[env-trinity] NMFS Changes in Reservoir CVP Operations

Thu Jun 4 09:18:55 PDT 2009

Maybe the Trinity ultimately will get carryover storage/a minimum pool to
protect against possibility of lethal fish water temperatures in late summer
if several consecutive low water years occur in other parts of the state.

My apologies for any multiple postings.

Byron

For Immediate Release: June 4, 2009

Contacts:

Paul Pierce, Coastside Fishing Club, (510) 432-8820
Dick Pool, Water4Fish (925) 963-6350
Roger Thomas, Golden Gate Fishermen's Assn. (415) 760-9362

Dave Bitts, PCFFA, (707) 498-3512

Mike Hudson, SalmonAid Foundation, (510) 407-2000

Federal Government Announces Salmon Restoration Actions

Salmon Fishing Industry Hopeful

San Francisco, CA  --  The federal National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS)
today announces changes the agency will require in the operations of the
state and federal Central Valley Water Projects to protect the salmon listed
under the Federal Endangered Species Act. The new rules, primarily governing
movement of water through the Sacramento River and Bay-Delta Estuary, are
designed to protect both the Spring and Winter Run Chinook Salmon runs as
well as other species. 

The actions are expected to require changes in the state's reservoir
operations, changes in river flows and changes in the way delta water is
unnaturally redirected to giant pumps that send it hundreds of miles to the
south of the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta. Members of the salmon
fishing industry are hopeful for better results after years of steady
declines in the salmon populations and no ocean salmon fishing seasons in
2008 and 2009 due to a lack of fish.

Paul Pierce represents The Coastside Fishing Club and serves on the Pacific
Fishery Management Council Salmon Advisory Subpanel.  Pierce said, "We are
hopeful the actions of the National Marine Fishery Service will begin the
turnaround of these species which are nearing extinction. The courts
demanded a better plan and the agency has responded. With three years of
scientific work by NMFS, we now have a better idea how and where the
destruction of the salmon is occurring. Based on this science, the agency
should direct the changes necessary to see that these fish survive. We
support their decisions and we look forward to seeing positive changes."

Dick Pool is a manufacturer of salmon fishing equipment and leads the
Water4Fish advocacy program which now has 70,000 supporters who have been
asking for changes in the states water management to benefit salmon. Pool
echoed Paul Pierce's thanks and congratulations to the National Marine
Fisheries Service and added, "These changes are exactly what we have been
looking for.  We have been operating on an environmental disaster course for
salmon and these actions are the beginning of the turnaround."  

Pool added, "Fishing is big business in California. There are 4.2 million
recreational fishermen in the state generating $4.8 billion in economic
impact and supporting 41,000 jobs.  Salmon are a big part of this. There are
904 retailers and 327 other businesses that drive their income from the $1
billion salmon industry. These businesses and their leaders join us in
supporting the leadership provided by NMFS and the other fishery agencies in
mapping some solutions."

Roger Thomas is President of the Golden Gate Fishermen's Association. The
charter boats of this organization carry 200,000 salmon fishermen a year in
their pursuit of catching a salmon. Roger says, "There are approximately
500,000 recreational salmon fishermen in California. They are passionate
about their sport and are livid about what has happened. I am sure they all
join me in congratulating the National Marine Fisheries Service in the bold
actions to begin the restoration process."

Roger cautioned, "These actions are designed to protect only two of the four
salmon runs of the Central Valley. We hope the Fall Run which has been the
largest and the backbone of the ocean and river fishery for decades will
also benefit from the new rules to be announced today.  

Dave Bitts, President of the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen's
Associations, said, "This year I can't fish at all, mainly because water in
California follows money, and fishermen don't have the megabucks available
to the San Joaquin grower interests. This isn't about either fish or farms.
It's about how we use our limited, vastly oversubscribed water resources
wisely in order to have both. Continuing to hand out huge volumes of public
water dirt cheap is not the answer. If you continue taking so much water
that salmon go extinct in the California, what wild creatures will be next?"

Most of the problems of the salmon runs have resulted from the over
subscription of water from California's rivers, reservoirs and the delta.
These problems have to be solved not only for the environment but for all
sectors of the California economy. The vast majority of natural water
sources have already been tapped.  Climate change will compound the
problems.

The fishery groups are strong supporters of the major new sources of water
that have been identified but are not being implemented fast enough. These
include water conservation, water recycling and groundwater management. We
urge the state and federal governments to provide the leadership, incentives
and financial resources to significantly speed up these developments.

Mike Hudson, commercial fisherman and executive director of the SalmonAid
Foundation, adds "Today we will find out if we ever will get our salmon back
in any numbers to speak of. We have had all the laws on the books for
decades now, the Clean Water Act, the Endangered Species Act, and others.
Sometimes it's not that the rules are not in place, but the lack of
commitment to enforce them. It is not too late to bring our salmon back. I'm
cautiously optimistic that today is the day that may start meaningful
restoration of this fantastic fish. If the fisheries service decides to do
the right thing today, I and thousands of my fellow fishermen will applaud
them."

Byron Leydecker, JcT

Chair, Friends of Trinity River

PO Box 2327

Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327

415 383 4810 land

415 519 4810 cell

 <mailto:bwl3 at comcast.net> bwl3 at comcast.net

 <mailto:bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org> bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org
(secondary)

 <http://fotr.org/> http://www.fotr.org 

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://www2.dcn.org/pipermail/env-trinity/attachments/20090604/52928a2d/attachment.html>