U.S. Representative Jared Huffman (D-California) said that NOAA Fisheries will finally release financial relief for the 2023 closure of the California’s salmon fishery, but it could still be a while before fishers receive that relief.
California’s fishing community has been devastated by back-to-back closures of the state’s Chinook salmon fisheries. California lawmakers urged the federal government to approve financial relief quickly, citing the severe impact the closures are having on coastal communities that depend on salmon. However, the federal government’s bureaucratic process for fishery disaster relief can take multiple years.
California Lieutenant Governor Eleni Kounalakis first issued a request for a fishery disaster determination in April 2023. U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo approved the determination in October 2023, and the Department of Commerce announced it was allocating USD 21 million (EUR 20 million) to the state’s salmon fishers in February 2024, less than half of the USD 45 million (EUR 43 million) the state requested.
“While I am glad we were finally able to get some relief into the hands of folks who have been hit hardest by last year’s salmon fishery closure, it is grossly inadequate for addressing the severity of this disaster,” Huffman said when the financial relief was announced. “We got this relief out the door faster than what’s standard in the federal government, but I know that’s not nearly quick enough for the needs of fishermen who depend on this money for their equipment, their operations, and their lives.”
Months later, NOAA Fisheries is nearing the point of finally releasing that allocated funding to the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission (PSMFC).
“Our California salmon fishermen have been waiting far too long for relief funds for the 2023 salmon disaster,” Huffman said in a statement. “I have just been assured by NOAA that it will release the funds by the end of 2024 to the PSMFC for dispersal.”
Once the PSMFC receives the funding, it must work with California to develop a plan for how the money will be distributed.
“There is a process the PSMFC – run by the four Pacific states and Idaho – must adhere to before it can issue checks to affected businesses and fishers, and that process will be publicized when it is open,” Huffman said. “I am encouraging the PSMFC to act as quickly as possible once it receives the funds.”
Lawmakers have expressed growing frustration with NOAA Fisheries and the Department of Commerce over how long it takes the administration to approve fishery disasters and clear funding for distribution to impacted communities.
"Fishers shouldn't have to wait four years to receive funds from a disaster; while they've been waiting for dollars, many of them are tying their boats up and going out of business because of bureaucracy,” U.S. Representative Garret Graves (R-Louisiana) said earlier this year after NOAA Fisheries announced financial relief for fishery disasters dating back to 2017. “These funds are welcome relief, but we will continue to fight for improvements to the allocation process so that recovery dollars get to fishers faster.”
U.S. senators claim the delays have been exacerbated by a new financial management system built to modernize the Department of Commerce’s financial services. Lawmakers have pressured the government to improve its fishery disaster financial relief system and introduced legislation to speed up the process.
California Governor Gavin Newsom requested a fishery disaster determination for the 2024 salmon fisheries closures in April, urging the government to respond swiftly. The Department of Commerce has yet to issue a determination.
