[env-trinity] Article submission: State proposes emergency fishing closure of Sacramento River section to 'protect' winter Chinook!

[Dan Bacher]

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/04/06/1375930/-State-proposes-emergency-fishing-closure-of-Sacramento-River-to-protect-winter-Chinook

State proposes emergency fishing closure of Sacramento River section  
to 'protect' winter Chinook!

by Dan Bacher

The Brown administration, in collaboration with the Obama  
administration, has driven winter run Chinook closer to extinction  
through the abysmal management of Northern California reservoirs and  
rivers over the past three drought years.

Over 95 percent of winter Chinook eggs and young fish perished last  
year, due to the virtual emptying of Trinity Reservoir on the Trinity  
River, Shasta Lake on the Sacramento River, Lake Oroville on the  
Feather River and Folsom Lake on the American River to supply water  
during a record drought to corporate agribusiness interests, Southern  
California water agencies and oil companies conducting fracking steam  
injection operations in Kern County.

So what does the Brown administration propose to do to deal with this  
disaster? Yes, it is proposing to close a 5.5 mile stretch of the  
Sacramento River to "protect" the winter run!

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) announced in a  
press release that it will be holding a public meeting to "solicit  
comments" on a proposed closure of 5.5 miles of the Sacramento River  
above the Highway 44 Bridge in Redding to Keswick Dam. CDFW has  
determined this closure is necessary to protect endangered winter-run  
chinook salmon. The anticipated dates of closure are April 27-July 31.

"At the department, it pains us to propose this action for the state,”  
said Stafford Lehr, CDFW Fisheries Branch Chief. “But we are in  
unchartered territory here, and we believe this is the right thing to  
do if we want to help winter run and be able to fish for big rainbows  
in the long-run.”

The meeting will be held Tuesday, April 7, from 4:30-6:30 p.m. at the  
Redding Public Library,1100 Parkview Ave. in Redding (96001).

"CDFW is proposing a complete fishing closure in this critical holding  
and spawning area to ensure added protection for the federal and state  
endangered winter-run chinook, which face high risk of extinction.  
Given the gravity of the current situation, it is imperative that each  
and every adult fish be given maximum protection. Current regulations  
do not allow fishing for chinook salmon, but incidental catch by  
anglers targeting trout could occur," the CDFW stated.

"An estimated 98 percent of the in-river spawning is occurring in the  
5.5 mile stretch under consideration for closure. This reach is the  
principle spawning area in these extraordinary drought year  
conditions. This section represents only 10 percent of the waters  
currently open to fishing upstream of the Red Bluff Diversion Dam,"  
the release continued.

"In 2014, approximately 95 percent of eggs and young winter-run  
chinook were lost due to elevated river temperatures. Given current  
drought conditions, it is likely the 2015-year eggs and young salmon  
will again be subject to extremely trying conditions," the CDFW stated.

"CDFW is tasked by the Governor to work with the California Fish and  
Game Commission to determine whether fishing restrictions in certain  
areas are necessary and prudent as drought conditions persist. The  
proposed closure is also in accordance with the state and federal  
Endangered Species Acts," the Department claimed.

The release ended with a call for "saving" water during the drought:  
"Governor Brown has called on all Californians to reduce their water  
use by 25 percent. Visit  saveourwater.com to find out how everyone  
can do their part, and visit drought.ca.gov to learn more about how  
California is dealing with the effects of the drought."

Hey, I agree with the CDFW that "it is imperative that each and every  
adult fish be given maximum protection."

The problem is that this emergency situation that we're now in could  
have been avoided if the state and federal fishery agencies had done  
their job and challenged the Department of Water Resources and the  
U.S. Bureau of Reclamation for their abysmal management of water  
during a drought.

But instead of standing up to the water contractors and protecting the  
public trust as it the CDFW's job to do, the Department's current  
leadership is leading endangered winter run Chinook, as well as Delta  
and longfin smelt, spring run Chinook, green sturgeon and other  
species, to the scaffold of extinction.

While Jerry Brown is asking cities and counties to reduce water use by  
25 percent, corporate agribusiness and oil companies continue to  
deplete and pollute surface and water supplies throughout the state.  
Only when the Department has the courage to address the real issue -  
the needed retirement of drainage impaired land on the west side of  
the San Joaquin Valley and a ban on fracking - can we hope to ever  
restore winter run Chinook and other species.

As Adam Scow, Food & Water Watch California Director, said so well,  
"It is disappointing that Governor Brown’s executive order to reduce  
California water use does not address the state's most egregious  
corporate water abuses. In the midst of a severe drought, the Governor  
continues to allow corporate farms and oil interests to deplete and  
pollute our precious groundwater resources that are crucial for saving  
water."

"The Governor must save our groundwater from depletion by directing  
the State Water Board to protect groundwater as a public resource.  
Governor Brown should direct the Water Board to place a moratorium on  
the use of groundwater for irrigating crops on toxic and dry soils on  
the westside of the San Joaquin Valley," said Scow.

In the two year period covering 2014-2015, the Westlands Water  
District is on pace to pump over 1 million acre feet of groundwater -  
more water than Los Angeles, San Diego, and San Francisco combined use  
in 1 year, according to Scow. Much of Westlands grows water-intensive  
almonds and pistachios, most of which are exported out of state and  
overseas.

"This is a wasteful and unreasonable water use, especially during a  
severe drought," emphasized Scow. (http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/04/01/1375000/-Governor-Brown-s-drought-order-lets-corporate-agribusiness-oil-companies-off-the-hook 
)

I agree. The Brown administration would rather penalize law-abiding  
anglers for a looming wave of extinctions engineered by state and  
federal government water policies than really deal with the problem -  
the over appropriation of water by corporate interests during a record  
drought!

To discover the truth about Governor Brown's environmental record, go  
to: http://www.counterpunch.org/2014/09/24/big-oils-favorite-governor-jerry-brown/

  
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