Oregon's coast will see commercial and sport fishing for chinook salmon for the first time in three years.

While the Pacific Fishery Management Council's decision allows only a "modest" fishery this season, it's still good news for the fleets and coastal communities that rely on fishing business.

Newport Mayor Bill Bain said it’s not just fishermen who track the decisions by the Pacific Fishery Management Council, the body that counsels the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration about how much fishing to allow on the West Coast. It’s marine supply shops such as Fleck’s, restaurants, car dealerships and hotels, up and down the Oregon Coast.

“It affects the whole community,” Bain said. “This is a major economic activity while the season is going on. They figure each dollar (earned by the fleet) is multiplied 3.5 times. It’s important for all the coastal communities in the state. It’s just a really big deal.”

Read the full story at The Register-Guard.