US: California salmon-fishing advocates call reduced disaster funding amount inadequate to save industry

California commercial anglers and for-hire recreational groups are pushing for more aid from the U.S. Department of Commerce, claiming the USD 20.6 million (EUR 19.2 million) in disaster relief funding granted in response to the closure of the Chinook salmon season won’t be enough to preserve the industry. In a letter to U.S. Department of Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Associations, the Golden Gate Fisherman’s Association, and the Northern California Guides and Sportsmen’s Association called for “immediate full funding of salmon disaster funding assistance.” Fishing groups had originally requested USD 30.7 million (EUR 28.4 million) in relief.“The State’s economic analysis already falls short of expected needs, and the federal disaster assistance package adds insult to injury,” leaders of the fishing groups wrote in their joint letter. “Additionally, nearly a year after the declaration of the complete season closure, not one dollar ...