"Science, Politics, and Salmon,"

Salmon Water Now Video Exposes Corruption in California Water Politics

I encourage everybody concerned about the destruction of California's salmon, steelhead, sturgeon, striped bass and other fisheries by corporate agribusiness and southern California water interests to watch and share this superb new video, "Science, Politics and Salmon." You can watch the new video on: YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gc5LC3HGWgE&fmt=18 or Vimeo: http://vimeo.com/8163239

SalmonWaterNow.org just released a superb new video: "Science, Politics, and Salmon," the best documentary I've seen yet on the real reason for the collapse of Central Valley salmon runs - massive water exports from the California Delta to subsidized corporate agribusiness. I encourage everybody concerned about the destruction of California's salmon, steelhead, sturgeon, striped bass and other fisheries by agribusiness and southern California water interests to watch and share this video.

"What does it take to get to the truth?" ask the video's producer, Bruce Tokars. "How hard is it to come up with a scientifically sound explanation for the disastrous decline of Pacific salmon?"

"The San Francisco Bay and the Sacramento Delta have been studied over and over again," emphasized Tokars. "The science seems pretty clear. Salmon and other species that depend on a healthy mix of salt and fresh water have been seriously hurt by excessive water diversions. Put simply, not enough fresh water is flowing through The Delta and San Francisco Bay because it is being .......

http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2009/12/14/18632632.php


How can state salmon populations be saved?
Tina Swanson is the executive director of The Bay Institute, an organization that has developed research, advocacy programs and education for the watershed that feeds into the San Francisco Bay for 28 years. She was appointed to the position in 2008 and was a researcher for eight years at University of California, Davis. She recently discussed California's salmon crisis in a telephone interview with the Lodi News-Sentinel.

Q: How did this happen to the salmon population?

A: Fifty years ago, dams were built that blocked spawning.....

http://www.lodinews.com/articles/2009/12/12/news/1b_hatchery_091212.txt

What a load of crap from the enviro whacko's, what they need is some good old harvest reform.

Yeah, those Central Valley salmon don't really need water to survive, now do they?

t.i.c.

Sg

While I believe that the lack of water is a serious issue, it is interesting to note that the closed seasons of the past 2 years are due to bad ocean conditions that the smolts encountered 3-4 years ago when they hit the sea. I remember those years off the CA coast ... brown soupy water from the shoreline to 70 miles offshore (we had long tuna runs those years). The past 2 years have had excellent ocean conditions so I'm hopeful that there will be near term recovery. But yes, the lack of water will be a long term issue. Of course the water users will say, "it's not our fault, it was the ocean conditions".

-Allen

Kinda like the dam huggers saying it not the dams, it's over harvest.

I talked to Bill Shelton of Shelton products and he was telling me that they are going to divert that delta water to new farms in the desert. This will raise the salinity for the delta where the salmon are and is going to hurt them badly. Also Maria Shrivner (Govs wife) has her friends (enviro groups) so tied in, that the gov is not listening to sports fishers down there. MPAs and other enviro groups are getting their way out in the salt more than usual. Bummer

Like any classic n-dimensional problems, it's not deciding which group is at fault, they're ALL at fault.

The solutions lie in all groups making small/medium sized improvements, and anyone saying "the other guy to blame" is part of the problem.

I think it would be eaiser and cheaper to bring a million buffalo back to the great plains than to fix all the water problems down there. Hatchery fish or nofish whats it going to be.

The in river habitat is so degraded that they can't even get hatchery fish to return.
Harvest reform is the only answer.

They shut down gillnetting in the in the seventy's, shut down trolling , midwater fishing is tiny, 5% of whiting is caught in California now there going after sportfishing. Not much blood left in that turnip.

All of the above.

http://swr.nmfs.noaa.gov/media/SalmonDeclineReport.pdf

-Allen

Durned people, always screwing things up

That is exactly correct SBD, harvest reform doesn't fix squat, until you fix the habitat issues, recovery is just a hallucination.

You are brain dead.

Harvest reform stops the bleeding. DEAD FISH DONT SPAWN. Before any hydro projects, hatcheries, were used, because the habitat WAS VACANT. The catch total reported by the Astoria based Fishermans Protective Union,(est 1886) since 1866 and 24 years, the total Columbia River harvests was....

27,000,000 DEAD SALMON total weight was 330,000 TONS total production was 427,398,440 ONE POUND CANS OF SALMON.

Conservation, was never uttered in the documents I read. Their idea of conserving the fish was to ban fish traps, (congress 1890) Fish wheels (later) and seine nets (1930's)

They specifically lobbied for more and more hatcheries, to produce more fish, for more jobs. But, they didnt want to pay for it, with higher taxes. They wanted to protect the FISHERY not the fish.

They were short sighted to believe that government would and could continue to pump out unlimited numbers of fish from hatcheries, while at the same time, steal the food of salmon at sea.

Retailers, who would condemn the last wild fish, are no better than the gillnetters and should be boycotted.

Oh good the koolaid swigging faithful are here, where's your sidekick salmon baked?
Quick type something utterly ridiculous and show how uninformed you are, oh ya you already did.
Habitat isn't the problem, it's all about harvest.

Maybe the Agent Orange has affected your brain.

If you were an EMT you would stuff a needle in the arm of a bleeding victim and fill the bag with beer. It wont stop the bleeding until you close the wound.

I never said, nor did anyone else say that habitat is not "A" problem. Your old lady could have a great egg factory, but wont bear any offspring if you are shooting blanks. Fortunately for you, sperm arent produced in the brain.

thats because the salmon were disappearing due to habitat loss, do you think that eliminating the gillnets will bring back salmon above the Grand Coulee Dam ?

No gillnets on the Sac.

Next ...

-Allen

This fish disappeared before the dams and hatcheries were built.


The report from Fishermans Protective union was 1890. 27 MILLION fish harvested in the first 24 years. Mother nature could not keep up, so they built hatcheries on the Sacramento and then here.


First hatchery 1887
http://www.salmonrecovery.gov/Files/ResearchReportsPublications/bg120306.pdf


The first hatchery in the Northwest was built in 1877 on
the Clackamas River south of Portland, Ore. More soon
followed to restore salmon populations affected by
booming harvests.
Today, there are about 200 salmon hatchery programs in
the Columbia River Basin, and 80 percent of the salmon
and steelhead that return as adults were hatched and
reared in hatcheries.

http://www.ccrh.org/river/history.htm

Rock Island Dam on the middle river was the first major hydropower producer on the Columbia. Completed in 1932, Rock Island Dam is small compared to the behemoths -- Bonneville and Grand Coulee -- that the federal government completed respectively in 1938 and 1941. The last dams built on the Columbia came on line during the 1960s and 1970s.

Outlawed or gave up?

Gillnetting was banned on the Sacramento River in 1957, due to concerns expressed by the striped bass fishermen and the effect gillnetting was having on striped bass fisheries. The gillnetters weren't allowed to keep striped bass and a lot were getting killed and wasted.

-Allen

Are striped bass native or another eastcoast import along with shad?

So, now what remains to be worked on on the Sac and its tributaries

Water consumption
Dams
????

I read about the chemical spill in 91 up high on the Sac.

Water consumption is a big threat, and where this thread started out. Much of the water is getting pumped south to the central valley farms and SoCal homes. The Delta pumps kill a lot of fish and take a lot of the freshwater out of the system. The salt water is intruding and the delta is becoming more and more brackish. The ecosystem is out of whack. But you know what, as recently as 2002 the Sac had runs as large as 800,000. What has changed between that time and now ... more water exports and 2+ years of bad ocean conditions.

-Allen

What about desalination plants?

They are cost prohibitive.

-Allen

What isnt cost prohibitive in California at the moment? Cant they just right another IOU?

Something needs to change, and soon. California's thirst is going to cause the ocean and Sacramento fisheries to be a thing of the past.

Salmon and stripers. Sport and commercial.

Well said KK.

Freshwater may be publicly traded like oil is today.

Some have gone as far as to speculate wars will be fought over water.
In the case of water being extracted from the Delta, water dependent crops like rice and alfalfa can share part of the blame. One of the biggest problems is the aging irrigation canals, these inefficient conduits account to a huge amount of water, which is simply wasted.

I dont know where they got the money, but Israel, has a desalination plant. They dont have any choice, but neither does California. Its going to be another public utility. Put down in front of Diane Feinsteins house or Resnicks house.

It's not that CA couldn't round up the money if needed. The legislature recently put forth a proposal that calls for an $11B water bill package to go before the voters next year. Sucking water out of the Sac is still cheaper than desalination, perhaps short sighted, but still ... cheaper.

-Allen

So what's the fix on the Sacramento, harvest reform, or habitat restoration?

FS,

There's not much harvest left to reform on the Sac. Highest priority is water quantity and quality. Effective screens on all remaining diversions wouldn't hurt either.

Big issue in this picture is the San Juaquin, which is a large river almost entirely diverted for subsidized ag irrigation.

Sg

What harvest? The season has been more or less closed for 2 years now.

-Allen

So what your saying is unless you address the key habitat issues, harvest reform isn't going to do diddly squat to recover the stocks.

So what exactly does one do about "poor ocean conditions"? That is believed to be the single highest factor in the current downturn in Sac Salmon numbers.

-Allen

Some folks need to play their little game with every issue, in order to undermine or scold the organization, that doesnt take the same expensive, time consuming path, other organizations have worked on for decades. At the same time, the folks who always talk about habitat, have never reported on their own projects, or invited anyone of us, to chip in on a project. There are no restriction on volunteer efforts, its when the planning and money comes into the equation, things slow down.

If some of those folks had real involvement, they would know that most of the organizations scrape up enough resources and volunteers for one objective at a time. Every organization has to look at the results achieved, for the amount of time and money spent on a particular goal. Unfortunately, too many people expect these politicians to roll over for a 501C3 who cant pad their campaign coffers. For private enterprise on our side of the equation, its split between NSIA, ASA, NMTA and the rest of the Angler nonprofits. There is a limited amount of cash to go around. These organization will eventually work for same cause, and coordinate, but their history and structure are not going to be thrown to the curb.

Wow, looks like you spent some time writing this Novel LB.... Keep up the good work....

Keith

you should record this and have salmonbake humming the theme song for green acres in the background.

Poor Ocean conditions are one thing but what you guys are dealing with is far beyond that and if it wasn't for one fiesty old judge we would be in the exact same shape. Redden probaly would have tossed the guy from NMFS in jail for what he did to the biop.

I must be directly over the target. Come on Boater, what have you done for the the fish...

Keith, it wasnt long. You read slow.

Sure there are other factors involved. But again, in 2002 there were 800,000 fish that returned. In 2008 there were <100,000. And yes, there were extremely poor ocean condition for the young that were to come back in 2008. The water was 65 degrees and a brown, soupy dead mess ... from shore to 70 miles offshore.

During the same period we have had a mild drought coupled with increased water diversions. Perfect storm? Perhaps ...

-Allen

Curious of that 800000 whats the H/W percentage

So how will harvest reform help the Sac fish?
Or will curtailed sport angling turn the tide?

what have you done other than serve hotdogs at a cca meeting ?

Something like 90/10.

-Allen

yep, right over the target. All hat and no cattle.

and of those 10% how many are misclipped hatchery fish?

Granted it's a little different than 90/10 but you get the point...

LB. Does CCA have accurate numbers on this H/W discussion?

Keith

I don't know many ... and what's the point?

You guys are all bickering over harvest, hatchery, and habitat. And the "experts" are saying ocean conditions. We've had good and even great ocean conditions after those disastrous years. And no harvest. It will be interesting to see how things unfold in 2010.

-Allen

Keith,

Allen is in California. He doesnt have an axe to grind. He is helping with various issues, including his knowledge of MPA, which are very well established in CA. He is committed to helping the resource. There is no establish cca organization in California. They have some large clubs, but for the moment, they are unwilling to close one and open another. They would instead establish membership in both. When they get fed up, they might change their minds. To ask the question about whether the problems in California are related to Harvest, is either insincere, or confused, about priorities and what is possible within a volunteer organization, that doesnt get federal or state funding for its own operations. They depend on donations, to create the funding for the professionals that are hired. Such as the exec director, attorneys, lobbyists.

These are some of the proactive habitat related mixed in with other priorities. This list is a public record on the national website. Its their Resume. The issues were improved, by the same 25 dollar experts in Washington and Oregon and it was 25 dollars in 1977.


PROHIBITED TRAWLING FOR TROUT (Texas 1978). Defined major-minor bait-producing bays, nursery areas (Texas 1979). Outlawed single-strand monofilament nets (Texas 1980). Protected billfish, except swordfish, from commercial harvest (Texas 1980). Outlawed gill, trammel nets (Texas 1990). Obtained game fish status for redfish, speckled trout (Texas 1981). John Wilson Hatchery completed (Texas 1982). Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (Maine) given authority to set limits on fish (Texas 1983). Obtained game fish status for redfish, speckled trout (Alabama 1984). Established saltwater stamp for anglers (Texas 1985). Halted commercial harvest of adult redfish in Gulf of Mexico (National 1986). Won game fish status for redfish, speckled trout (South Carolina 1986). Closed Apalachee, Blakeley rivers to shrimping; placed restrictions on gill nets (Alabama 1987). Obtained game fish status for marlin, sailfish (National 1988). Banned gill netting of flounder during spawning run (Alabama 1988). Won game fish status for redfish (Florida 1988). Banned possession of illegal fishing devices on or near Texas waters (Texas 1989). Prohibited sale of naturally raised, wild redfish (Texas 1989). Banned drift gill nets in South Atlantic (National 1990). Federal District Court upholds game fish status for billfish (National 1990). Intervened in lawsuit to uphold bans on fish traps, drift gill nets in South Atlantic (National 1991). Won approval of saltwater fishing license (Alabama 1991). Amendment to Louisiana Constitution approved, guaranteeing funds to preserve wetlands (Louisiana 1991). Won management of speckled trout (Louisiana 1991). Obtained permanent game fish status for redfish (Louisiana 1991). Won approval of saltwater fishing stamp (South Carolina 1991). Adopted no-harvest regulation for tarpon (Texas 1991). Minimum size, bag limits placed on cobia, amberjack, Spanish mackerel, king mackerel, for commercial and recreational fishermen (Virginia 1991). Federal District Court upholds ban on drift nets in South Atlantic (National 1992). Formed Save Our Sealife Committee to get state constitutional amendment to limit marine net fishing in Florida waters (Florida 1992). Obtained game fish status for tarpon (Alabama 1993). Broke ground for SeaCenter Texas fish hatchery (Texas 1993). Established saltwater license (Virginia 1993). Created limited-entry plan for commercial fishing of black drum (Virginia 1993). Florida constitutional amendment limiting marine net fishing (Florida 1994). Stopped proposal to open sounds to shrimp trawling (Georgia 1994). Banned use of gill nets, purse seines in Presumpscot River (Maine 1994). Protected eel grass beds by prohibiting near-beach squid and scup dragging in Vineyard and Nantucket Sounds (Massachusetts 1994). Federal District Court approves ban on flynets in North Carolina (National 1995). Restricted use of gill nets (Alabama 1995). Outlawed most gill nets (Louisiana 1995). Intervened in Louisiana lawsuit challenging new gill net law (Louisiana 1995). Restricted use of gill nets in Kennebec River (Maine 1995). Placed minimum size, bag limit, commercial quota on speckled trout (Virginia 1995). Approved regulations requiring all commercial shrimpers operating in EEZ to use bycatch reduction devices (National 1996). Banned commercial gill nets in Old River (Alabama 1996). Banned use of tarp nets statewide (Florida 1996). Mandated bycatch reduction devices on all shrimp boats in northeast region (Florida 1996). Intervened in federal, state lawsuits to uphold Louisiana gill net ban (Louisiana 1996). Banned all non-biodegradable gill nets (Mississippi 1996). SeaCenter Texas opened, establishing world’s largest redfish hatchery (Texas 1996). Won commercial quota for bluefish (Virginia 1996). Mandated use of bycatch reduction devices on shrimp vessels (National 1997). Won adoption of bycatch reduction devices on shrimp boats (Georgia 1997). Obtained game fish status for cobia (Mississippi 1997). Secured $2.5 million from Bath Iron Works to remove Edwards Dam on Kennebec River (Maine 1997). Banned commercial fishing within one mile of barrier islands (Mississippi 1997). Restricted purse seining of menhaden in state waters (New York 1997). Outlawed use of gill, trammel nets for black fish (New York 1997). Won passage of Fisheries Reform Act, first comprehensive state fishery reform (North Carolina 1997). Passed first comprehensive state water plan (Texas 1997). Limited number of commercial crab licenses (Texas 1997). Won seat for recreational fishermen on Marine Resources Commission (Virginia 1997). Granted petition by National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) establishing blue, white marlin as overfished; 10-year recovery plan mandated (National 1998). Eliminated striped bass fishing in EEZ through striped Bass Act reauthorization (National 1998). Helped establish new state Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (Florida 1998). Mandated use of bycatch reduction devices on shrimp trawls in all state waters (Florida 1998). Created "Universal Fishing License," which includes saltwater as well as freshwater fishing (Georgia 1998). Obtained game fish status for shad (Maine 1998). Won no-sale regulation on black drum (Maryland 1998). Helped establish pro-conservation state Marine Fisheries Commission (North Carolina 1998). Intervened in federal lawsuit challenging NMFS requirement that shrimp trawlers pull bycatch reduction devices in Gulf of Mexico (Texas 1998). Won federal, state lawsuits upholding Louisiana’s gill net law (Louisiana 1999). Reduced number of commercial licenses sold to elver fishermen by 70 percent; shortened eel season by three weeks, removed 3,000 nets from Maine waters (Maine 1999). Created Marine Recreational Fishing Advisory Committee to advise state Department of Marine Resources (Maine 1999). Established limited-entry license management program for all finfish not under a management plan (Texas 1999). Eliminated kill citations for black, red drum (Virginia 1999). Stopped attempts to allow gill netting of striped bass along Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel (Virginia 1999). Federal Court upholds requirement that Gulf shrimp trawlers pull bycatch reduction devices (National 1999). Helped draft and introduce the first comprehensive longline management bill in the 106th Congress (National 2000). Helped draft legislation that tightened regulations on the possession of illegal fishing gear (Mississippi 2000). Helped initiate the Freedom to Fish campaign to stop the arbitrary implementation of no-fishing zones (National 2000). Bycatch reduction devices become mandatory on shrimp trawls in Texas bays (Texas 2000). Sued NMFS to stop an arbitrary no-fishing zone off the Florida coast (National 2000). Played a critical role in the development and adoption of the first federal fishery management plan for mahi-mahi and wahoo (Florida 2000). Won federal court battle to maintain bycatch reduction devices in Gulf waters (National 2000). Sued NMFS in federal court to reduce excessive billfish, shark and turtle bycatch in Gulf and Atlantic longline operations (National 2000). Provided LDWF enforcement agents with navigation, global positioning and sonar equipment (Louisiana 2000). Raised grassroots funds to protect angler access along the New Hampshire coast (New Hampshire 2000). Successfully worked in establishing regulations to protect spawning groundfish (Maine 2000). Helped fund the creation of near-shore reefs along the Georgia coast (Georgia 2000). Successfully led opposition to closing Gray’s Reef to recreational fishing (Georgia 2000). U. S. Supreme Court issues final ruling upholding Louisiana’s 1995 gill-net ban (Louisiana 2001). Led efforts to set recreational size, creel limits for flounder; new licensing requirements for commercial gigging, commercial size limit, and annual commercial quota for flounder (Mississippi 2001). Reached favorable settlement in NMFS no-fishing zone suit, allowing recreational trolling in previously restricted area (National 2001). Successfully raised $450,000 in cash and in-kind donations to purchase and remove the Smelt Hill Dam (Maine 2001). Reorganization of Menhaden Management Board ends commercial-fishing industry control (National 2001). Texas’ most comprehensive water bill passes Texas legislature (Texas 2001). Helped retool a bill that would have allowed destructive hydraulic dredging of clams in Virginia waters (Virginia 2001). Launched Gulf-wide phone number – 866-WE ENFORCE – to report coastal game violations (Louisiana 2001). Worked through state legislature and private foundations to continue critical funding for Florida’s state saltwater hatchery, resulting in the 1,000,000th redfish fingerling released in Florida waters (Florida 2001). Opposed Texas Shrimp Association petition to close recreation red snapper season (National 2001). Successfully worked for passage of new redfish conservation regulations (South Carolina 2001). Launched first ever Texas crab trap removal (Texas 2002). Helped ensure areas around Mississippi’s barrier islands are included in Department of Marine Resources’ definition of areas closed to commercial fishing (Mississippi (2002). Mobilized to oppose expansion of commercial shrimp trawling in St. Johns River; commercial request was withdrawn (Florida 2002). Provided TPWD game wardens with night vision equipment (Texas 2002). Constructed Bird Island Artificial Reef (Louisiana 2002). Helped pass first major amendments to state manatee legislation in last 10 years, establishing measurable biological goals for manatees (Florida 2002). Convinced Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission to begin rule-making process on use of multiple seine nets tied together and "toy boats" used to circumvent net restrictions (Florida 2002). Defeated initiative by commercial interests to allow commercial harvest of Cobia in Mississippi waters (Mississippi 2003). Funded an expanded TAMU study on spotted seatrout catch-and-release mortality (Texas 2003). Launched first-ever derelict crab trap removal program in the state (Louisiana 2004). Broke the $2 million mark in college and graduate scholarships awarded (Texas 2004). Won passage of the Coastal Recreational Fishing License (North Carolina 2004). Banned trawling in the Upper Mobile Bay shallows (Alabama 2004). Funded more than $530,000 in enforcement equipment and research needs for TPWD over past four years (Texas 2004). Secured grant money for oyster reefs in the Bay of St. Louis & Biloxi Bay (Mississippi 2004). Championed efforts to restore southern flounder stocks through harvest reductions, size and bag limits, license requirements and seasonal closures (North Carolina 2004). Bay Debris Clean-up Project surpasses the 1,150 tons of harmful debris removed from Texas bay systems (Texas 2004). Worked through its representative on the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas to implement measures outlawing the practice of shark finning in the Atlantic (CCA National 2004). Instrumental in the effort to secure tideland funds for speckled trout hatchery (Mississippi 2004). One of four members of a cooperative effort called Menhaden Matter formed to investigate the status of menhaden in the Chesapeake Bay to ensure adequate populations for its role as forage base and filter feeder. (CCA National 2004). Intervened successfully in a case before the First District Court of Appeals attempting to circumvent the net ban and bring back gill nets (Florida 2005). Helped establish the first-ever hatchery for southern flounder (North Carolina 2005). Achieved stronger protection for large permit (Florida 2005). Defeated legislative initiative to reduce minimum size of speckled trout (Mississippi 2005). Successful passage of legislation to increase criminal penalties to a third degree felony for flagrant illegal gillnetting (Florida 2005). Worked with the Biscayne National Park Fishery Working Group to curtail and modify proposed no-entry and no-fishing zones (Florida 2005). Sued in U.S. District Court to end overfishing of red snapper by the Gulf of Mexico shrimp fleet (National 2005). Constructed an inshore reef in Perdido Bay with tons of clean concrete rubble (Alabama 2006). Won lawsuit in federal district court to block federal attempt to close all recreational fishing for all species of grouper for three months (Florida 2006). Donated enforcement equipment to Law Enforcement Division of the Department of Environmental Conservation (New York 2007). Integrally involved in the Oyster Shell Recycling Program to improve water quality and create habitat for fish (North Carolina 2007). Led successful national effort to keep open-loop LNG terminals out of Gulf of Mexico (National 2006). Won first-ever harvest cap on the industrial harvest of menhaden in Chesapeake Bay (Virginia & Maryland 2006). Constructed Redfish Point Artificial Reef (Louisiana 2006). Funded $700,000 for construction of a state-of-the-art marine larviculture research lab (Texas 2007). Won a moratorium on river herring, allowing near-collapsed stocks chance to recover (North Carolina 2007). Launched chapters in Washington and Oregon to address marine conservation issues (National 2007). Partnered with Texas Parks & Wildlife Department to retire $200,000 worth of commercial shrimping licenses (Texas 2007). Announced creation of the Building Conservation / Habitat Program (National 2007). Served integral role in the Maryland Artificial Reef Initiative to develop marine habitat enhancement projects (Maryland 2007). Won lawsuit in federal district court forcing NMFS to address shrimp trawl bycatch in the management of Gulf red snapper (National 2007).

Thanks for stopping by the land of bickering PolePole!

Reely appreciate your home page! You will be seeing me over there soon.My 2010 goal is to start fishing by kayak.Saw a husband wife team on tv and was way to jealous.Used to dream about king fishing from one!

Allen... The percentage of hatchery to wild gives you somekind of indicator how healthy the river is..90+ is a pretty sick patient.

How about "essentially no harvest"? All things being relative. A couple of "pocket fisheries" were held, but pretty much all of CA was closed and parts of Southern OR.

-Allen

No doubt the water issue is a big deal. But we had one big sword blow to the head in the form of "poor ocean conditions". Sorry if I keep beating that drum. With that behind us for now, all the other factors will have a hand in determining if/how/when the run recovers. Again, the next few years will be interesting in that regard.

-Allen

There isn't a magic wand when it comes to undoing commercial fishing interests domainance layered in all levels of government.It was a long time coming and it is going to take time to unravel. The only way is to roll up our sleaves and work together to chip away at what has been done.

No there isnt and no guarantee, we can win this fight. Every year thousand more wild fish will disappear. Some of these politicians should be known for the the species, they have destroyed.

Better add Sunkist and a whole bunch of vineyards to list of commercials that need to be shut down in order to restore the Sac run

I hear ya, supply and demand for humanity over the board complicates all.