Pacific fishermen, including dozens of professional Coastside anglers, have taken a grievous financial hit this year from a federal ban on salmon fishing, which provided as much as 70 percent of their annual income. The ban was enacted in order to replenish very low numbers of Chinook salmon in the Sacramento River and other waterways in Oregon and Washington.
Passed as part of a massive farm bill, Congress originally slated $170 million for disaster aid for the fishermen. Oregon Rep. Peter DeFazio alleged that amount was reduced by the Bush administration to cover costs associated with the 2010 census.
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Applications for aid money are available at the website of the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission, http://www.psmfc.org/.
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