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 ...
