Meetings Begin On Federal Disaster Assistance For Fishermen

SALMON  OREGON  ENVIRONMENT 

By Pete Springer

Portland, OR  May 12, 2008 5:04 p.m.

The first of several meetings to talk about federal disaster assistance for Oregon coastal fishermen was held near Coos Bay Monday.  Pete Springer reports.

About thirty commercial fishermen and some charter boat captains met in Charleston to talk about federal disaster assistance.

The meeting was prompted by the loss of a commercial and charter salmon fishing season off the Oregon coast.

It was held by the Oregon Salmon Commission – a panel appointed by the Oregon Department of Agriculture.

Nancy Fitzpatrick is the administrator of the Oregon Salmon Commission.

Nancy Fitzpatrick: “We want all the fishermen, charters to be involved to give the input so that then at the end of this we can say, ‘We did this together, this is what we want as a whole.’”

At least six more meetings on the Oregon coast are scheduled over the next month.

The commission will use the comments from these meetings to make a final recommendation on federal disaster assistance in June.

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