At a daylong "salmon summit" called by Alaska Gov. Tony Knowles and held in Sitka, Alaska, on Monday, the governors said they will seek federal help for protecting salmon that cross state and national boundaries.

"Salmon are a shared resource that know no political boundaries," Knowles said in a prepared statement. "The salmon are an integral part of our economy, our culture, and our spirit. Their well-being and ours are linked."

Knowles, Washington Gov. Mike Lowry, and Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber also agreed on measures for the Columbia River Basin, including the start of restoration for upriver salmon runs; protections for the 50-mile Hanford Reach, the river's last free-flowing segment; and new funding for hatcheries along the river.

Salmon runs along the Columbia River, which divides Washington and Oregon, have dwindled because of habitat loss to hydroelectric dams, logging, and other development.

Unlike Washington and Oregon--where some salmon runs are near extinction--Alaska has plentiful salmon, with runs so large in recent years that they have supported record harvests, glutted markets, and pulled down prices paid to fishermen.

Knowles organized the summit after negotiations on the U.S.-Canada Pacific Salmon Treaty stalled over allocation of migrating stocks.

The Canadians and participants from Washington and Oregon have complained that southeast Alaska fishermen intercept salmon bound for streams to the south.

Alaskans argue that their fish-management programs are successful, and say any interception in Alaska waters is too minuscule to have caused salmon problems farther south.

Also convening with the governors in Sitka--a commercial fishing center in southeast Alaska--was W. Ron Allen, a Pacific Northwest Indian tribal leader who negotiates in salmon-treaty matters, and top fisheries officials from the three states.

The governors, all Democrats, also adopted 11 principles of cooperation for salmon conservation. They include a commitment to preserving habitat for wild stocks and sharing of scientific data.

This story written by Reuters correspondents