SACRAMENTO -- The governors of California, Oregon and Washington are asking House Speaker Nancy Pelosi for help in securing financial aid for West Coast salmon fishermen and fishing communities.

The three governors sent a letter to Pelosi on Monday asking for emergency appropriations to help the fishing industry cope with an expected fishery closure following the collapse of one of the West Coast's biggest wild salmon runs.

Earlier this month, the Pacific Fisheries Management Council recommended closing the California coast and most of Oregon to salmon fishing to protect record-low chinook populations in the Central Valley.

The letter says the three states are expected to lose $290 million and more than 4,200 jobs from the fishery closure.