Please select your home edition
Edition

Commercial Fishery Disasters for Salmon, Sardines

by NOAA Fisheries 28 Sep 2018 10:59 UTC
U.S. Secretary of Commerce declares Commercial Fishery Disasters for West Coast Salmon and Sardines © NOAA Fisheries

Today, Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross announced that commercial fishery failures occurred between 2015 and 2017 for salmon fisheries in Washington, Oregon, and California, in addition to the sardine fishery in California.

"The Department of Commerce and NOAA stand ready to assist fishing towns and cities along the West Coast as they recover," said Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross. "After years of hardship, the Department looks forward to providing economic relief that will allow the fisheries and the communities they help support to rebound."

Between July 2016 and March 2018, multiple tribes and governors from Washington, Oregon, and California requested fishery disaster determinations. The Secretary, working with NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), evaluated each request based on the available data, and found that all but one (the California red sea urchin fishery) met the requirements for a fishery disaster determination.

The determinations for West Coast salmon and sardines now make these fisheries eligible for NOAA Fisheries fishery disaster assistance. The 2018 Consolidated Appropriations Act provided $20 million in NOAA Fisheries fishery disaster assistance. The Department of Commerce is determining the appropriate allocations of these funds to eligible fisheries.

Related Articles

NOAA Fisheries publishes 2023 catch estimates
The data for these estimates comes from for-hire captains and recreational anglers We published our final 2023 recreational fishing catch and effort estimates for the Atlantic and Gulf Coast states and Hawaii. Posted on 29 Apr
What happened to all the Alaska Snow Crabs?
The decline of roughly 10 billion crabs hit fishermen hard A few years ago, snow crab populations in Alaska collapsed. The decline of roughly 10 billion crabs hit fishermen hard and the entire industry was impacted—from distributors to processors, to consumers. Posted on 27 Apr
New study sheds light on Alaska's mysterious shark
“One-stop shop” for information critical to conserving the highly vulnerable Pacific sleeper shark Researchers created a "one-stop shop" for information critical to conserving the highly vulnerable Pacific sleeper shark. Posted on 21 Apr
Fisheries Economics of the United States Report
A summary of the economic performance of U.S. marine fisheries The annual report provides a summary of the economic performance of U.S. marine fisheries and related industries and their important role in our nation's economy. Posted on 20 Apr
Influence of climate on young salmon
Providing clues to future of world's largest sockeye run The world's largest run of sockeye salmon begins in Bristol Bay river systems that flow into the Bering Sea. There young salmon face a crucial bottleneck: they must find good food and conditions so they can store enough fat to survive first winter at sea. Posted on 12 Apr
Revisions to the Endangered Species Act
Finalized by NOAA Fisheries & the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service The agencies finalized a series of revisions to the joint regulations to improve the agencies' ability to conserve and recover listed species. Posted on 5 Apr
Emergency response effort for endangered Sawfish
A project to rescue and rehabilitate smalltooth sawfish NOAA Fisheries and partners are initiating a project to rescue and rehabilitate smalltooth sawfish affected by an ongoing mortality event in South Florida. Posted on 2 Apr
Diverse habitats help Salmon weather change
Chinook in three creeks may be vulnerable alone, but resilient together Restored salmon habitat should resemble financial portfolios, offering fish diverse options for feeding and survival so that they can weather various conditions as the climate changes, a new study shows. Posted on 22 Mar
Enhancing Wild Red King Crab populations
An important commercial and subsistence fishery species in Alaska Scientists examine effects of release timing and size at release on survival of hatchery-reared red king crab. Posted on 18 Mar
Oyster Shell recycling key to coastal protection
Gulf Coast partners will expand efforts to restore oyster populations With $5 million in NOAA funds, Gulf Coast partners will expand efforts to restore oyster populations, protect vanishing land, and reconnect communities to their coastal heritage. Posted on 9 Mar