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<p class=MsoNormal><st1:place w:st="on"><st1:State w:st="on"><strong><b><font
size=4 face=Tahoma><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Tahoma'>CALIFORNIA</span></font></b></strong></st1:State></st1:place><strong><b><font
size=4 face=Tahoma><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Tahoma'> SALMON
FISHERIES:<o:p></o:p></span></font></b></strong></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><strong><b><font size=4 face=Tahoma><span style='font-size:
14.0pt;font-family:Tahoma'>Schwarzenegger asked to declare salmon disaster<o:p></o:p></span></font></b></strong></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><st1:place w:st="on"><st1:City w:st="on"><strong><b><font
size=4 face=Tahoma><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Tahoma'>Eureka</span></font></b></strong></st1:City></st1:place><strong><b><font
size=4 face=Tahoma><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Tahoma'>
Times-Standard – 4/27/05<o:p></o:p></span></font></b></strong></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><strong><b><font size=4 face=Tahoma><span style='font-size:
14.0pt;font-family:Tahoma'>By <st1:PersonName w:st="on">John Driscoll</st1:PersonName>,
staff writer</span></font></b></strong><o:p></o:p></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:State w:st="on"><font size=4
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:14.0pt'>California</span></font></st1:State></st1:place><font
size=4><span style='font-size:14.0pt'> salmon fishermen are asking Gov. Arnold
Schwarzenegger for a disaster declaration after this year's salmon season has
been all but terminated. <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'> commercial fisherman Dave Bitts asked
the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors Tuesday to take the first step, asking
Schwarzenegger for the declaration. That could make fishermen and fishing
businesses eligible for federal disaster relief. <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 commercial season opens in the <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:PlaceName
w:st="on">Monterey</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType w:st="on">Bay</st1:PlaceType></st1:place>
area on May 1, but there's no guarantee the fish will be there. The most local
season doesn't begin until September, pushing Humboldt and Del Norte county
fishermen to motor south for days to get a crack at the fish. <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 expense of going down there to find out if there's fish is so
great," Bitts said, "a lot of us won't go." <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'>He estimated it would take him 40 hours to reach the area where salmon
season opens in May. <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'>It's the most restrictive season since 1992, but it's not because there
aren't any salmon. It's because projected runs on the Klamath are so poor,
regulators can't allow them to be caught as ocean fishermen plunder bountiful <st1:place
w:st="on">Sacramento River</st1:place> stocks that mix with Klamath fish. <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'>Fishermen point to two fish kills on the Klamath in 2002 as devastating
to the fishery. The first occurred in spring of that year, killing perhaps
200,000 young salmon. The next happened in the fall, when up to 68,000 adult
salmon died in the river. <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'>Analyses of the later event found low flows and warm water at the heart
of the fish kill. <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'>But while Bitts can travel to catch salmon, he said it's even more
difficult if your business is tied to a piece of property. Restaurants, hotels
and guide services for sport fishermen are hard hit when seasons are shortened
and quotas are cut. <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'>"Those businesses will likely suffer the consequences,"
agreed <st1:PersonName w:st="on">Jimmy Smith</st1:PersonName>, 1st District
supervisor. <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 season for ocean sport fishing starts late -- May 21 -- and
includes a lengthy break that cuts out most of July and part of early August.
And river fishermen got clobbered, with only 1,200 fish allowed on the Klamath
and Trinity rivers. <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'>Tribal fishermen, who had been enjoying the relative abundance of
recent years, will only be allowed to catch two-thirds of the salmon they say
they need to meet the minimum for subsistence. <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'>Complicating the matter is the fact that <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:State
w:st="on">California</st1:State></st1:place> commercial fishermen caught three
times their target amount last year, cutting into the number of spawning adults
that reached the river. Bitts said that was an anomaly not predicted by
regulators when they drafted the season's rules. <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:State
w:st="on">Oregon</st1:State></st1:place> fishermen also caught over their
limit. <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'>Last year's run was 88,777 fish, the lowest since 1978, and regulators
this year were forced to cut fishing seasons to make sure there were enough
spawners to perpetuate runs into the future. <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'>Bitts said the number of fish caught last year doesn't change
fishermen's situation this year. <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 board voted to send the letter to Schwarzenegger, as well as to
state and federal lawmakers, tribes and other <st1:place w:st="on">Northern
California</st1:place> counties.</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><em><i><font color=gray
face="Times New Roman"><span style='color:gray'>, </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'>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'>Consultant, 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><u><font size=3 color=blue face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;color:blue'><a href="mailto:bwl3@comcast.net">bwl3@comcast.net</a></span></font></u></i></em><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><em><i><font size=3 color=blue face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;color:blue'><a
href="mailto:bleydecker@stanfordalumni.org">bleydecker@stanfordalumni.org</a><u>
</u></span></font><font color=black><span style='color:black'>(secondary)</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><font size=3 color=blue face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;color:blue'><a href="http://caltrout.org">http://caltrout.org</a></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>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
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