black
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:14.0pt;color:black'>"Things
have not been going good here," MacLean said. "We've been doing
everything we can to get some financial relief for the salmon fleet, but we
keep running into roadblocks -- and now this." <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><font size=4 color=black
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:14.0pt;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><font size=4 color=black
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:14.0pt;color:black'>Salmon
fishermen had asked for $81 million in federal disaster relief to carry them
through the current commercial season, which traditionally runs from around May
to October. Federal regulators slashed by 80 percent the amount of fish
available to commercial fishermen because of concerns over dwindling stocks of
Klamath River Chinook salmon. However, no significant restrictions were placed
on recreational anglers. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><font size=4 color=black
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:14.0pt;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><font size=4 color=black
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:14.0pt;color:black'>In recent
years, numbers of Klamath salmon have plummeted due to lower, warmer water,
dams and parasites in the river. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><font size=4 color=black
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:14.0pt;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><font size=4 color=black
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:14.0pt;color:black'>Commercial
salmon fishing generates more than $100 million for the state's economy in a
typical season, according to industry estimates. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><font size=4 color=black
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:14.0pt;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><font size=4 color=black
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:14.0pt;color:black'>This year,
fishermen say their fleets will be lucky to gross $20 million. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><font size=4 color=black
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:14.0pt;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><font size=4 color=black
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:14.0pt;color:black'>They said the
$2 million in aid approved Wednesday by the House of Representatives won't stave
off financial ruin. West Coast lawmakers are hoping to increase the amount of
aid, which requires Senate approval. It's unclear how any aid would be divided
among the fishermen. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><font size=4 color=black
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:14.0pt;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><font size=4 color=black
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:14.0pt;color:black'>"It's
basically a total loss for me this year," MacLean said. "I've been
catching some black cod, but it's a limited-entry fishery. I'm only allowed to
land 3,000 pounds over a two-month period, and that's just not enough to keep
me going." <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><font size=4 color=black
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:14.0pt;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><font size=4 color=black
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:14.0pt;color:black'>While local
consumers have a range of seafood alternatives to wild salmon, the same isn't
true for the men and women who catch the fish.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><font size=4 color=black
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:14.0pt;color:black'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><font size=4 color=black
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:14.0pt;color:black'>Not only is
black cod a tightly controlled fishery, but so are most of the other
alternatives -- <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:State w:st="on">California</st1:State></st1:place>
halibut and rockfish, particularly. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><font size=4 color=black
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:14.0pt;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><font size=4 color=black
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:14.0pt;color:black'>The wild stocks
of these species are insufficient and the quotas too low to allow for a
complete commercial switch. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><font size=4 color=black
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:14.0pt;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><font size=4 color=black
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:14.0pt;color:black'>Nor are
fishermen putting a lot of hope in the summer albacore runs, which sometimes
can be extravagantly large. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><font size=4 color=black
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:14.0pt;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><font size=4 color=black
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:14.0pt;color:black'>"You
can't rely on albacore," said Dave Bitts, a salmon troller who typically
fishes out of <st1:City w:st="on">San Francisco</st1:City> and <st1:place
w:st="on"><st1:PlaceType w:st="on">Fort</st1:PlaceType> <st1:PlaceName w:st="on">Bragg</st1:PlaceName></st1:place>.
<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><font size=4 color=black
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:14.0pt;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><font size=4 color=black
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:14.0pt;color:black'>"You
don't know where they're going to be, except that it'll probably be way
offshore," Bitts said. "And when they do come in close enough,
everybody goes out and hammers 'em, and the price drops fast." <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><font size=4 color=black
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:14.0pt;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><font size=4 color=black
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:14.0pt;color:black'>Even in the
best of times, albacore seldom fetch more than 65 or 75 cents a pound, Bitts
said. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><font size=4 color=black
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:14.0pt;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><font size=4 color=black
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:14.0pt;color:black'>"On the
other hand, there are times when you can get $6 or $8 a pound for salmon,"
he said. "There's no comparison." <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><font size=4 color=black
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:14.0pt;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><font size=4 color=black
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:14.0pt;color:black'>Fishermen are
especially upset about the limits on their salmon catches because salmon are
abundant in offshore waters. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><font size=4 color=black
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:14.0pt;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><font size=4 color=black
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:14.0pt;color:black'>Klamath
stocks may be at dire lows, but there are plenty of Chinook salmon from the <st1:place
w:st="on">Sacramento River</st1:place> system. Federal regulators say they were
forced to curtail the commercial season because Klamath and <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:City
w:st="on">Sacramento</st1:City></st1:place> fish mingle in the open sea. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><font size=4 color=black
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:14.0pt;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><font size=4 color=black
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:14.0pt;color:black'>"It's
looking like a good flow year on the Klamath, which should help the root
problem a bit, but it won't make it go away," said Bill Kier, a <st1:place
w:st="on"><st1:PlaceName w:st="on">Humboldt</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType
w:st="on">County</st1:PlaceType></st1:place> consulting fisheries biologist
who specializes in the Klamath system. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><font size=4 color=black
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:14.0pt;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><font size=4 color=black
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:14.0pt;color:black'>Kier said he
thinks the Klamath imbroglio is a "red-state, blue-state issue, and
basically this administration doesn't care what happens in a blue state. <st1:place
w:st="on"><st1:State w:st="on">Louisiana</st1:State></st1:place> fishermen got
their relief approved right away (after Hurricane Katrina), and we'll still be
screwing with Klamath relief next spring." <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><font size=4 color=black
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:14.0pt;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><font size=4 color=black
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:14.0pt;color:black'>Bitts said he
knows many people in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the
agency that has the final say over fishing in federal waters. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><font size=4 color=black
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:14.0pt;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><font size=4 color=black
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:14.0pt;color:black'>"They
hold local and regional posts, and they're good, honest people," Bitts
said. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><font size=4 color=black
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:14.0pt;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><font size=4 color=black
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:14.0pt;color:black'>But it seems,
he said, "that they don't have any say over what's happening with the
Klamath. It's all being determined in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:State w:st="on">Washington</st1:State></st1:place>.
And back there, they're telling fishermen to get screwed." #<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'><a
href="http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/06/29/MNGTOJMHBI1.DTL"
title="http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/06/29/MNGTOJMHBI1.DTL">http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/06/29/MNGTOJMHBI1.DTL</a><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=4 face=Tahoma><span lang=EN style='font-size:
14.0pt;font-family:Tahoma;font-weight:bold'>Tribe wins greater say on Klamath
River<o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><st1:place w:st="on"><st1:City w:st="on"><b><font size=4
face=Tahoma><span lang=EN style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Tahoma;
font-weight:bold'>Sacramento</span></font></b></st1:City></st1:place><b><font
size=4 face=Tahoma><span lang=EN style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Tahoma;
font-weight:bold'> Bee – 6/29/06<o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=4 face=Tahoma><span lang=EN style='font-size:
14.0pt;font-family:Tahoma;font-weight:bold'>By <st1:PersonName w:st="on">Matt
Weiser</st1:PersonName>, staff writer</span></font></b><font size=4><span
lang=EN style='font-size:14.0pt'><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span lang=EN
style='font-size:14.0pt'>Federal agencies agreed Wednesday to give the Yurok
Tribe a larger role in managing the <st1:place w:st="on">Klamath River</st1:place>,
where water diversions and habitat loss have depleted salmon runs. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span lang=EN
style='font-size:14.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span lang=EN
style='font-size:14.0pt'>The tribe will have a seat at the table with federal
agencies that manage the river, including the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation and
Fish and Wildlife Service. Previously, it was a bystander. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span lang=EN
style='font-size:14.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span lang=EN
style='font-size:14.0pt'>"We believe the tribe's role and input is going
to be more valuable than ever to help restore a healthy <st1:place w:st="on">Klamath
River</st1:place> and stabilize basin communities," said Troy Fletcher, a
tribal member who works on resources issues. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span lang=EN
style='font-size:14.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span lang=EN
style='font-size:14.0pt'>The Yurok Tribe owns 13,000 acres on the Klamath River
below the town of <st1:City w:st="on">Weitchpec</st1:City> in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:PlaceName
w:st="on">Humboldt</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType w:st="on">County</st1:PlaceType></st1:place>.
<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span lang=EN
style='font-size:14.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span lang=EN
style='font-size:14.0pt'>Salmon are a key food and cultural resource for
tribes. Declining salmon threaten tribal health and have also triggered fishing
limits that threaten coastal towns in <st1:State w:st="on">California</st1:State>
and <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:State w:st="on">Oregon</st1:State></st1:place>. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span lang=EN
style='font-size:14.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span lang=EN
style='font-size:14.0pt'>"It is a new beginning in our relationship, one
that will greatly benefit both the tribe and the important resources of the
Klamath basin," said <st1:PersonName w:st="on">Kirk Rodgers</st1:PersonName>,
Bureau of Reclamation regional director. #<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'><a
href="http://www.sacbee.com/content/news/story/14273018p-15083218c.html"
title="http://www.sacbee.com/content/news/story/14273018p-15083218c.html">http://www.sacbee.com/content/news/story/14273018p-15083218c.html</a><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><st1:PersonName w:st="on"><em><i><font size=3 color=gray
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:gray'>Byron
Leydecker</span></font></i></em></st1:PersonName><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><em><i><font size=3 color=gray face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;color:gray'>Chair, Friends of <st1:place w:st="on">Trinity
River</st1:place></span></font></i></em><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><em><i><font size=3 color=gray face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;color:gray'>Advisor, California Trout, Inc</span></font></i></em><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><st1:address w:st="on"><st1:Street w:st="on"><em><i><font
size=3 color=gray face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;
color:gray'>PO Box</span></font></i></em></st1:Street><em><i><font
color=gray face="Times New Roman"><span style='color:gray'> 2327</span></font></i></em></st1:address><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><st1:place w:st="on"><st1:City w:st="on"><em><i><font
size=3 color=gray face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;
color:gray'>Mill Valley</span></font></i></em></st1:City><em><i><font
color=gray face="Times New Roman"><span style='color:gray'>, <st1:State w:st="on">CA</st1:State>
<st1:PostalCode w:st="on">94942-2327</st1:PostalCode></span></font></i></em></st1:place><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><em><i><font size=3 color=gray face="Times New Roman"><span
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