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<p><b><font size=2 color=black face=Verdana><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Verdana;font-weight:bold'>FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE <br>
Thursday, August 10, 2006<br>
<br>
</span></font></b><strong><b><font face=Verdana><span style='font-family:Verdana'>Commerce
Department Declares Commercial Fishery Failure for Coastal <st1:State w:st="on">Oregon</st1:State>
and <st1:State w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">California</st1:place></st1:State></span></font></b></strong><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><b><font size=2 color=black face=Verdana><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Verdana;font-weight:bold'><br>
<st1:City w:st="on"><strong><b><font face=Verdana><span style='font-family:
Verdana'>WASHINGTON</span></font></b></strong></st1:City><strong><b><font
face=Verdana><span style='font-family:Verdana'>, <st1:State w:st="on">DC</st1:State></span></font></b></strong></span></font></b><font
size=2 face=Verdana><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana'>
-Secretary of Commerce Carlos M. Gutierrez today declared a commercial fishery
failure has occurred for West Coast salmon fishermen this season from <st1:City
w:st="on">Cape Falcon</st1:City>, <st1:State w:st="on">Oregon</st1:State>, to <st1:place
w:st="on"><st1:City w:st="on">Point Sur</st1:City>, <st1:State w:st="on">California</st1:State></st1:place>,
due to low numbers of fish caused primarily by the drought. The Commerce
Department's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) oversees
the nation's oceans based fishing industry and fisheries resources.</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><font size=2 color=black face=Verdana><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Verdana'>The commercial fishery failure is being declared as a
result of the information gathered by Commerce officials this season. The
findings showed a significant economic impact resulting from limited
opportunity to catch salmon due to the low number of fall Chinook salmon
projected to return to the Klamath River in northern <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:State
w:st="on">California</st1:State></st1:place> to spawn. </span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><font size=2 color=black face=Verdana><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Verdana'>"The evidence is clear -- our fishing communities
have been significantly impacted," said Gutierrez. "We have moved
quickly to gather the necessary facts in order to make this declaration and we
will continue to work closely with the communities and their elected
leaders."</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><font size=2 color=black face=Verdana><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Verdana'>Today's decision answers requests from <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:State
w:st="on">Oregon</st1:State></st1:place> and California Governors, Members of
Congress and affected communities. Secretary Gutierrez led the Department's
efforts in expediting the declaration process which was originally expected to
take until February 2007. Gutierrez dispatched Commerce officials to the region
who consulted closely with state and local officials to collect the data
necessary for determining a fishery failure declaration.</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><font size=2 color=black face=Verdana><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Verdana'>Deputy Secretary David Sampson, who was in <st1:City
w:st="on">Portland</st1:City> and <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:City w:st="on">Coos
Bay</st1:City>, <st1:State w:st="on">Oregon</st1:State></st1:place>, to
personally deliver the announcement to affected communities added, "We
stand by the commercial fishing industry and will do what we can to help them
through this difficult time. We heard their calls and acted quickly."</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><font size=2 color=black face=Verdana><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Verdana'>A determination of whether a fishery failure occurred is
made on a case-by-case basis taking into account a number of economic factors
including overall revenue from caught fish, number of fishermen, degree of
dependence on alternative fishing opportunities, documented decline in the
fishery resource and other environmental data.</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><font size=2 color=black face=Verdana><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Verdana'>A commercial fishery failure triggers authorities to
respond to the economic impact of the failure and to promote the recovery of
the resource. The fishery failure determination follows a decision last month
by Gutierrez to declare a fishery resource disaster, making Small Business
Administration (SBA) loans available. Since the Secretary's resource disaster
declaration on July 6, SBA has begun receiving applications and has already
approved nearly $200,000 in loans. Gutierrez also directed that the Commerce
Department's Economic Development Administration (EDA) make fishery impacted
communities a funding priority for FY'07 Economic Adjustment grants.
Additionally, Gutierrez requested that the Governors of Oregon and California
closely review their pending 2006 Pacific Coast Salmon Recovery Fund grant
applications and determine how to best channel existing resources and speedily
disburse monies to programs that can help effected fishermen.</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><strong><b><font size=2 color=black face=Verdana><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Verdana'>Background/Historical Context:</span></font></b></strong><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><font size=2 color=black face=Verdana><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Verdana'>A lengthy 5-year drought 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>
has led to significantly reduced precipitation and streamflows in the basin.
These conditions have degraded important spawning habitat, increased
infestation of harmful parasites, and thus have not provided the conditions
necessary for healthy salmon populations.</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><font size=2 color=black face=Verdana><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Verdana'>The Magnuson-Stevens Act (MSA) defines the criteria for
determining a commercial fishery failure. The Secretary may declare a
commercial fishery failure due to a fishery resource disaster as a result of
natural causes; man-made causes beyond the control of fishery managers to
mitigate through conservation and management measures; or undetermined causes.</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><font size=3 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>The
Department of Commerce, through the NOAA Fisheries Service, is responsible for
protecting and preserving our nation's living marine resources and their
habitats through scientific research, management and enforcement. NOAA
Fisheries Service provides effective stewardship of these resources for the
benefit of the nation, supporting coastal communities that depend upon them,
and helping to provide safe and healthy seafood to consumers and recreational
opportunities for the American public.</span></font><font color=blue><span
style='color:blue'><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><strong><b><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial'>Andrea Purse</span></font></b></strong><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>Press Secretary</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>Radio Booker, Democratic Policy Committee</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>Office of Representative George Miller</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>2205 Rayburn HOB</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>202-225-7387 (direct)</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>202-680-8816 (cell)</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><a href="mailto:andrea.purse@mail.house.gov">andrea.purse@mail.house.gov</a></span></font><o:p></o:p></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
style='font-size:12.0pt;color:gray'>415 383 4810 ph</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'>415 383 9562 fx</span></font></i></em><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><em><i><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt'><a href="mailto:bwl3@comcast.net">bwl3@comcast.net</a></span></font></i></em><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><em><i><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt'><a href="mailto:bleydecker@stanfordalumni.org">bleydecker@stanfordalumni.org</a></span></font></i></em><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><em><i><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt'><a href="http://www.fotr.org">http://www.fotr.org</a></span></font></i></em><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><em><i><u><font size=3 color=blue face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;color:blue'>http:www.caltrout.org</span></font></u><font
color=lime><span style='color:lime'> </span></font></i></em><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'> </span><o:p></o:p></font></p>
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