Change of Course
Mike Aughney
There are some big changes
and a whole new concept coming to USAFishing.
Before I lay out our plans I want to thank all of our sponsors and readers for
making us one of the most popular web destinations to gather Northern California
fishing information. We started in 1995 with some humble beginnings
and new ideas and have grown into one of
the most popular Nor Cal fishing sites by producing honest, up to date
fishing reports and news. We are looking to continue the trend of being an innovative
website in
the California sportfishing community. To accomplish this we must change course
and we are asking all of our readers for their support.
For the past 14 years we have done our best to provide our readers with accurate fishing reports at no charge. As you are too well aware our fisheries
and related businesses are all suffering. We have witnessed the demise of
our salmon fishery and are seeing rapid declines in nearly every fishery across
the state.
The largest factor of this decline has been a huge increase in water
diversion out of the Delta. We have seen our salmon
fisheries destroyed and anti-fishing / pro-water diversion groups out
lobby us on every front. We are fighting some very well funded and organized
groups who's
biggest priorities are to get us off the water, close down large areas of the
coast to fishing or lobby the state and federal government in sending all our
water "wealth" south.
We literally have State and the Feds agencies pumping the life blood out
of our salmon, striper and sturgeon fisheries, an inept Fish and Game department that
has stopped or been forced to cut back funding for hatcheries, environmentalists
funding the efforts to close down large
sections of our coast and stop the planting of trout under the guise that they are "non natives" and the list goes on and on
and on.
Over the years
we have asked our readers to sign petitions, attend F&G and PFMC meetings and
support many great conservation groups, and we have won a few battles. One
recent example that stands out is the "Water4Fish" petition drive last year when
over 30,000 of our readers climbed on the W4F bandwagon. This made a huge
difference and water managers and politicians took notice. It was a battle won
but we are losing the "war".
It's time for us to change our business model from free fishing
reports to free fishing reports with a strong SUPPORT CONSERVATION MESSAGE.
We need
you, the
individual angler to sign on with us in this undertaking. There are many
deserving fishery groups that are in
need of support. The one that stands out and has been on the forefront of
fishery water right issues is the
California Sportfishing
Protection Alliance or CSPA.
For the past two
plus decades this dedicated group has fought countless
court cases that have resulted in some of the most important decisions
regarding water diversion & fishery issues.
CSPA recently filed
a landmark case against the State Water Board for their failure to protect the
Bay-Delta estuary fisheries from excessive water export that annually
destroys millions of fish including salmon, striped bass, steelhead and other
important fisheries. If they can win this case it
would turn the ebb tide that our fisheries have experienced for decades. The
fight for water is only going to escalate and without CSPA we will continue to
lose our fisheries.
We are asking all our regular readers to support CSPA so they can continue their work fighting for
OUR FISHERIES. If we are successful with this effort it will be expanded so we
can support other worthy groups but we need success with this first effort to
prove "the model".
Bottom Line
From our regular readers all we are asking for is an annual tax deductible donation
to CSPA in return for our regular fishing reports.
USAFishing readers
will continue to receive fishing
reports here for free and a tax write-off to boat. (pun intended). Just click on
their website and fill out their easy on-line donation form and your'e
doing your part to help protect our fisheries. It's only $30 for an
individual CSPA membership and they spend every dollar of it protecting our
fisheries.
Goal
If we can get
our regular
readers to
support this
effort we could
raise $100Ks annually for CSPA to fight back for us, for fish, for a future.
The last thing the water lobby wants to hear
is that sport anglers are organizing under and supporting CSPA. For years the
California Sportfishing Protection Alliance has been known as the tenacious
under-funded underdog, but with a big boost in support would become a junk yard
Doberman with lawyers and 50,000 USAFishing readers for backup. That would
send quite a message to those intent on destroying our fisheries.
Click HERE to donate and learn more about why the CSPA
deserves your support
DRAKES
BAY
OYSTER
FARMER
CONTINUES
FIGHT TO
KEEP THE
FARM:
The Drakes Bay Oyster Co. manages one of the most successful oyster farms
on the
California
coast.
With 30
employees,
the
company
produces
about
460,000
pounds
of
shucked
oysters
and 1
million
Manila
clams a
year.
Despite
the
company’s
economic
success,
it is in
the
midst of
a legal
battle
with
National
Park
Service
Officials
who
argue
that the
business
is
having
deleterious
effects
on the
bay’s
harbor
seals,
native
eelgrass,
and
overall
ecosystem
functions.
Park
officials
also
argue
the fact
that the
companies
oyster
beds,
which
are
located
inside
the
Point
Reyes
National
Seashore,
prevent
the park
from
achieving
full
wilderness
area
status.
The
National
Academy
of
Sciences
most
recent
environmental
impact
report
on the
Drakes
Bay
Oyster
Co.
debates
the
National
Park
Service’s
scientific
claims.
Scientists
from the
National
Academy
of
Sciences
delighted
allies
of the
Drakes
Bay
Oyster
Co. with
findings
that the
National
Park
Service’s
scientific
evaluation
of the
oyster
farm was
flawed.
According
to the
scientists,
the Park
Service’s
findings
were
based on
errors,
selectively
presented
information
and
distorted
facts.
Previous
studies
by the
Park
Service
purported
that the
oyster
farm
occupied
essential
habitat
for
juvenile
harbor
seals
and
their
mothers.
It was
also
suggested
that
engine
noise
from
oyster
boats
was the
cause of
a
reduced
seal
population
in the
area
developed
by the
company.
Academy
scientists
found
that
while
reduced
seal
concentrations
were
found in
the
general
vicinity
of the
company’s
operations,
the
overall
population
of
harbor
seals
actually
increased
during
oyster
farming.
Native
eelgrass
was also
thought
to be
disturbed
by
increased
accumulation
of
oyster
waste in
the
bay.
Since
the
oysters
and
clams
are
filter
feeders
that
remove
suspended
nutrients
from the
water
column,
the
farm’s
operations
actually
improved
growing
conditions
for the
sensitive
grass.
Scientists
found
that
eelgrass’s
total
percent
coverage
doubled
between
the
years of
1991 and
2001,
while
the farm
was
under
operation.
Not one
of the
National
Parks
Service’s
six
reports
mentioned
that
native
Olympia
oysters
once
lived in
the
estuary,
until
the
population
was
wiped
out by
harvesters.
The National Academy of Sciences report solidified U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) support of a permit renewal that would allow the farm to continue its operations in Drakes Bay past 2012. Sen. Feinstein explained that any future problems arising from the continued operation of the plant would be addressed through adaptive management. On 5 May 2009, Feinstein expressed her support of permit reissuance to Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar. The Interior Department’s Office of the Solicitor has formally stated that the Drakes Bay Oyster Co. cannot be allowed to continue operations in the bay because it represents a “non-confirming use.” In a letter from the Solicitor addressed to the Superintendent of the Point Reyes National Seashore, the Solicitor explains “the Park Service is mandated by the Wilderness Act, the Point Reyes Wilderness Act and its Management Policies to convert potential wilderness, i.e., the Oyster Company tract and the Estero, to wilderness status as soon as the non-conforming use can be eliminated.”
Biologically beneficial or not, the Drakes Bay Oyster Co. is at direct odds with the Park Service’s legal obligation to phase out non-conforming uses in “potential wilderness.” The National Park Service Management Policies 2001, Sec. 6.2.2.1 defines “potential wilderness areas” as those areas directly adjacent to or surrounded by wilderness that don’t qualify as wilderness due to “temporary, non-conforming, or incompatible conditions.” Under the Point Reyes Wilderness Act of 1976, 25,370 acres were dedicated as wilderness and 8,003 acres as potential wilderness. The oyster farm is permitted to continue activities for 40 years until the permit expires in 2012.
For a 6 May 2009 article from the San Francisco Chronicle, go to www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/05/05/MNIQ17ERPE.DTL. For a 7 May 2009 press release from Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, go to www.commondreams.org/newswire/2009/05/07. For a copy of the Department of the Interior’s letter to the Superintendent of the Point Reyes National Seashore, go to www.peer.org/docs/doi/09_07_05_doi_solicitor_opinion_pt_reyes.pdf.
Legislature
Will
Hear
Bill
Attacking
Bay-Delta
Fisheries
(AB
1253) on
April 28
Assemblywoman
Jean
Fuller
(R-Bakersfield)
has
introduced
dangerous
legislation,
AB 1253,
to
remove
gamefish
status
for
striped
bass in
California.
The bill
will be
heard in
the
Water,
Parks &
Recreation
Committee
of the
California
State
Assembly
in
Meeting
Room
437, on
Tuesday,
April
28, at 9
a.m.
The bill
is
opposed
by an
unprecedented
coalition
of
recreational
fishing,
commercial
fishing
and
environmental
restoration
groups
and
businesses.
Representatives
of these
groups
will be
attending
the
hearing
on
Tuesday
to
testify
against
the bill
and will
be
available
for
comments
to the
media.
The
proposed
legislation
would
prohibit
regulation
of
striped
bass by
the
California
Department
of Fish
and
Game.
Passage
would
allow
unlimited,
indiscriminate
harvest
of
striped
bass.
Assemblywoman
Fuller's
stated
intent
is to
increase
water
exports
from the
Delta by
an
indirect
and
scientifically
ill-advised
approach.
Ms.
Fuller
claims
that
removing
striped
bass
from
gamefish
protection
would
decrease
the
population
of
striped
bass and
consequently
reduce
the
predation
of the
fish on
threatened
and
endangered
smelt
and
salmon.
In
reality,
AB1253
would
only
decimate
the
striped
bass
recreational
fishery
throughout
the
State,
and
particularly
in the
Bay and
Delta
region,
along
with the
economy
that
depends
on the
striped
bass
fishery.
"Assemblywoman
Fuller's
legislation
fails to
recognize
that
historically,
striped
bass
have
coexisted
in
abundance
with
Delta
Smelt
and all
the
salmon
species,"¯
states
John
Beuttler,
conservation
director
of the
California
Sportfishing
Protection
Alliance.
The
States
foremost
experts
on
Deltas
fisheries,
including
respected
scientists
Peter
Moyle,
Matt
Nobriga,
and
David
Ostrach,
agree
that
striped
bass
predation
does not
impact
smelt
and
salmon
populations.
"The
rapid
decline
in
native
species
(Smelt
and
Salmon)
and
desirable
species
(Striped
Bass)
across
the
board
can be
attributed
to poor
water
quality,
insufficient
fresh
water
flows
into the
Delta,
excessive
pumping,
and fish
entrainment
at the
Federal
and
State
water
pumps,"¯
says
Barbara-Barrigan
Parrilla,
campaign
director
of
Restore
the
Delta."
"If you
were to
amend
your
bill to
identify
the true
cause of
our fish
declines
ā€“
diversions
upstream
and
within
the
Delta
that are
far in
excess
of
whatever
water
may be
surplus
to the
needs of
the fish
and the
ecosystem
“ then
we could
support
it,"
says
Zeke
Grader,
executive
director
of the
Pacific
Coast
Federation
of
Fisherman's
Associations.
"But
blaming
Striped
bass for
the
salmon
decline
is at
best a
red
herring."
A
previous
press
release
and list
of
organizations
opposing
AB 1253
are
attached.
For more
information,
go to:
http://www.saveourstripers.org/
or
http://savedeltafish.wordpress.com
AB 1253 the bill to wipe out striped bass: Have you written your letter yet?
April 7,
2009 --
AB 1253,
the bill
introduced
by
Assembly
Jean woman
Fuller
(Bakersfield)
to
deregulate
and
remove
all
support
for the
striped
bass is
still on
the
agenda
to be
heard by
the
Assembly
Water
Parks
and
Wildlife
Committee.
CSPA has
sponsored
a letter
writing
campaign
to kill
the bill
in
committee
and we
understand
our
supporters
are
having
an
impact.
However,
this is
no time
to slack
off.
Each and
every
letter
received
by the
committee
is
counted
as pro
or con
and the
totals
are
reported
on the
date of
the
hearing.
We want
to make
sure
that the
pile of
letters
in the
pile
recommending
the bill
be
killed
overwhelms
those in
the pile
recommending
its
passage.
The bill
will be
heard by
committee
on April
28th.
The
committee
secretary
states
to be
the most
effective
we
should
do the
following:
Here are
the NEW
instructions
to send
your
letters
to the
committee.
Send
ONE
letter
to the
Water,
Parks
and
Wildlife
Committee
either
snail
mail
or
FAX.
The
committee
does NOT
want
e-mail!
The
address
of the
committee
is:
Assemblymember
Jared
Huffman,
Chair
Assembly
Committee
on
Water,
Parks &
Wildlife
1020 N
Street,
Suite
160
Sacramento,
CA 94249
The fax
number
is:
916-319-2196
Your
letters
should
be
addressed:
Re:
Opposition
to AB
1253
(Fuller)
-
Striped
Bass
Chairman
Huffman
and
Members
of the
Committee:
Sample letter to individual committee members. You are encouraged to cut and paste as you see fit and add your own comments as well.
You are still encouraged to send snail mail or e-mail responses to individual assembly members IF YOU LIVE IN THEIR DISTRICT. The list of committee members, their addresses and districts follow the sample letters.
Sample
letter
Dear
Assembly
member
__________________,
As a
California
angler,
voter
and
taxpayer,
I
strongly
oppose
AB 1253,
the bill
introduced
by
Assembly
member
Fuller,
intending
to
delist
and
remove
support
of the
striped
bass as
a
California
game
fish.
The
striped
bass, a
fish
legally
introduced
to the
State by
the
California
Fish and
Game
Commission,
established
itself
as one
of the
state's
premier
game
fish and
coexisted
in
harmony
for over
130
years
with the
state's
native
fishes.
Even in
the
1930's
when the
striped
bass
population
was
believed
to
exceed
12
million
adult
fish and
the
species
was
fished
commercially,
the fish
did not
impact
the
state's
salmon
stocks
or the
health
of the
delta's
fisheries
including
the
delta
smelt
and the
longfin
smelt.
The
striped
bass
fishery
along
with the
chinook
salmon,
steelhead,
delta
smelt,
longfin
smelt,
American
Shad,
green
sturgeon,
white
sturgeon
fisheries
only
began to
decline
with the
operation
of the
State
Water
Project
and the
Central
Valley
Project
in the
late
1960's.
As
exports
have
increased,
the
populations
of all
of these
fishes
has
crashed
to all
time
historical
lows
with the
delta
smelt
now on
the
endangered
species
list,
the
longfin
smelt
threatened,
the
chinook
salmon
run the
lowest
in
history.
The
current
striped
bass
popluations
is also
at
historical
lows.
The
striped
bass is
a fish
of
legend
and has
been a
part of
California's
angling
heritage
for 130
years.
AB 1253,
a bill
sponsored
by a
number
of water
districts
is an
obvious
attempt
to
transfer
the
blame of
the
decline
of
California's
once
great
fisheries
to one
of the
species
that
made the
California
Delta
one of
the
greatest
fisheries
on earth
instead
of their
insatiable
demand
for
larger
and
larger
amounts
of delta
water.
They
realize
that if
the
delta's
fisheries
can be
destroyed,
it is
one less
reason
to
obstruct
the
draining
of the
delta
for
subsidized
agribusiness
farming.
Please
vote
this
bill
down
when it
comes
before
your
committee.
If
passed,
it will
do
nothing
to
restore
California's
once
great
fisheries
and will
cause
the
destruction
of one
of
California's
greatest
game
fish.
Sincerely,
Address including zip code (important)
Assembly
Water
Parks
and
Wildlife
Committee
Chair
Jared
Huffman
(D)
State
Capitol
P.O. Box
942849
Sacramento,
CA
94249-0006
Tel:
(916)
319-2006
Fax:
(916)
319-2106
Assemblymember.Huffman@assembly.ca.gov
6th
Assembly
District
-- Marin
headlands
including
Sausalito,
Novato,
Petaluma
Vice
Chair
(And AB
1253
Sponsor)
Jean
Fuller
(R)
State
Capitol,
Room
3098
Sacramento,
CA 95814
916-319-2032,
916-319-2132
fax
Assemblymember.Fuller@assembly.ca.gov
32nd
Assembly
District
--
Bakersfield,
Frazier
Park,
Kern
River
Valley,
Ridgecrest,
Taft,
Tehachapi
Fisheries Forum: Chesbro Tells Blue Ribbon Panel to “show me the science” requiring new no-take Marine Reserves at Point Arena
Assemblyman Wes Chesbro challenged the Blue Ribbon Task Force which proposes to close about forty percent of offshore fishing areas and shore access in the Point Arena area to subsistence fishing and ocean food harvesting to “show me the science” driving this push to deny Point Arena residents access to sustainable ocean food.
The occasion was the Fisheries Forum on March 26 at the California State Capitol, where a delegation of Mendocino fishermen, abalone divers and seaweed harvesters went to tell the legislature’s Fisheries Committee about the combined threats of livelihood loss and offshore oil drilling currently facing the Point Arena community. Senator Patricia Wiggins, fisheries committee chair, and Assemblyman Wes Chesbro, listened to all testimony.
Point Arena resident Allan Jacobs presented a petition signed by hundreds of people whose businesses and livelihoods would be affected if proposed new State Marine Reserves and Protected Areas are adopted by the California State Fish and Game Commission. Jacobs described a community whose fisheries experience and observation was ignored by a process determined to prevent Point Arena residents from taking food from the intertidal zone or ocean in places harmoniously harvested for centuries.
In written and oral testimony, Jim Martin, Mendocino County Fish & Game Commissioner, called for the outright “abolition” of the Blue Ribbon Task Force which runs the Marine Life Protection Act (MLPA) process of setting up new no-take zones where nobody can harvest ocean food. “Special interest groups have hijacked the Marine Life Protection Act,” testified Commissioner Martin. “The Packard Foundation has picked up most of the tab for the public meetings and has influenced key policy decisions....the Department of Fish & Game has been completely marginalized in the MLPA process....
“Point Arena Pier stands to lose more than any harbor in the north-central coast study region” if the Fish & Game Commission carries out its declared intention to accept the “Integrated Preferred Alternative”(IPA) at an August, 2009 meeting, testified Commissioner Martin. “Point Arena Pier is teetering on the brink of survival....Hemmed in by closures to the north and south, the IPA creates a tiny “box” open to rockfishing in front of Arena Cove. This box is about four square miles. That will be the only area open to commercial and recreational20groundfish out of Point Arena.”
Assemblyman Wes Chesbro said he had been part of earlier efforts directed by the Fish and Game Commission to set up the no-take zones required by the 1999 Marine Life Protection Act. Assemblyman Chesbro said that the marine science required to back the need for no-take zones was questionable or absent, so the process had been abandoned. “Now you propose to close areas to seaweed harvest, affecting the livelihood of a seaweed harvesting couple,” Assemblyman Chesbro told the advocates of the Integrated Preferred Alternative. “All I’m saying is, show me the science.”
“The proposed regulations close nearly half of the shore-based public access sites in the region,” testified Mendocino County Fish & Game Commissioner Jim Marti n. “Our abalone fishery is managed sustainably and is one of the world’s last viable abalone fisheries.” Seaweed harvester John Lewallen declared that “seaweed is not an endangered fishery,” and called for suspension of any new no-take zones in intertidal areas sustainably harvested for food by people for centuries. “We need to continue the collaborative stewardship management of edible seaweed, abalone, and other ocean food resources which have worked here, not impose senseless new no-take zones from above,” Lewallen said. Lewallen described the whole MLPA process as a “divide and drill” strategy where the only winners are oil companies who want to drill for oil off Point Arena.
“Why is Catherine Reheis-Boyd, CEO and Chief of Staff for the Western States Petroleum Association, a key member of the five-member MLPA Blue Ribbon Task Force which has decreed new zones where people can take no food from state waters?” Lewallen asks. “Is it coincidence that the Point Arena Basin offshore from Point Arena is the area of highest oil industry interest in Northern California, and the only tract here now open to Minerals Management Service offshore oil leasing process? “
People
wishing
to
contact
the
Legislative
Fisheries
Committee
with
relevant
information
or
opinion
can send
your
comment
to: Senator
Patricia
Wiggins, http://dist02.casen.govoffice.com/ or
write
State
Capital,
Room
4081
Sacramento,
CA 95814
916-323-6958
Assemblyman
Wes
Chesbro
at: http://democrats.assembly.ca.gov/members/a01/ or
write
State
Capital
P.O. Box
942849,
Sacramento,
CA
94249-0001
916-319-2001
Large
California
Grower Illegally
Expands Orchard
Seven Acres Into
Fresno River
Patrick
Ricchiuti could
face U.S. EPA
fines of $37,500
per day for
federal
violations
(SAN FRANCISCO –
4/1/2009) The
U.S.
Environmental
Protection
Agency has
issued a
violation notice
and compliance
order to Patrick
Ricchiuti,
president of P.R.
Farms, following
the discovery of
the grower’s
illegal
expansion into
the Fresno
River. Ricchiuti
bypassed flood
control levees,
illegally
filling an area
approximately
2,300 feet long
and 45-250 feet
wide and
encroaching more
than seven acres
into the Fresno
River.
The EPA has
ordered
Ricchiuti to
immediately
remove all
unauthorized
fill material
and restore the
levee in
accordance with
the
specifications
of the Fresno
River flood
control
project.
"This action
will protect the
Fresno River
from illegal
encroachments,"
said Alexis
Strauss, Water
Division
director for the
EPA’s Pacific
Southwest
region. "We
shall oversee
restoration of
the site and
ensure
compliance with
the Clean Water
Act."
Ricchiuti owns
assessor’s
parcel numbers
033-160-001 and
033-160-002,
near Avenue 16
and Road 21 in
Madera County,
California. The
Fresno River
forms the
southern
boundary of the
property and is
an integral part
of a flood
control project
overseen by
multiple federal
, state, and
local
authorities.
The EPA, along
with state and
county
inspectors,
inspected the
site after
receiving
information that
the property
owner had filled
in the bed and
bank of the
Fresno River.
During their
investigation,
inspectors
observed that
earthen material
had been placed
within the
Fresno River to
create a new
levee and fill
area along the
northern bank of
the River, and
that an asphalt
road and an
orchard had been
placed on top of
the fill area.
Ricchiuti placed
dredged and fill
material into
the Fresno River
without a Clean
Water Act
section 404
permit from the
U.S. Army Corps
of Engineers.
The permit
program, which
is
co-administered
by the Corps and
EPA, regulates
the filling of
federally-protected
waterways and
wetlands to
ensure that
proposed
projects would
cause the least
environmental
harm and be
protective of
the public.
Unauthorized
encroachments
such as
Ricchiuti's can
exacerbate
flooding
potential and
damage important
flood control
infrastructure.
Persons who fill
federally
protected
waterways and
wetlands without
the requisite
Clean Water Act
permit could
face a daily
penalty of up to
$37,500.
The Fresno
River, which is
approximately 68
miles long, is a
major tributary
of the San
Joaquin River.
Flows in the
reach of the
Fresno River
along the
property are
regulated by
releases from
Hidden Dam and
augmented by
storm events
between October
and March and
periodic
agricultural
return flow. The
Fresno River
flows either
directly or via
the Chowchilla
Canal By pass to
the San Joaquin
River, which
flows to the
Sacramento-San
Joaquin River
Delta and then
San Francisco
Bay and the
Pacific Ocean.
CSPA News
Release
Legislation to
Eradicate
Striped Bass
Fisheries
Introduced! We
need your
letters and
support!
AB 1253 (Fuller)
Would abort the
management of
the public's
striped bass
fishery, open it
to unlimited
harvest, and
send it to
oblivion.
Apparently not
satisfied that
the litigation
filed last year
by
agricultural interests
will succeed,
Assembly Woman
Jean Fuller
(R-Bakersfield)
has introduced
legislation to
eradicate the
fishery. She's
the front person
forcertain
corporate
agricultural
growers and
irrigation
districts in
the Central
Valley that
believe it is
fine to destroy
a public fishery
to enhance their
economic
interests. They
justify this
based upon the
contention that
striped bass
predation of ESA
listed species
impacts their
ability to
receive water
from the Delta.
Unfortunately,
their stealth
attacks have
gone unnoticed
by most of the
public, the
state's
recreational
fishing industry
and anglers.
But, don't
interpret this
lack of
awareness as
meaning they are
not deadly
serious! They
don't want you
to know it, but
they are
attacking sport
fishing in the
state because it
has gotten in
the way of their
power play to
eliminate
anything they
think stops them
from getting
water out of the
Delta.
AB 1253 would
prohibit the
possession,
importing,
shipping,
transporting, or
planting of
striped bass in
any water within
the state. It
would fine any
person who
violates that
prohibition up
to $10,000. The
bill would
require the
Department of
Fish and Game to
adopt
regulations to
carry out these
provisions and
it deletes all
harvest
restrictions
that currently
protect striped
bass from
commercialization.
The bill would
also delete the
striped bass
fishery from the
fisheries for
which Bay-Delta
Sport Fishing
Enhancement
Stamp revenues
are to be used.
The proponents
of this bill
justified their
striped bass
litigation in
part because of
their belief
that stripers
eat and caused
jeopardy to
Delta smelt
protected under
the Endangered
Species Acts.
When that
misinformation
was exposed as
false based on
the best science
available in the
opinions of the
state's foremost
fishery
scientists that
include Peter
Moyle, Matt
Nobrigaand David
Ostrach, the
proponents
simply have
change their
propaganda to
say the stripers
eat salmon and
steelhead
protected under
the ESA.
However, the
science shows
the minute
predation caused
by striper bass
is simply not a
factor in the
decline of
winter-run and
spring-run
salmon and
steelhead.
The science also
shows that one
of the most
critical factors
in the decline
of the Delta's
productivity and
its fisheries is
WATER EXPORT!
But, instead of
solving that
problem, these
pillars of
industry have
put a full court
press on
destroying
fisheries that
get in their
way. They don't
really care
about the
science, or
about the
collapse of all
the fisheries
dependent on the
estuary over the
past fifty
years. And, they
don't give a
damn about our
state's sport
fishing industry
that generates
some $4 billion
a year to the
state's economy,
or about the
salmon fishing
closures and the
destruction of
the lives that
hang in the
balance. They
don't care about
you or your
quality of life!
They are
conducting an
undeclared war
and you and the
fishing you hold
so dearly are
the target.
Should they
succeed in
eradicating
stripers, they
will target the
Delta's black
bass
(largemouth)
fishery, the
smallmouth,
American shad,
crappie and any
other fish that
have a
"non-native"
status, because,
like striped
bass, they were
introduced.
So, contact the
Chairman of
State Assembly's
Water, Parks and
Wildlife
Committee and
tell the
committee this
destructive
legislation must
be stopped! If
you have a
legislator on
that committee,
send them a
letter as well.
It doesn't need
to be long, or
eloquent, but
you do need to
send it as soon
as you can. The
information
below will tell
you how to do
it. Follow this
link to find
sample letters
and the
addresses and
E-mail addresses
of the assembly
members of the
committee. When
you finished
sending the
letters, I hope
you can make it
your mission to
get two of you
friends, two
fellow anglers,
or family
members to send
letters as well.
CSPA will lead
the charge when
the bill comes
up for hearing,
but without your
letters we will
not have the
pubic support to
make the
outcome. It is
time to stand up
and be counted
or else say
goodbye to sport
fishing as we
know it.
John Beuttler
Conservation
Director
CSPA
Schwarzenegger Launches Green Corps As California
Fisheries Collapse
by Dan Bacher
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, who has presided over the unprecedented collapse of Central Valley Chinook salmon, delta smelt, longfin smelt, green sturgeon and other fish populations while gutting the Department of Fish and Game, tried yet again to cast himself in the role of the "Green Governor" by launching the "California Green Corps" Tuesday.
Schwarzenegger announced the formation of the corps immediately after meeting with President Obama’s Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis in Sacramento to discuss federal economic stimulus funding and job creation. In yet another cynical attempt to add a green veneer to the worst-ever administration for fish and the environment in California history, Schwarzenegger claimed that the California Green Corps "will place at-risk young adults aged 16-24 into jobs in California’s emerging green economy."
“President Obama and I share similar priorities right now when it comes to helping the economy rebound and creating a greener California and America,” contended Governor Schwarzenegger. “In California we will utilize federal economic stimulus funds and public-private partnerships to help stimulate our economy while initiating actions to improve our environment. Green jobs are exactly what our economy and environment need right now – and the California Green Corps targets that need while helping at-risk young adults realize a brighter future.”
He said the "initial phase" of the California Green Corps will consist of a 20-month pilot program reaching at least 1,000 of California’s at-risk young adults. It will invest "at least $10 million in federal economic stimulus funding from the U.S. Department of Labor and an additional $10 million from public-private partnerships."
The program will consist of a minimum of 10 regional Green Corps throughout the state – with at least one regional Green Corps located in each of California’s nine economic regions. All programs will be "public-private partnerships" that include green job training, a stipend, an educational requirement and community service.
"To help ensure the success of the Green Corps, it will be housed under CaliforniaVolunteers – an agency in a unique position to leverage federal economic stimulus funding and to work with public-private partnerships and across state agencies," according to the Governor. "This program furthers the goals of California’s Green Collar Jobs Council which was created when the Governor signed Assembly Bill 3018 in September 2008. The Council is charged with developing a comprehensive approach to address the workforce needs associated with California’s emerging green economy."
"We will need construction workers, cost estimators, energy analysts, computer technicians, salespersons, scientists, engineers, and many others," according to a corps facts sheet.
I'm a big supporter of "green jobs," but under this Governor, what will the young "Green Corps" members be forced to do? Will he force them to fulfill his "Delta Vision" of a creating a dead estuary by training them as construction workers, engineers and cost estimators engaged in building a peripheral canal and more dams as part of a "public-private partnership? Will they be trained as salespersons and scientists to market the "need" to build the canal and dams to the media and the public?
Will they be forced to work as engineers and construction workers on cosmetic, greenwashing "habitat restoration" projects that make streams look pretty while their fish populations die as the water is diverted for corporate agriculture and urban development?
Will they go distribute notices to Delta farmers informing them that their lands are going to be seized by eminent domain because they are on the route of the peripheral canal? Will the Governator have them take down levees to make sections of the Delta into salt marsh, rather than the fresh and brackish water habitat the Delta has been historically?
Since the governor has vetoed legislation twice limiting the environmentally destructive practice of suction dredge gold mining mining, will he order corps members to conduct "outreach" on the state's rivers and streams to promote suction dredging regardless of its impact on endangered salmon, lampreys and green sturgeon?
Will Schwarzenegger command the corps to clean up all of the dead, rotting chinook salmon, coho salmon, steelhead, delta smelt, longfin smelt, striped bass, green sturgeon and other species that will result from his persistent advancing of the interests of the timber industry, corporate agribusiness and developers over fish and wildlife?
Will the corps members be hired to serve as de facto enforcement officers to patrol the state's growing marine protected areas that kick sustainable fishermen and seaweed harvesters off the water? After all, California already has the worst wardens per capita ratio in the United and 98 wardens and cadets recently received layoff notices, resulting in an epidemic of fish and wildlife poaching, and patrolling redundant MPAs would be a "wise" use of the corps members time!
Of course, I know that many will laud the Governor for launching the "Green Corps." However, anybody that takes even a cursory look at the state of California's fish populations will realize that there is nothing "green" about Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Federal and state scientists estimate that only 66,264 natural and hatchery adult fall Chinooks returned to the Sacramento River basin in 2008, the lowest spawning escapement on record. Recreational and commercial fishing in ocean waters off California and most of Oregon and was closed for the first time in history in 2008 and is expected to be closed again this year.
While the Bush and Schwarzenegger administrations claimed "ocean conditions" were the cause of the collapse, respected scientists, recreational anglers, commercial fishermen, environmentalists and members of California Indian Tribes point to massive increases in water exports and the mismanagement of Central Valley dam operations as key factors behind the decline.
The DFG's 2008 fall mid-water trawl survey shows abundance estimates for delta smelt, American shad, Sacramento splittail and threadfin shad to be the lowest in 41 years. The longfin smelt indices are the fourth lowest on record and young of the year striped bass abundance estimates are the sixth lowest. (For more information, go to http://www.calsport.org). Again, record water exports and mismanagement of dam operations under the Bush and Schwarzenegger administrations, along with increases in toxics and invasive species, are the primary reasons behind the collapse of these species.
It will be interesting to see what the Governor and his staff really mean by training people in "green jobs." If Schwarzenegger's past performance is any indication, the California Green Corps will end up being yet one more carefully calculated greenwashing scheme by the Governor to divert attention from his deplorable management of California fish and the environment!
For additional information about the California Green Corps please visit: http://gov.ca.gov/fact-sheet/11753
Senator Lois Wolk Unveils Delta Legislation At
Symposium
During the Restore the Delta Symposium in Lodi on February 28,
Senator Lois Wolk (D-Davis) outlined her package of legislation to
protect the Delta. The organization also presented Congressman
George Miller (D-Martinez), Bill Jennings of the California
Sportfishing Protection Alliance, former California State Senator
Mike Machado, and Delta farmer Alex Hildebrand with the "Delta
Advocate" awards.
by Dan Bacher
Senator Lois Wolk (D-Davis) outlined her package of legislation to protect the Delta and spoke about her strong opposition to a peripheral canal in Lodi on Saturday, February 28.
“We must take responsibility for the Delta and recognize that it is a significant region worthy of permanent protection,” said Lois Wolk before a crowd of 250 people at a day long symposium held by Restore the Delta. “Saving the Delta can’t just be about the interests of balancing the interests of Southern California, corporate agriculture and endangered fish. Doing just that is a recipe for ruin.”
Wolk emphasized that there are people, communities, recreation, wildlife, history, transportation and economic infrastructure that must be considered in saving the Delta.
During the event, people on five panels representing diverse communities including farmers, environmentalists, fishermen and Delta residents rallied to detail why the Delta must be saved. They also disclosed their solutions to stopping the decline of Central valley salmon and Delta fish populations, as well as the impacts of the Delta’s decline upon Delta farmers and environmental justice communities.
Headlining Wolk’s legislative package to save the Delta is Senate Bill 457 to establish a Delta Stewardship Council to balance the “the triequal goals of the Delta ecosystem, water supply reliability and the Delta as a place.” She introduced the bill because the Delta currently has no structure that coordinates governance of the Delta.
“The Delta needs a steward, someone entrusted with responsibility for this critical and irreplaceable resource and not just given power over it,” she said. “There are 200 some odd state, federal and local agencies with some responsibilities with some responsibility in the Delta. Too often these agencies are working at cross purposes and with varying interests.”
Wolk’s package also features SB 458, which creates a Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Conservancy to promote projects that further Delta-based tourism, agriculture, fishing, hunting and other related economic activities. “The Delta isn’t just the state’s plumbing system and it shouldn’t be treated like an aquarium,” she said. “These bills work to protect the Delta as a whole.”
The Senator’s Delta package also includes SB 456, a $9.8 billion bond to increase water supply and fund Delta restoration and sustainability, and a bill to encourage statewide water conservation.
Her water bond contrasts greatly with water bond bills sponsored the same week by Senator Dave Cogdill (R-Fresno) and Senate Majority Leader Dean Florez (D-Shafter) that include funding for a peripheral canal (“conveyance”) and Temperance Flat and Sites dams. Unlike those bills, Wolk contains no peripheral canal nor funding for Temperance Flat and Sites, though her bill does provide $3 billion for regional and local water storage projects, groundwater storage and cleanup projects.
“If all of the energy of the state goes into the building of peripheral canal, the Delta will die,” she noted. “There are too many things to be done on the Delta to put a pipe through it.”
She also disclosed that $1.2 billion of funding for the California Department of Water Resources, the agency that has teamed up with the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation for decades to drive our fisheries into the abysmal state they are now in, is “off the budget.”
“There are no hearings on this issue – there is an absolute lack of transparency. If there’s one thing I do this year in Sacramento, I want to see this changed,” she vowed.
Restore the Delta, a Delta-based coalition including Delta farmers, environmentalists, everyday citizens, fishermen, business leaders, the faith community, and recreation enthusiasts, held the event to “craft a blueprint for the Delta that reflects the needs of Delta communities and fisheries,” according to Campaign Director Barbara Barrigan-Parrilla.
The event featured a morning key note address by Congressman George Miller (D-Martinez) and afternoon key note address by Jerry McNerney (D-Pleasanton). Restore the Delta presented Congressman Miller with their inaugural award - The Delta Advocate Award - for his years of advocacy at the federal level on behalf of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.
The organization also bestowed Delta Advocate Awards to Bill Jennings of the California Sportfishing Protection Alliance, former California State Senator Mike Machado, and Delta farmer Alex Hildebrand.
During his address, Miller condemned the move by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, Feinstein and State Legislators to build a peripheral canal. “The peripheral canal is a setup that requires the taxpayers to pay and the environment to suffer. We’re going to twitter the canal out of business,” he said to applause.
He also said the Bureau of Reclamation’s mission has to be changed to one that is “futuristic and based on science, “compared to the days of the Bush administration when science was frequently manipulated or discarded to support Bush’s political agenda.
“There is an investment to make in saving these species,” he stated in a call to action, noting the economic importance of commercial and recreational fishing to the state’s economy. “I think we’re up to it and we’ll be successful if each one of us engages in political activity to save the Delta. The Delta is as fundamental as any geographical area in the country - it is fundamental to the quality of lives and economy of the people of California.”
Bill Jennings, executive director of the California Sportfishing Protection Alliance, emphasized how the fate of fishermen, environmentalists and Delta farmers is “irrevocably intertwined."
“We understand that a Delta that supports abundant fisheries also supports productive farms and recreational and viable communities,” he stated. “We’ll prosper together or we’ll hang together.” In contrast to the “collaborative” “win, win” processes that the state and federal governments have often used to drive the agenda of corporate agribusiness, Jennings said the following.
“There is no win, win solution,” he noted. “We live in a water-limited state where there is only an average of 29 million acre feet of runoff in the Central Valley, while the State Water Resources Control Board has allocated 245 million acre feet of water rights.” He condemned the “solution” of the water contractors to build a peripheral canal – and said that we need to compel our regulatory agencies to enforce the water code and Clean Water Act.
“The canal would transfer pumping impacts to the last viable salmonid river in the Valley (the Sacramento), eliminate critical habitat and send numerous species into oblivion, and increase the concentration and bioaccumulation of pollutants,” he said. “It would increase salinity, severely reducing yields of hundreds of thousands of productive farmland, and eliminate tens of thousands of fishing, recreational and agricultural jobs.”
Mike Jackson, CSPA attorney and board member of the Water Impact Network, quipped that “the Governor should tell his scriptwriter, Susan Kennedy, to rewrite his current script. What he’s doing now is “Terminator Five, the Death of the Delta.”
After receiving his award, South Delta farmer Alex Hildebrand put
the current Delta fish and water quality declines and the effort to
build a peripheral canal into historical perspective. “Societies
rise, flourish and eventually crash because they misuse their
water,” said Hildebrand. “As those ancient civilizations fell, they
trashed their environment."
For more information about Restore the Delta, go to
http://www.restorethedelta.org.
"Partneship
for
Sustainable
Oceans
Responds
to
Public
Statement:
Budget
Cuts
Will
Damage
the
State’s
Recreational
Fishing
Submitted
by
the
Coastside
Fishing
Club
SACRAMENTO,
CA,
February
24,
2009
–
The
Partnership
for
Sustainable
Oceans
(PSO)
supports
a
recent
editorial
issued
by
top
executives
from
three
of
California’s
sportfishing
equipment
manufacturers
-
Daiwa
Corp.,
Shimano
American
Corporation
and
AFTCO
Bluewater
-
challenging
recent
comments
by
Natural
Resources
Secretary
Mike
Chrisman.
The
piece
questions
how
the
state’s
Marine
Life
Protection
Act
(MLPA)
can
be
successfully
implemented
in
light
of
the
state’s
budget
crisis.
The
editorial,
entitled
"Fishers
Fear
State
Will
Restrict
LB
Waters,
Hurt
Industry,"
addresses
the
impacts
of
the
state’s
mounting
fiscal
crisis
on
the
sportfishing
industry.
Published
in
the
February
23
Long
Beach
Post
online
edition,
the
editorial
is
signed
by
Terry
Pederson,
Daiwa
Corp.;
Dave
Pfeiffer,
Shimano
American
Corporation;
and
Bill
Shedd,
AFTCO
Bluewater.
"Saltwater
recreational
fishing
contributes
more
than
$2.2
billion
annually
to
the
state’s
economy,
directly
supporting
more
than
20,000
jobs
which
are
often
at
the
heart
of
many
coastal
communities,"
according
to
the
editorial.
The
recent
budget
cuts
are
causing
concern
for
the
recreational
fishing
and
boating
industries
because
state
funds
are
crucial
for
scientific
monitoring
and
enforcement
safeguards
in
the
newly
created
marine
protected
areas
(MPAs)
under
the
state’s
MLPA.
"We
need
to
be
able
to
monitor
the
MPAs
in
order
to
determine
their
impact
on
the
marine
environment,"
said
Patty
Doerr,
Ocean
Policy
Resource
director
for
the
American
Sportfishing
Association
(ASA),
a
member
of
the
PSO.
"Without
the
monitoring,
there
will
be
no
scientific
basis
on
which
to
make
future
regulatory
changes.
Without
funding
to
monitor
the
MPAs’
effectiveness,
recreational
angling
and
boating
may
be
permanently
prohibited
in
large
swaths
of
California’s
coastal
waters."
"The
editorial
provides
a
clear
picture
of
the
deep
impacts
that
the
budget
cuts
will
have
on
the
businesses
and
local
communities
that
depend
on a
vibrant
sportfishing
industry,"
said
ASA
Vice
President
Gordon
Robertson.
The
PSO
agrees
with
sportfishing
industry
leaders
who
depend
on a
healthy
fishery
resource
and
calls
upon
Governor
Schwarzenegger
to
take
action
that
assures
the
MLPA
is
implemented
correctly
and
not
in a
manner
that
costs
the
state,
as
well
as
the
sportfishing
and
boating
communities,
billions
of
dollars
each
year.
Robertson
further
said,
"We
also
call
on
the
Fish
and
Game
Commission
to
have
an
open
and
honest
public
discussion
about
the
financial
resources
that
are
actually
available
for
the
MLPA
implementation.
This
initiative
needs
to
be
correctly
monitored
and
enforced
right
from
the
start."
The
PSO,
a
group
of
recreational
fishing
and
boating
organizations,
is
committed
to
protecting
the
health
of
California’s
ocean
environment
without
unnecessary
closures
of
California
coastal
waters
to
recreational
fishing.
Members
include
the
American
Sportfishing
Association,
Berkley
Conservation
Institute,
Coastside
Fishing
Club,
International
Game
Fish
Association,
Kayak
Fishing
Association
of
California,
National
Marine
Manufacturers
Association,
Nor-Cal
Kayak
Anglers,
Shimano
Sport
Fisheries
Initiative,
Southern
California
Marine
Association
and
the
Sportfishing
Association
of
California."
The
following
"News
Release"
should
NOT come
as a
surprise
to
anyone.
So
long
as
the
status
quo
of
Fish
and
Game mis-management
continues
our
fisheries
will
continue
to
decline
in
both
value
and
available
resources.
Mike
Aughney
California
Department
of
Fish
and
Game
NEWS
RELEASE
Ocean
Salmon
Season
Setting
Process
Begins
/Estimates
of
2008
Sacramento
River
Fall
Chinook
Escapement
At
All
Time
Low
Preliminary
2008
salmon
data
released
today
indicates
a
continued
and
significant
reduction
in
the
return
size
of
Sacramento
River
fall
Chinook
stock.
The
California
Department
of
Fish
and
Game
(DFG)
estimates
that
66,200
Sacramento
River
fall
Chinook
adults
returned
in
2008
-
the
lowest
recorded
return
since
comprehensive
monitoring
of
Central
Valley
hatchery
and
natural
escapement
began
in
the
1970s.
An
estimated
73
percent
of
these
spawners
returned
to
natural
areas.
The
salmon
stock
information
was
collected
early
February
by
DFG
and
was
forwarded
this
week
to
the
Pacific
Fishery
Management
Council
(PFMC)
to
help
the
council
begin
its
annual
ocean
salmon
season
setting
process.
The
data
focuses
on
the
return
of
both
Sacramento
River
fall
Chinook
and
Klamath-Trinity
River
System
fall
Chinook
salmon
in
2008.
Preliminary
data
indicates
approximately
that
31,000
adult
fall
Chinook
returned
to
spawn
in
Klamath-Trinity
River
System
natural
areas
during
2008,
well
below
the
2008
management
objective
of
40,700
required
by
the
PFMC.
DFG
provides
extensive
information
and
scientific
assistance
on
California
salmon
stocks
annually
to
the
PFMC
for
the
evaluation
and
setting
of
ocean
salmon
seasons.
The
California
Fish
and
Game
Commission
(FGC)
uses
this
information
for
season-setting
as
well.
The
2009
ocean
salmon
season
regulatory
process
includes
public
and
scientific
meetings
starting
in
February
and
ending
in
April.
The
PFMC
Salmon
Technical
Team
is
currently
meeting
in
Portland
to
draft
the
“Preseason
Report
I-Stock
Abundance
Analysis
for
2009
Ocean
Salmon
Fisheries”
and
to
consider
any
other
estimation
or
methodology
issues
pertinent
to
the
2009
ocean
salmon
fisheries.
Stock
assessments
and
ocean
salmon
seasons
are
critical
to
maintaining
and
meeting
conservation
goals.
In
2008,
all
ocean
salmon
seasons
were
closed
for
the
first
time
in
California
history.
The
closure
was
enacted
to
protect
Sacramento
River
fall
Chinook
stocks.
These
stocks
are
considered
a
primary
driver
of
both
commercial
and
recreational
salmon
fishing
off
the
coast
of
California
and
most
of
Oregon.
The
PFMC
and
the
FGC
closed
all
ocean
Chinook
salmon
fisheries
in
2008,
south
of
Cape
Falcon,
Oregon.
DFG
will
hold
a
public
salmon
information
meeting
(dog
and
pony
show)
March
3 in
Santa
Rosa
to
present
information
pertinent
to
California
salmon
fisheries
and
gather
public
input
regarding
the
2009
season.
The
PFMC
will
conduct
public
hearings
to
receive
comments
on
three
proposed
ocean
salmon
fishery
management
options
scheduled
to
be
adopted
March
7-13
in
Seattle.
A
PFMC
public
hearing
will
be
held
March
31
at 7
p.m.
in
Eureka
at
the
Red
Lion
Hotel.
The
PFMC
and
FGC
will
adopt
final
2009
ocean
salmon
regulations
in
April.
For
further
information
about
the
2009
PFMC
salmon
management
process,
work
sessions
or
hearings,
please
contact
Mr.
Chuck
Tracy
at
(503)
820-2280
ext.
415,
or
toll
free
1-866-806-7204.
For
further
information
about
salmon,
the
season-setting
process
for
California
inland
waters
and
the
2008
salmon
seasons’
structures,
please
go
to:
http://www.dfg.ca.gov/news/issues/salmon/#01.
Name
Change
Won't
Alter
Resources
Agency's
Dark
Mission
by
Dan
Bacher
The
Resources
Agency
on
January
1
adopted
a
new
name,
the
California
"Natural"
Resources
Agency,
to
give
the
agency
a
more
"green"
veneer.
Unfortunately,
nothing
has
changed
at
the
agency
that
has
presided
over
the
collapse
of
the
state's
salmon,
steelhead
and
other
fish
populations.
A
press
release
from
the
agency
in
late
December
claimed
that
the
name
change
was
adopted
to
"better
reflect
its
mission."
"Since
1961,
the
Resources
Agency
has
been
responsible
for
the
safeguarding
and
stewardship
of
California's
precious
natural
resources,"
according
to
the
release.
"From
water
and
wildlife
management
and
conservation
to
wildland
fire
protection,
energy,
ocean
and
coastal
policy,
land
stewardship,
climate
change
adaptation,
sustainable
living,
and
the
promotion
of
outdoor
recreation,
the
agency
oversees
most
all
of
the
state's
functions
designed
to
protect
California's
natural
resources."
In
July,
Governor
Arnold
"Fish
Terminator"
Schwarzenegger
signed
Senate
Bill
1464
(Maldonado)
authorizing
the
Resources
Agency
to
change
its
name.
"The
new
Agency
logo
will
remain
largely
the
same
and
the
change
will
be
phased
in
gradually
as
new
supplies
are
ordered,"
the
release
stated.
"In
this
way
there
will
be
little
or
no
cost
to
the
Agency
or
any
of
its
departments,
boards
or
commissions
save
for
any
replacement
costs
that
would
normally
be
incurred."
California's
Natural
Resources
Agency
is
responsible
for
the
state's
natural
resource
policies,
programs
and
activities.
It
has
17,000
employees
and
oversees
25
departments,
commissions,
boards
and
conservancies,
including
the
Department
of
Fish
and
Game,
Department
of
Water
Resources
and
California
Water
Resources
Control
Board.
However,
wouldn't
it
be
more
appropriate
for
the
Resources
Agency
to
adopt
a
name
that
truly
reflects
its
REAL
primary
mission?
Based
on
my
years
covering
California
fisheries,
this
mission
appears
to
be
engineering
the
collapse
of
Central
Valley
salmon
fisheries,
driving
the
California
Delta's
pelagic
fish
populations
to
the
edge
of
extinction,
building
a
peripheral
canal,
constructing
more
dams,
slashing
funds
for
salmon
and
steelhead
restoration,
and
instituting
massive
closures
of
public
trust
fisheries
throughout
the
state's
ocean
waters.
Considering
all
of
this,
wouldn't
"the
Natural
Destruction
Agency"
be a
more
appropriate
name
for
the
agency?
Other
potential
names
for
the
agency
could
be
"Bureau
of
Corporate
Greenwashing,"
"Raping
of
Natural
Resources
Agency,"
"No
More
Natural
Resources
Agency,"
"The
Fish
Termination
Agency,"
or
the
"Water
Exports
Agency."
Readers
of
my
articles
have
also
suggested
the
"Final
Legislative
Usurpation
of
Significant
Habitats,
FLUSH,"
and
"The
Death
Star"
as
more
appropriate
names
for
this
agency
with
such
as
legacy
of
environmental
destruction
behind
it.
More
recently,
Karuk
Trib
Vice
Chair
Leaf
Hillman
proposed
that
the
name
of
one
of
the
agency's
member
departments,
the
Department
of
Fish
and
Game
(DFG),
be
changed
more
accurately
to
reflect
its
"mission"
after
DFG
Director
Donald
Koch
rejected
a
petition
by
the
Tribe,
California
Trout
and
Friends
of
the
North
Fork
to
restrict
suction
dredge
gold
mining
in
order
to
protect
salmon
and
steelhead
populations.
"I
guess
DFG
really
stands
for
Department
of
Frontier
Greed,"
Hillman
quipped.
While
the
name
of
the
Resources
Agency
has
changed,
pelagic
(open
water)
fish
populations
of
the
Sacramento-San
Joaquin
River
Delta
continue
to
collapse.
There
is
nothing
"natural"
about
this
unprecedented
and
catastrophic
species
decline.
The
delta
smelt
population
has
declined
to
its
lowest
level
ever,
according
to
the
latest
data
from
the
DFG's
fall
midwater
trawl
survey.
The
DFG
studies
the
health
of
these
populations
by
compiling
an
"index,"
a
relative
measure
of
abundance.
The
index
declined
to
23
in
fall
2008,
down
from
the
previous
low
level
of
28
in
fall
2007.
American
shad
also
reached
a
record
low
level
in
2008.
The
index
was
271,
compared
to
533
in
2007
and
9360
in
2003.
Threadfin
shad
also
declined
to a
record
low
population
level,
down
to
450
from
3177
in
2007.
The
Sacramento
splittail,
a
native
minnow,
declined
to
the
lowest-ever
level
this
fall.
In
fact,
no
splittail
were
observed
in
the
fall
survey,
while
only
one
fish
was
documented
the
previous
autumn.
Only
the
striped
bass
and
longfin
smelt
showed
an
increase,
though
the
population
levels
are
still
precariously
low.
The
striper
index
rose
to
220
in
2008
from
82
in
2007,
both
alarmingly
low
numbers.
In
contrast,
the
index
was
9500
in
1971,
when
the
population
was
still
healthy
before
the
fish-killing
state
and
federal
pumps
went
into
full
operation.
The
longfin
smelt
abundance
index
rose
from
a
record
low
of
13
in
fall
2007
to
113
this
fall.
By
comparison,
the
index
was
6654
in
1998.
These
fish
populations
have
declined
to
unprecedented
low
population
levels
because
of
the
deplorable
water
and
fishery
management
policies
of
the
California
"Natural"
Resources
Agency
under
the
Schwarzenegger
administration,
combined
with
extremely
bad
management
by
the
federal
government.
State
and
federal
fishery
biologists
have
pinpointed
three
major
causes
of
the
fishery
decline
-
increased
water
exports,
toxics
and
invasive
species.
More
recently,
increases
in
ammonia
releases
through
sewage
treatment
plants
have
been
cited
by
scientists
as a
possible
factor.
Record
water
export
levels
occurred
in
2003
(6.3
million
acre
feet),
2004
(6.1
MAF),
2005
(6.5
MAF)
and
2006
(6.3
MAF).
Exports
averaged
4.6
MAF
annually
between
1990
and
1999
and
increased
to
an
average
of 6
MAF
between
2000
and
2007,
a
rise
of
almost
30
percent,
according
to
the
California
Sportfishing
Protection
Alliance.
The
crisis
in
Delta
fisheries
will
not
be
solved
by
changing
the
agency's
name
- or
taking
more
water
out
of
the
Delta
through
the
peripheral
canal
proposed
by
Governor
Arnold
Schwarzenegger,
the
Department
of
Water
Resources,
Senator
Diane
Feinstein
and
the
Nature
Conservancy
as a
"solution"
to
the
Delta's
problems.
The
canal
and
more
dams
that
Schwarzenegger
and
Mike
Chrisman,
Resources
Secretary,
are
campaigning
for
will
only
exacerbate
the
imperiled
status
of
these
fish
populations,
driving
them
over
the
precipice
of
extinction.
The
only
way
the
Resources
Agency
can
live
up
to
its
new
"natural"
name
is
to
abandon
the
mad
campaign
for
a
peripheral
canal
and
more
dams,
mandate
water
conservation
by
corporate
agribusiness,
adopt
tough
agricultural
water
pollution
standards
and
require
the
retirement
of
toxic
selenium-filled
soil
in
the
Westlands
Water
District.
Governor
Schwarzenegger
Proposes
Closing
the
CA
Dept.
of
Boating
and
Waterways
Dear
BoatUS
Member,
Governor
Schwarzenegger
has
proposed
to
close
the
CA
Dept.
of
Boating
and
Waterways
(DBW)
to
save
$600,000
a
year.
But
DBW
is
funded
solely
by
your
boater
fuel
tax
dollars,
registration
fees,
and
interest
payments
on
infrastructure
loans
- it
doesn't
take
General
Fund
dollars
-
and
its
work
helps
boating
be
safer,
and
more
accessible.
We
urge
you
to
send
the
Governor
and
your
state
legislators
an
email,
help
them
learn
the
value
of
DBW,
and
ask
that
they
leave
DBW
intact.
Things to know:
1. Recreational boating contributes approximately $16.5 billion to the gross state product and supports more than 8,500 related businesses, and 284,000 direct and indirect jobs. (Source: DBW Boating Needs Assessment Study, 2002)
2. With a Boating Director and a statewide Boating and Waterways Commission, DBW provides accountability, transparency, and leadership in its use of boater-derived taxes and fees. This will be lost if the DBW is absorbed into the larger Department of Parks and Recreation (which relies on the state General Fund.)
3. DBW invests in boating infrastructure - docks, ramps, and marinas in a revolving fund that pays itself back (with interest!).
4. DBW ensures safe boating by supporting local law enforcement agencies, and boating safety education.
5. DBW is funded solely by boaters. It does not take General Funds!
For more information:
FISH
STOCKING
PROGRAM
WILL
CONTINUE
FOLLOWING
COURT
ORDER
From the
California
Sportfishing
Protection
Alliance:
November
2008 --
SACRAMENTO
– An
order
today
signed
by
Sacramento
Superior
Court
Judge
Patrick
Marlette
will
allow
the
Department
of Fish
and Game
(DFG) to
stock
more
waters
than
would
have
been
allowed
under
his Nov.
6
tentative
ruling.
The
order is
a result
of weeks
of
negotiation
among
DFG, and
the
Pacific
Rivers
Council
and
Center
for
Biological
Diversity,
along
with
their
counsel
Stanford
Legal
Clinic.
“DFG
fought
hard in
the
negotiations
to save
its fish
stocking
programs,”
said DFG
Director
Donald
Koch.
“We are
pleased
that the
order
allows
us to
continue
stocking
in a
number
of areas
where
the
communities
depend
on
fishing.”
The
order,
with
some
exceptions,
has a
broad
prohibition
against
DFG
stocking
“nonnative”
fish in
“any
California
fresh
water
body”
where
surveys
have
demonstrated
the
presence
of 25
specified
amphibian
or fish
species
or where
a survey
for
those
species
has not
yet been
done.
The
order
does not
address
the
stocking
of
native
fish
into
native
waters.
The
order
lists
exceptions
to the
prohibition
regarding
stocking
nonnative
fish,
which
include:
Stocking
in
human-made
reservoirs
larger
than
1000
acres.
Stocking
in
human-made
reservoirs
less
than
1000
acres
that are
not
connected
to a
river or
stream,
or are
not
within
red
legged
frog
critical
habitat
or where
red
legged
frogs
are
known to
exist.
Stocking
as
required
as state
or
federal
mitigation.
Stocking
for the
purpose
of
enhancing
salmon
and
steelhead
populations
and
funded
by the
Commercial
Trollers
Salmon
Stamp.
Stocking
of
steelhead
from the
Mad
River
Hatchery
into the
Mad
River
Basin.
DFG’s
Aquarium
in the
Classroom
program.
Stocking
actions
to
support
scientific
research.
Stocking
done
pursuant
to an
existing
private
stocking
permit
or to be
done
under a
new
permit
with
terms
similar
to one
that was
issued
in the
last
four
years.
DFG is
preparing
a list
of
waters
where
stocking
will
cease
based on
these
parameters.
It will
be
available
on the
DFG Web
site
early
next
week.
In
October
2006,
Pacific
Rivers
Council
and
Center
for
Biological
Diversity,
represented
by
Stanford
Law
students,
sued DFG
over
fish
stocking
programs
it has
engaged
in for
more
than 100
years,
claiming
that no
Environmental
Impact
Report (EIR)
had been
completed
for the
programs.
The
result
of the
case was
a court
order
requiring
DFG to
complete
an EIR.
DFG is
engaged
in the
years-long
and
multimillion
dollar
EIR
process,
now
scheduled
to be
completed
in
January
2010.
Due to
delays
in the
EIR
process,
which
involves
combining
the EIR
with a
federal
Environmental
Impact
Statement
(EIS),
on
Friday,
Nov. 7
Judge
Marlette
told the
department
to
negotiate
with the
petitioners
to seek
an
agreement
on terms
for how
and
where
DFG may
continue
stocking
fish
during
the time
it is
preparing
the EIR/EIS.
Caught
Fish?
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