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Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend April 8, 2006 John Fisher of Brookings has made a living off the sea for 29 years. But the Pacific Fishery Management Council�s recent decision to ban chinook fishing in Southern Oregon and Northern California waters will mean a lean year for him and other fishermen. Mail Tribune / Jim Craven The one that got away Commercial salmon fishing has been banned this year from Florence south to Fort Bragg, Calif. By MARK FREEMAN Mail Tribune BROOKINGS — The sea has never failed John Fisher and his commercial fisherman’s creed: work hard, accept risks, get paid and never punch a clock while in the world’s largest office. Mining Pacific salmon from his boat, The America, has kept Fisher boss-free for 29 years and a few fathoms ahead of the creditors. "This ocean always has coughed up enough money to pay that next bill before it’s due, and salmon have always been my biggest pocketbook (catch)," says Fisher, 53, of Brookings. "But to do that, you have to be allowed to fish." The America and dozens of other commercial boats from Florence to Fort Bragg, Calif., won’t be chasing chinook salmon this year under the most restrictive salmon season ever seen on the Pacific coast. Commercial salmon fishing will be banned this year over this 400-mile section of ocean off Southern Oregon and Northern California under Pacific Fishery Management Council plans for conserving the Klamath River’s troubled fall chinook salmon run. Advertisement Since Klamath chinook mingle at sea with salmon from relatively strong rivers such as the Sacramento and Rogue, the only way to ensure trollers don’t catch Klamath chinook is to keep commercial boats at bay. Similarly, recreational anglers in Southern Oregon and Northern California will have limited salmon fishing in May and June, plus a six-day season in September — all periods with less impact on Klamath chinook. Limited ocean fishing will occur north of Florence and south of Fort Bragg. The rules do not affect in-river recreational angling. Sitting behind the wheel of The America that is still ripe from a record crabbing season, Fisher bursts with frustration over the government’s so-called "weak stock management" style for banning fishing to protect what amounts to a sliver of the salmon in the sea. "If there was a shortage of fish, no one would have a problem," Fisher says. "But the government decided we can’t fish because of a problem with one strain of salmon in one river. That’s a lousy system." The system also cripples the international identity of towns such as Brookings, Gold Beach and Port Orford, fishermen say. The chinook landed in these ports are either bought by restaurants and fish markets peppered around the ports or they are shipped to Europe. Oregon’s troll-caught salmon, publicized widely as "wild" salmon, are highly praised over farm-raised salmon that flood the world market. Troll-caught salmon are a source of pride in Brookings, where pickups at the marina sport bumper stickers that read, "Say No to drugs. Don’t eat farmed fish." With no salmon to whet demand, commercial fishermen fear they will lose hard-fought ground in the market battle with fish farms in Chile, Sweden and Canada. "We were finally getting our market back," says Ralph Dairy, who trolls for salmon out of Brookings in his 37-foot boat, the Anita Lynn. "Now we’re going to lose it to farm fish. "Living in Brookings, you know bad things are going to come," Dairy says. "I don’t even want to think about it." Federal fish managers concede that over-fishing has not contributed to the current season. They blame a combination of the 2002 die-off of chinook in the Klamath from low-water conditions, parasite outbreaks in the Klamath River and poor ocean-survival conditions. Even with no fishing, the Klamath was forecast to miss the federal "floor" requirement that no fewer than 35,000 chinook spawn naturally in the stream. The PFMC last month proposed a ban on chinook fishing over a 700-mile stretch of coast. The council now recommends that NOAA-Fisheries and the U.S. Secretary of Commerce invoke an emergency rule to allow the limited fishery as crafted Thursday in Sacramento. At sea, it used to be that commercial fishermen most feared sneaker waves and bad weather. Now, it’s computer modeling of salmon returns that most threaten their livelihoods. "You like the lifestyle, you like the work and you make a little money once in a while," says veteran commercial fisherman John Wilson of Gold Beach. "But it’s not a good business model. There are too many uncertainties. "How could Microsoft operate if the government came in and told them, ‘You can’t sell any computers this year,’" Wilson says. Last year, 42 boats landed salmon in Brookings and 45 vessels off-loaded salmon in Port Orford, according to the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. The entire Oregon fleet sold $13 million worth of chinook landed at local ports. This year, fishermen will have to go to places such as Alaska or Northern Oregon to fish. Gold Beach-based fisherman Mike Overdevest relies on salmon for half his year’s work aboard The Instigator, which he bought in 2001. But he also fishes for Dungeness crab, sea urchins and tuna when not fishing for salmon. "You got to diversify yourself," Overdevest says. "It’s the only way to survive. I have to be on the water every day I can." Overdevest expects to limp through the closure and await better conditions in the Klamath and better times at sea. "Everything cycles," Overdevest says. "Sometimes it’s better to bite the bullet and look toward the future." Reach reporter Mark Freeman at 776-4470, or e-mail The one that got away ">[email protected] . Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2006 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback www.bingo.com Absinthe Supply Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker Custom Build Computers Computer Security Discount Hotel Reservations online casinos news Debt Consolidation California Casinos GMAT Windermere Van Vleet Deep Muscle Stimulator Sports Equipment Online Casino Reviews Hammocks Online Bingo Entertainment Guide Online Casino Fundraisers Sudoku Online Casinos Canada King of Spirits Email Security Advertisement s Advertisement