The governors of California, Oregon, and Washington have asked the U.S. federal government to provide financial aid for the states’ struggling commercial West Coast Pacific albacore troll/hook-and-line fishery.
Last year was the fishery’s worst performing season in 30 years, California Governor Gavin Newsom said in a recent statement. The fishery generated USD 9.5 million (EUR 9.3 million) in ex-vessel value in 2024, notably lower than the five-year average of USD 24.6 million (EUR 24 million).
Now, Newsom, Oregon Governor Tina Kotek, and Washington Governor Jay Inslee have written a joint letter to U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo requesting a fishery disaster determination for the albacore fishery, which would open the door for federal financial aid for fishers and affiliated businesses.
“To the California communities who rely on albacore fishing, we’re working to get you the relief you need,” Newsom said. “A federal fishery disaster will help provide relief to an industry that is an essential component of the West Coast economy and provides significant benefits to countless coastal communities.”
The governors admit that the precise cause of the fishery’s 2024 struggles “cannot be determined” but point to “unfavorable market conditions” and environmental impacts as contributing factors.
"Warm temperatures throughout the Pacific resulted in albacore being more spread out and difficult to target and less cost effective to pursue," the governors' joint letter said.
"They're dispersed differently," Michelle Horeczko, supervisor of California’s Pelagic Fisheries and Ecosystem Program, told Northern California Public Media in an interview. "They go deeper or … they're not in areas where they're easily caught."
