http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/local/states/california/northern_california/14755398.htm
Governor to provide loan guarantees to salmon fishermen

AP 6/6/06 Mercury News

SACRAMENTO - Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Tuesday proclaimed a state of emergency in 10 California counties affected by the federal government's decision to severely restrict West Coast salmon fishing.

The proclamation orders the state Department of Finance to provide loan guarantees to fishermen impacted by restrictions on commercial salmon fishing on 700 miles of coastline from Cape Falcon, Ore., to Big Sur.

"By proclaiming a state of emergency, we are helping the fishermen and communities recover from the hardship and economic loss caused by the severely restricted salmon season," Schwarzenegger said in statement.

The declaration was made for Del Norte, Humboldt, Marin, Mendocino, Monterey, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Cruz, Sonoma and Siskiyou counties.

Fishermen in those counties will be allowed to apply for a total of $9.2 million in disaster assistance loans from three financial institutions.

In April, the National Marine Fisheries Service adopted an emergency rule recommended by the Pacific Fishery Management Council to curtail commercial salmon fishing to protecting dwindling Chinook populations in the Klamath River