Environmental Valuation & Cost-Benefit News

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With the shutdown this year, a slow year in 2007 and the partial closing in 2006, salmon fishermen in Oregon and California are facing the third straight year of trying to find other ways to make a living in the summer. Some have gotten out of fishing altogether, while others have tried to stretch out the winter crab season or go after typically less reliable and profitable black cod or tuna....

One fisherman said he would spend at least $15,000 to convert his boats.

In a strong season, a top-performing salmon fisherman might gross as much as $100,000. But the forecast for next year is dim, too, and questions over ocean temperatures, the health of Northwest rivers, environmental restrictions and disputes over water rights make some fishermen and economists question what kind of future commercial salmon fishing has here.
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The number of commercial salmon boats bringing in significant catches has shrunk. Of the 1,200 or so boats licensed to fish for salmon in Oregon, only about 150 have caught more than $30,000 worth of salmon each year in the decade before 2006, according to Hans Radtke, an economist who analyzes commercial fishing in Oregon.
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Unlike in 2006, when the partial shutdown affected only commercial fishermen, the shutdown this year also applies to recreational fishermen.
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Wages in the new tourist/retirement community economy are much lower than they were in fishing and logging, economists said, even as housing, gasoline and grocery prices have risen.
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Since late last summer, nearly $60 million in federal money has been dispensed to about 1,200 fishermen in Oregon and California, an unprecedented payout, according to Randy Fisher, executive director of the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission, which administered the program. The direct payments have ranged from a few thousand dollars to more than $60,000 in some cases.

This year, the governors of the three West Coast states, citing what they say will be a $290 million economic loss due to declines in the number of salmon, have asked Congress to provide more disaster relief.
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In addition, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife is proposing to raise the cost of commercial fishing licenses, to $350 from $200.

by William Yardley
FOR FULL STORY GO TO:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/09/us/09salmon.html?th&emc=th
The New York Times www.NYTimes.com
Published: May 9, 2008