CHARLESTON — The check is in the mail. Famous last words from the federal government in many cases, but seriously, for commercial and charter salmon fishermen and processors, the check will be in the mail as of Wednesday.

Recent federal disaster funds of $100 million will be made available to fishermen as long as they’ve turned in the requisite applications that were mailed to them.

Businesses may have to wait a little longer.

Applications — more than 4,000 of them — only went to processors, charters and fishermen in Washington, Oregon and California, said Randy Fisher, the executive director of the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission. That’s the agency charged with disbursing the funds. Fishing guides on the Sacramento River, who also were affected by this year’s drastic salmon season closure, also received applications.

Fisher said business owners must either call the commission on one of the toll-free hotlines or log onto http://www.psmfc.org to download an application.

“We’re processing 500 this morning,” Fisher said, and checks will be going out in the mail on Oct. 1 to most of those. Those 500 were primarily were from fishermen, processors and charter businesses in Washington, Oregon and California.

Fisher said Fisheries Commission staff is clearing applications as quickly as possible but “the sooner, the better.”

People should fill them out, sign them and send them soon. The deadline is Dec. 31, he said.

The commission already has answered about 250 phone calls left on the hotlines. Most of the questions are about when the checks will be mailed out.

When the salmon disaster funding availability was first announced in mid-September, there was a question of whether $70 million of the original $170 million would be included.

Congress originally approved the $170 million in the Farm Bill, but the Bush administration later needed more money to cover additional spending for the 2010 census and said, in essence, the West Coast salmon industry could do without $70 million in disaster aid.

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration officials said at the time the $70 million still would be available, even though the federal government’s fiscal year ends Sept. 30. The $70 million will be accessible, provided the $100 million gets used up, officials said, and they expected the $100 million to go quickly.

Fisher said the Fisheries Commission operates on a reimbursement schedule in which the funds are disbursed to the fishing industry first, then the agency gets reimbursed. The first $100 million likely will come out of the 2007-08 budget, and the $70 million out of the 2008-09 budget. It’s possible the commission may have to write another grant for the $70 million during the next fiscal year, Fisher said.

“But with what’s happening with the stock market, who knows?” Fisher added.