Chinook woes: After a three-year period of historically low Chinook salmon landings, a team of lawmakers representing Oregon's coastal areas is asking Gov. Kate Brown to push for federal disaster relief.A Sept. 7 press release from state Rep. David Gomberg, who chairs the state's Coastal Caucus, outlines the disaster-scale seasons of recent years.The 2020 total landings value of $1.5 million "represents a historic low only surpassed by the results of the season closure in 2009," according to the release."Marginally better" total values were seen in 2018 and 2019, at $2.4 million and $2.1 million respectively. But they still fell below the $4.3 million total value of the 2016 season, which was declared a disaster.The legislators are collaborating with the Oregon Salmon Commission in making the request to the governor. Nancy Fitzpatrick, the commission's executive director, noted that recent drought impacts will probably lead to similar requests in the future."If the rivers are down this year with drought and we don't have the spawning and the smolts don't go out, then that whole year class could be lost," she said. "And we're concerned about three or four years down the line, when there may be absolutely nothing."
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