Thursday February 8, 2024
KOIN —
Oregon is set to receive a “lifeline” $7 million in federal funding to address the state’s fishery disaster impacting Chinook salmon, lawmakers announced last week.
Commercial fishermen can apply for reimbursements from the disaster funding through the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to recover from economic losses between 2018 and 2020, which saw declining salmon populations in Oregon, officials said.
From 2013-2017, the commercial value of Chinook salmon was around $6.3 million annually for Oregon fisheries; however, the impact of climate change on salmon populations led their value to drop to $2.3 million in 2018, $2 million in 2019, and $1.4 million in 2020, state lawmakers report.
“Oregon’s fishing industry is essential to our state’s economy and creates good-paying jobs our communities rely on,” Sen. Jeff Merkley said in a statement. “The Oregon delegation pushed for this federal disaster declaration to help our fishermen who are recovering from the significant economic toll of declining salmon populations. This $7 million in federal funding now available for our fishermen further cements our commitment to investing in the long-term recovery of Oregon’s coastal communities.”