By Terence Chea
Associated Press Writer

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - The governors of California, Oregon and Washington pledged to help financially strapped fishermen and fishing communities April 11 after federal regulators imposed the most severe restrictions ever on West Coast salmon fishing.

The Pacific Fishery Management Council voted Thursday to ban commercial and recreational fishing of chinook salmon off the California coast and most of Oregon this year to reverse an unprecedented decline in the Sacramento River, traditionally one of the West Coast's most productive wild salmon runs.

The council also recommended that sport and commercial fishing be sharply curtailed off the Washington coast to protect depressed salmon stocks there.

The National Marine Fisheries Service, part of the U.S. Department of Commerce, is expected to approve the council's recommendations by May 1, the start of the commercial season.

“It's going to be extremely tough because for a lot of fishermen salmon is at least 50 percent of their income,” said Zeke Grader, who heads the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen's Associations. “We need to figure out how to cushion this so people can stay afloat.”

There should be plenty of farm-raised salmon and wild sockeye from Alaska on the market, but it will be hard to find chinook, also known as king salmon, which is prized by anglers and upscale restaurants.

After the council's vote, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger declared a state of emergency in California. The proclamation directs state agencies to offer grants and loans to fishermen and affected businesses, and refund up to $2.7 million in fees paid for fishing permits.

He also sent a letter to President Bush seeking federal disaster assistance, saying the state is projected to lose more than 2,200 jobs and about $255 million from the fishery closure.

“The salmon situation is very unfortunate,” Schwarzenegger said at a news conference Friday in San Francisco. “This is a big hit to our economy.”

On April 11, the governor signed legislation to spend $5.3 million to help restore habitat for coastal salmon and steelhead.

Oregon Gov. Ted Kulongoski on Friday set aside $500,000 in strategic reserve funds and declared a state of emergency, which his administration said would free up money for job retraining, unemployment benefits and reemployment opportunities for affected communities.

“This will be devastating to the communities and families on the coast that rely on salmon fishing for their livelihood,” he said. “Our job now is to help these communities make ends meet during this difficult time and to fight for federal assistance to help them for the longer term.”

Washington Gov. Chris Gregoire did not declare a state of emergency or offer immediate financial aid to fishing communities Friday, but said those options were on the table. She praised regulators for taking the drastic steps needed to help restore West Coast salmon runs.

“While the action is dramatic, they are doing it believing that they must do everything they can to make sure that we can get this fishery restored,” Gregoire said.

Washington officials have been working with fishing communities to offer job training and employment advice, but Gregoire said states only can provide limited assistance, and what's really needed is help from Congress and the Bush administration.

Last month, Schwarzenegger, Kulongoski and Gregoire sent letters to U.S. Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez asking him to declare a federal fisheries disaster, which would open the door to federal aid for the fishing industry. Forty-six federal lawmakers from California, Oregon and Washington have made a similar request.

Congress granted $62 million in financial aid to fishermen in California and Oregon after salmon fishing was sharply curtailed in 2006 to boost declining populations in the Klamath River, but the checks didn't arrive until late last year.

“We intend to push the administration to respond more quickly and adequately this time around,” said Peter DeFazio, D-Ore. “Short-term assistance is critical so that folks can make boat payments, insurance payments, mortgage payments and keep food on the table.”

This year's West Coast salmon season is projected to be one of the worst ever after surveys found a near-record low number of chinook, also known as king salmon, returning to spawn in California's Sacramento River and its tributaries last fall.

Scientists are studying a long list of possible causes of the Sacramento River collapse.

Many researchers point to unusual weather patterns that have disrupted the marine food chain along the Pacific Coast in recent years and left salmon without the tiny shrimp and fish they need to survive.

Fishermen and environmentalists say too much water is being diverted from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, which juvenile salmon must swim through on their way to the ocean.

West Coast fishermen are asking federal lawmakers to hold Congressional hearings to examine the causes of recent salmon declines and measures needed to restore ailing fish populations.