[env-trinity] Several News Stories and Editorials on Salmon Decline

Thu Jan 31 12:36:31 PST 2008

SALMON SEASON ISSUES:

Fishermen fear lost salmon season; Dramatic drop in chinook returning to
Sacramento River may idle North Coast boats - Santa Rosa Press Democrat

Salmon report disastrous news for fishermen; Sacramento River's chinook
population plummets precipitously - Inside Bay Area

Chinook return uncertain - Marysville Appeal Democrat

Editorial: Our shrinking salmon; Answer to 'unprecedented collapse' needed -
Sacramento Bee

Editorial: Salmon mystery; What is happening with California's Chinook? -
Santa Rosa Press Democrat

SALMON SEASON ISSUES:

Fishermen fear lost salmon season; Dramatic drop in chinook returning to
Sacramento River may idle North Coast boats

Santa Rosa Press Democrat - 1/31/08

By Robert Digitale, staff writer

North Coast sport and commercial fishermen fear they might lose this
spring's salmon season, a mere two years after federal officials declared
the same fishery a disaster. 

ADVERTISEMENT

"When they start talking about no fishing at all, that's obviously a
concern," said Chuck Wise, a Bodega Bay fisherman and president of the
Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen's Associations.

"It would be devastating to the charter boats in Bodega Bay," said Rick
Powers, the skipper of the New Sea Angler. Powers' vessel and other charter
boats provide ocean salmon fishing trips for sport anglers.

The possible fishing closure is tied to reports of a dramatic drop in the
number of adult chinook salmon returning to spawn in the Sacramento River,
the state's most productive salmon river. About 90,000 adult chinook
returned this fall to the Sacramento, the fewest since 1992.

Federal regulators suggested in a press release that they might be unable to
conserve enough Sacramento salmon this year "even without any commercial or
recreational salmon fishing where these fish are found."

The regulators will meet in early April in Seattle to devise season rules
and recommend them to the U.S. secretary of commerce.

The state's commercial fishery has declined sharply during the past two
decades, even as the number of salmon raised worldwide in aquaculture, or
fish farms, has grown exponentially. More than 2,500 commercial vessels
landed salmon in California in 1988, compared with fewer than 500 in 2006,
the most recent year of record.

That year, the federal Pacific Fisheries Management Council sharply
curtailed fishing because of low salmon stocks from the Klamath River north
of Eureka. The federal government eventually provided $64 million in relief
for West Coast fishermen and related industries.

Now attention is turned to the Sacramento, from which come the majority of
salmon caught in both California and Oregon.

Rep. Mike Thompson, D-St. Helena, who sponsored the disaster relief
legislation, said Wednesday that a fishing ban on salmon this year could
cost West Coast fishing ports upwards of $80 million.

"It's terrible news for both the fish and the industry," Thompson said.

If the fishery is once more declared a disaster, Thompson said he again will
seek aid for the fishermen.

State and federal officials are reporting low salmon runs this year from
California to British Columbia.

"As you go up and down the West Coast, there are not very many bright
spots," said Harry Morse, spokesman for the state Department of Fish & Game.

Returning chinook salmon on the Russian River this fall numbered 1,900,
compared with an average this decade of about 4,500, said Sean White, a
fisheries biologist for the Sonoma County Water Agency.

Federal regulators said the reason for the decline is unclear but probably
related to ocean conditions.

However, Zeke Grader, executive director of the federation of fishermen's
associations, maintained the decline is much sharper on the Sacramento than
other rivers. Water diversions for farms and cities "is at least a major
cause" of the problems in the river system, he said.

"We've just taken too much water out," Grader said.

Despite the grim outlook for this season, fishermen maintained the declines
aren't permanent.

"I fully expect these fish to bounce back," said Chris Lawson, president of
the Fisherman's Marketing Association of Bodega Bay. Nonetheless, he said,
"I'm concerned with the season we're going to get this year." #

http://www1.pressdemocrat.com/article/20080131/NEWS/801310346/1033/NEWS01

Salmon report disastrous news for fishermen; Sacramento River's chinook
population plummets precipitously

Inside Bay Area - 1/31/08

By Julia Scott, staff writer

PRINCETON-BY-THE-SEA - Local fishermen saw doom in a report released Tuesday
warning that the Sacramento River's fall chinook salmon population fell by
two-thirds in 2007 and is headed for collapse, according to data from the
federal government. 

The sharp drop in chinook, or "king," salmon returning from the Pacific
Ocean to spawn in the Sacramento River led the Pacific Fishery Management
Council, which released Tuesday's report, to suggest that it may be
necessary to close the salmon season entirely. 

That would spell disaster for both commercial and recreational fishermen at
Pillar Point Harbor, who typically depend on the salmon and Dungeness crab
seasons for their entire incomes. Poor salmon returns from the Klamath River
in 2006 and 2007 previously caused regulators to cut the first month and a
half of salmon season, which normally starts May 1, resulting in untold
financial losses for fishermen. 

Those losses would be compounded by an even poorer season this year. And the
pain would be borne not just by fishermen, but by all the groups that
benefit from salmon season - from processors to bait shops, RV parks, and
fishing guides along the Klamath River. 

Duncan MacLean, a Half Moon Bay fisherman who is on a team that advises the
fishery council, said he's bracing for hard times. 

"It's probably going to be worse than anything we've experienced before,"
said MacLean, 58, who relies on salmon fishing for as much as 70 percent of
his income. 

"It's going to put a lot of us out of business." 

Fishermen say they knew the Sacramento River runs were weaker than expected
last year, but even they were shocked by the low number of chinook returning
to the river to spawn. Only about 90,000 returning adult salmon were counted
in the Central Valley in 2007, the second lowest number since 1973,
according to the report. 

More worrisome is that only about 2,000 2-year-old chinooks - whose numbers
are used to predict returns of adult spawners in the coming season -
returned to the Central Valley last year - by far the lowest number ever
counted. 

On average, about 40,000 juveniles, or "jacks," return each year. 

Some believe the losses are related to changes in the ocean linked to global
warming. Others blame the troubles in California on increased pumping of
fresh water from the San Joaquin-Sacramento River Delta, which supplies
drinking water to millions of people in drought-stricken Southern
California, as well as irrigation for America's most fertile farming region.

The Pacific Fishery Management Council will use the data to decide on
possible restrictions to, or a complete closure of, the season when it meets
in Sacramento in March. Final decisions will be made in April. 

Sacramento salmon form the cornerstone of the Pacific salmon fishery. They
have a much greater range than Klamath River stocks, and are caught in
California, Oregon, Washington and even British Columbia. 

The news would be easier to take if the Dungeness crab season had been less
of a bust this year, said Jim Anderson, chairman of the California Salmon
Council and a commercial fisherman out of Pillar Point. 

Fishermen across Northern California lost the first two weeks - the most
profitable two weeks - of the crab season in November when the Cosco Busan
oil spill forced Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to ban all fishing in
potentially affected areas. It's been impossible to catch up since then,
said Anderson. 

"The weather's been really bad, and there's not much crab out there. I
talked to a lot of guys, and they've just made their expenses. Nobody's been
able to make any money," he said. "I'm still trying to catch up on the gear
I bought last year." 

In his work with the California Salmon Council, Anderson helped secure a $33
million emergency compensation package last year for California fishermen
and fishing-related businesses from the U.S. Department of Commerce. 

The payouts, which were based on a fisherman's catch history between 2002
and 2006, helped ease the pain a little, but "didn't do anything for the
future," said Anderson. 

He said he has already been in touch with officials from the National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, an agency of the Department of
Commerce, about the possibility of putting together another compensation
package or securing zero-interest loans for fishermen and others affected
across the state. 

Any loss of the salmon season would strip away 50 percent of the annual
profits at Huck Finn Sportfishing, a mainstay of Pillar Point Harbor for
years. 

"Salmon has always been our bread and butter, along with rockfish," said
Peggy Beckett, who owns the store along with her husband Bill. 

"It's not been a good winter. If we lost the salmon season, I don't know.
Unless I can figure out something else to do, I don't know how we'll
survive."  #

http://www.insidebayarea.com/search/ci_8127445?IADID=Search-www.insidebayare
a.com-www.insidebayarea.com

Chinook return uncertain

Marysville Appeal Democrat - 1/30/08

By Howard Yune staff writer

A dramatic fall in the Sacramento River's salmon population has
fishing-related businesses uncertain when, or if, sales will bounce back
anytime soon. 

Bait-and-tackle shops and other businesses linked to recreational fishing
reported steep sales declines during the past fall's salmon season - the
effect, they say, of a chinook salmon population federal regulators believe
has dropped precipitously in five years. With a possible closure of the
salmon-fishing season looming, no quick relief is apparent. 

"Mainly, it's going to cut out that whole season," said Mike Searcy, owner
of Star Bait and Tackle in Linda. "We'll basically lose three months of
business because of the loss of (salmon) season, because there isn't any
other species to target during that time. A good 25 percent of our business
would be gone." 

The numbers of chinook, also called king salmon, returning from the Pacific
Ocean to the Sacramento River system to spawn fell steeply in river systems
across the North State, according to an internal memo of the Pacific Fishery
Management Council. The Associated Press released the memo's contents on
Wednesday. 

Last year's total of about 90,000 salmon in the Sacramento River and its
tributaries marked a near-historic low and an 88 percent falloff from the
record 804,000 chinook that entered the river and its tributaries in 2002.
It was the Sacramento's smallest salmon tally since the 82,000 fish counted
in 1992, according to fishery council records. 

Scientists, anglers and water authorities are debating the cause of the
decline. 

In the Mid-Valley, some blame heavy-handed management of the San
Joaquin-Sacramento River Delta - particularly the pumping of water to
support agriculture and the millions of residents in Southern California. 

Excessive drawing from the delta has shrunk the supply of one-celled
plankton and upset the food chain that salmon depend on, according to
Searcy. He also pointed to non-native plants like water hyacinths stripping
the delta of native plants that give young chinooks cover from predatory
adult fish. 

"I had guys who used to catch 70-100 salmon a year, and last year they were
counting the number of salmon they caught on both hands," he said. 

In Yuba City, Bob Boucke reported salmon-related business at his shop,
Johnson's Bait & Tackle, has shriveled to barely 10 percent of the level
five years ago. While others focus on the draining of the Sacramento, he
pointed to intensified ocean fishing that enriches overseas fishers at the
expense of West Coast anglers. 

"You've got Russians, Japanese, and their boats are taking every salmon they
can get and we don't have control over those people," said Boucke, who added
his shop and local competitors are having to lean far more heavily on
striper bass anglers to stay profitable. 

Fishery council members will meet in Sacramento in March and could shorten
or even cancel the salmon season, which is slated to begin in May. 

But a longtime Colusa angler cautioned authorities against such haste,
saying more research is needed to understand the disappearance of salmon -
and adding such declines have happened before. 

"I've fished the Sacramento River since I was 8, and I'm 42 now," said Pat
Kittle, co-owner of Kittle Outdoor & Sport Co. "When I was in high school,
next to nobody caught salmon in the river, and if you did you were a hero.
Then for the last eight years, it was pretty common. 

"Why? There are so many variables, I couldn't point a finger at any one." #

http://www.appeal-democrat.com/news/salmon_59735___article.html/river_sacram
ento.html

Editorial: Our shrinking salmon; Answer to 'unprecedented collapse' needed

Sacramento Bee - 1/31/08

Throughout the ages, salmon populations have been known to gyrate from year
to year.

Newborn salmon that enjoy a perfect combination of river and ocean
conditions come swimming back in huge numbers three or four years later.
Lousy environmental conditions lead to a salmon decline.

Apparently, life for Central Valley salmon was pretty lousy four years ago.
The current fall run of fish is at near-record lows. A preliminary count
suggests that the 2007 class of Valley salmon will consist of a mere 90,000
fish, compared to more than 250,000 in 2006 and 800,000 in 2002. 

Federal fishery regulators are calling the downturn an "unprecedented
collapse," meaning that commercial fishermen can expect to see fishing
restrictions beyond those that are already hurting this industry. Gone are
the days when consumers could easily find fresh, locally caught salmon for
less than $10 a pound.

If only it were easy to understand what is driving this downturn. Dams,
water diversions, pollution and loss of shady river habitat clearly are
hurting the effort to rebuild numbers of natural spawners.

But water diversions have spiked steadily since the 1990s in the Central
Valley, and salmon nonetheless had impressive runs from 2001 to 2003. That
suggests that stresses on salmon go beyond the Valley's water projects and
extend far out into the ocean.

While out at sea, salmon eat shrimp-like creatures called krill, as well as
anchovies and other small fish. Some scientists have found that changes in
West Coast wind patterns have disturbed a normal "upwelling" of the ocean
that helps energize the food chain. This could be a harbinger of climate
change or just a temporary cycle. Much more research is needed to understand
the links.

In coming decades, California is expected to invest billions of dollars in
new water projects, including a possible canal to divert fresh water around
the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. But will such projects help or hurt
salmon? Or have no impact? Californians will want answers before opening
their wallets. #

http://www.sacbee.com/110/story/675216.html

Editorial: Salmon mystery; What is happening with California's Chinook?

Santa Rosa Press Democrat - 1/31/08

The decline of California's salmon population is no mystery. Sonoma County
residents have experienced first-hand the impacts of the decline -- from
fishing bans to water conservation efforts. 

The mystery now is why efforts to bolster the number of Chinook or king
salmon, particularly those returning from the Pacific to the Sacramento
River, have failed -- and what can be done to turn the situation around.

According to a Pacific Fishery Management Council memo, the state's largest
salmon run is suffering an "unprecedented collapse." The number of salmon
returning to the Sacramento River and its tributaries this past fall dropped
67 percent from a year earlier. In just five years, the Central Valley
salmon population has dropped 88 percent.

Is it global warming? Fishing? The influence of fresh water being pumped
from the delta? Whatever the cause, the effect is going to be another season
or two of severe fishing restrictions throughout the West. #

http://www1.pressdemocrat.com/article/20080131/WIRE/801310375/1043/OPINION01

Byron Leydecker

Friends of Trinity River, Chair

California Trout, Inc., Advisor

PO Box 2327

Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327

415 383 4810

415 383 9562 fax

bwl3 at comcast.net

bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary)

http://www.fotr.org

http://www.caltrout.org

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