Beached Fishermen Land New Jobs Ashore

CHARLESTON, Ore. — Karen Simonis fished for salmon for nine years before drastic cutbacks in fishing seasons put her on the beach.

Now she’s fishing for people, trying to win permission to do salmon habitat restoration work on private land.

She’s one of 11 salmon fishermen working for the Coos River Watershed Assn. to reverse the decline of coho salmon. They are paid through a federal grant that is supposed to make up for some of the economic losses suffered by coastal communities.

“You don’t go in and talk to a person for five minutes. Some people are worried they’ll lose their land. We let them know we’re not here to take their land. We’re just here to help the stream. Once they understand, they usually climb on the bus,” Simonis said.

Over on Sullivan Creek, a tributary of the Coos River that runs through the Elliott State Forest, Bob Wells and Lee Kokel are doing a detailed survey of every pool and riffle to help biologists assess the status of coho habitat and plan restoration projects.

“This is the first summer in 22 years I’ve spent off the ocean,” said Wells.

The fishermen had little understanding about the early life cycle of the fish they caught as adults in the ocean. Besides a job, they have gained new insight into the importance of big trees falling into creeks to provide shelter for young salmon.

Along the Coquille River, the next watershed over, a crew of salmon fishermen uses chain saws and a tractor to hack back thickets of blackberries. This crew works for the Coquille Watershed Assn.

Next they will build fences and plant seedlings of cedar, fir and maple, said project manager Paul Merz. The tree roots will hold the bank against erosion. As the trees grow, they will shade the water and keep it cool for the fish. When floods come, young fish will be able to take refuge in the eddies behind the trees, rather than be washed to the ocean before their time.

Dave Hermansen has a hard time sometimes connecting the scratches on his arms from cutting down blackberries to getting back on the ocean to catch salmon, but feels he has an obligation to do something.

“I live here,” he said. “And it needs to be done.”