January 24, 2017 — Commercial fishing communities along the central coast of Washington and some areas of Puget Sound are eligible for federal disaster funding because of poor fishing in 2015 and 2016. Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzer named nine fisheries groups or areas in an announcement Wednesday, including Westport and Willapa Bay non-treaty commercial coho fisheries.
Congress still needs to appropriate the funds for the relief program.
Each of the nine fisheries “experienced sudden and unexpected large decreases in fish stock biomass due to unusual ocean and climate conditions,” the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said in a news release. “This decision enables fishing communities to seek disaster relief assistance from Congress.”
Along with Grays Harbor and Willapa Bay coho, other Washington commercial fisheries benefiting from the declaration include:
– Quinault Indian Nation Grays Harbor and Queets River coho salmon fishery (2015)
– Ocean salmon troll fishery (2016)
– Fraser River Makah Tribe and Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe sockeye salmon fisheries (2014)
– Nisqually Indian Tribe, Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe, Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe, and Squaxin Island Tribe South Puget Sound salmon fisheries (2015)
– Quileute Tribe Dungeness crab fishery (2015-2016)