Aid checks in the mail for coastal fishermen.Byline: Tim Christie Christie can refer to:
CORRECTION (ran 8/22/2006): Lonn Hoklin is Gov. Ted Kulongoski's communications director. His name was misspelled in a story on Page D1 in Saturday's newspaper about checks going out to salmon fishermen. The state Department of Agriculture has begun mailing out $500,000 in checks to aid idled coastal fishermen, the governor's office announced Friday. The department received 360 applications from holders of troll salmon permits and is distributing funds to 280 fishermen. Checks will range from $75 to $7,500, based on criteria the state established in partnership with the fishing industry. The money is expected to be disbursed by the end of August. It is intended to be used for expenses such as license fees, moorage fees, boat payments, boat insurance, safety equipment and related items. The money will help fishermen trying to survive a season in which the catch probably will amount to about 10 percent of last year's salmon fishery, said Mark Newell Mark Newell (born December 19, 1973) is an English cricketer. He is a right-handed batsman and a right-arm offbreak bowler who played for Sussex and Derbyshire between 1996 and 1999. , a Toledo commercial fisherman and buyer. Newell, who also crabs Crabs An informal or slang term for pubic lice. Mentioned in: Lice Infestation crabs Pubic lice, see there and fishes for black cod black cod n. See sablefish. , did not apply for the aid. "These guys who depend solely on salmon are hurting, and any relief the government gave us is helping," he said. "I know guys who are having a hard time making house payments and boat payments." Coastal salmon fishermen in Oregon and California were virtually shut down earlier this year when the federal government imposed salmon-fishing restrictions on 700 miles of coastline to protect depleted de·plete tr.v. de·plet·ed, de·plet·ing, de·pletes To decrease the fullness of; use up or empty out. [Latin d stocks of Klamath River Klamath River River, southern Oregon and northwestern California, U.S. Rising in Upper Klamath Lake just above Klamath Falls, Ore., it flows south and southwest for 250 mi (400 km) through the Klamath Mountains in California and empties into the Pacific Ocean. chinook salmon chinook salmon or king salmon Prized North Pacific food and sport fish (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) of the salmon family. The average weight is about 22 lbs (10 kg), but individuals of 50–80 lbs (22–36 kg) are not unusual. . Newell, a member of the Oregon Salmon Commission, said this year's salmon catch is likely to be 10,000 to 20,000 fish, compared with about 200,000 caught last year. The money is coming from Gov. Ted Kulongoski's Strategic Reserve Fund. Another $500,000 will become available next month from funds approved by the Legislature in June. "These out-of-work fishermen need direct aid, not more loans and debt," Kulongoski said in a statement. The state money is intended as a bridge for fishermen until Congress appropriates federal aid money, said Lonn Honklin, a Kulongoski spokesman. Earlier this month, U.S. Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez declared commercial salmon fishing a failure off the Oregon and California coasts this year. That declaration permitted members of Congress from the two states to move forward on seeking up to $80 million in aid. Gutierrez said direct losses to fishermen were estimated at $16 million. Between 1,500 and 2,000 salmon fishermen live in the affected area, between Cape Falcon on the northern Oregon Coast The Oregon Coast is a geographical term that is used to describe the coast of Oregon along the Pacific Ocean. Stretching 362 miles from Astoria to the California border, the Oregon Coast is unique in that the whole coastline is public land. to Point Sur, near Monterey, Calif. |
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