Oregon Public Broadcasting

An Oregon legislative panel voted Thursday to provide coastal fishermen with half a million dollars in aid from the state’s Emergency Fund.  The salmon fishing season was closed earlier this year because of a forecasted decline in stocks of Sacramento River Chinook Salmon.

Katy Coba is the Director of the Oregon Department of Agriculture. She says this is the second time in two years that a federal disaster has been declared for the salmon industry.

Katy Coba: "It has incredible economic impact on our coastal communities from the salmon fishermen themselves, to the supply companies, to families that work on either salmon boats or work onshore.”

Coba says Oregon fishermen will receive another half million dollars in aid from the governor’s strategic reserve fund.

The full legislative Emergency Board will meet Friday for the final vote.  The E-Board makes budgetary decisions between legislative sessions.

The state money would be in addition to Oregon’s portion of a federal relief funding.  Congress authorized 170 million dollars to be split among the fishing industries in Washington, Oregon, and California.