A daily compilation of significant news articles and comment
April 11, 2008
3. Watersheds
SALMON SEASON CANCELLED:
Regulators vote to cancel salmon season to save ailing chinook - Associated Press
Salmon season over before it begins; Federal panel recommends unprecedented fishing ban; 'This is a disaster' says official - Santa Rosa Press Democrat
Salmon fishing closed for California, Oregon - San Francisco Chronicle
U.S. halts commercial salmon season; Regulators are trying to protect slumping chinook population off California and Oregon - Los Angeles Times
Off the hook: Salmon fishing ban OK’d -
Dead in the water: Salmon season canceled in California, Oregon; Salmon season: Canceled in California, Oregon - Monterey Herald
Coastal salmon fishing all but banned for year - Stockton Record
Salmon season disaster; Fishing council urges cancellation along Pacific - Marysville Appeal Democrat
Faltering salmon season shakes family; Fourth generation struggles to keep business alive - Inside Bay Area
Salmon 'emergency' spawns new limits; precedented fishing restrictions follow collapse of Calif. chinook run - Seattle
Yuma hosting binational conference on Colorado River - Yuma Sun
REGULATION:
Editorial: Time to probe Seeno project -
SALMON SEASON CANCELLED:
Regulators vote to cancel salmon season to save ailing chinook
Associated Press – 4/11/08
By Donna Gordon Blakinship, staff writer
Federal fisheries managers have voted to ban chinook salmon fishing off the
The regulations approved Thursday by the Pacific Fishery Management Council are the most severe restrictions in the history of
The panel voted to allow limited sport fishing for coho salmon on holiday weekends off the
The council's decision still must be approved by the National Marine Fisheries Service before May 1, the start of the commercial season.
Scientists and government officials are expecting this year's West Coast salmon season to be one of the worst ever after surveys found a near-record low number of chinook, also known as king salmon, returning to spawn in the
Sport and commercial salmon fishing also will be sharply curtailed off the
"For the entire West Coast, this is the worst in history," Don McIsaac, executive director of the Pacific Fishery Management Council, said before several close votes led to the fisheries plan for 2008.
After the council's vote Thursday, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger declared a state of emergency in
Schwarzenegger said he also plans to sign legislation approved by state lawmakers to spend $5.3 million to restore salmon habitat in
In
"This will be devastating to the communities and families on the coast that rely on salmon fishing for their livelihood," he said. "Our job now is to help these communities make ends meet during this difficult time and to fight for federal assistance to help them for the longer term."
Last month, the governors of
Congress will be asked to make a fast decision on money to alleviate the suffering of fishermen and any other impacts of the cutback, said Brian Gorman, a NOAA Fisheries spokesman.
Scientists are studying the causes of the
In 2006, the salmon season extending from
Congress granted disaster relief totaling $62 million for fishermen in the two states.
Scientists are studying a long list of possible causes of the
Fishermen and environmentalists say too much water is being diverted from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, which juvenile salmon must swim through on their way to the ocean.
Two years ago, busloads of fisherman attended the Pacific Fishery council's meetings to protest the proposed cutbacks. This year, little opposition was voiced because most fishermen understand the severity of the salmon decline.
"I believe that the council is doing what it has to do," Emley said.
Consumers can expect to have a hard time finding chinook salmon at stores and restaurants this year, but they still will be able to buy farm-raised salmon, as well as wild sockeye from
Salmon season over before it begins; Federal panel recommends unprecedented fishing ban; 'This is a disaster' says official
Santa Rosa Press Democrat – 4/11/08
By Robert Digitale, staff writer
For the first time, it appears that sport and commercial fishermen won't be allowed to catch salmon this season in ocean waters off
The federal Pacific Fishery Management Council, meeting in
The council said fishermen should be allowed to catch 9,000 hatchery-bred coho salmon off the central
"It's a pretty rough time to be a commercial fisherman," said Larry Collins, president of the San Francisco Crab Boat Owners Association.
The regulations must be affirmed by the Commerce Department, an action expected by May 1. The regulations would be the most restrictive ever, federal officials said.
"This is a disaster for West Coast salmon fisheries, under any standard," council chairman Don Hansen said in a prepared statement. "There will be a huge impact on the people who fish for a living, those who eat wild-caught king salmon, those who enjoy recreational fishing, and the businesses and coastal communities dependent on these fisheries."
A fishing ban was widely expected due to the collapse of the adult salmon fishery from the
As a result, fishermen who in past years lobbied long and loud for more days of fishing generally stayed home from this year's council meeting.
"I think that everybody was just resigned to it," said Barbara Emley, a commercial fisher for two decades and also Collins' wife. She spoke by telephone Thursday from the meeting in
A fishing ban would mean that consumers will have a hard time locating wild salmon for sale this spring and summer. Some reports suggest the price for wild chinook salmon from
But the lack of Pacific salmon won't make a dent in the overall market due to the availability of fresh and frozen farm-raised salmon.
In 2003, fish farms worldwide produced an estimated 3 billion pounds of salmon. In contrast, that same year, the best this decade,
Fishermen aren't blamed for the collapse of the salmon fishery, but the cause remains in dispute.
Federal scientists maintain that poor ocean conditions appear largely responsible for the salmon decline, both for the
Regardless, government scientists predict that only 58,000 adult chinook salmon will come back to spawn in the
That number falls far short of the federal government's objective of at least 122,000 returning salmon, and far below the 800,000 fish that returned to
In the past five years the salmon fisheries added on average an estimated $65 million annually to West Coast communities, according to the fisheries council. That amount is considerably below the economic contribution of earlier years, when the salmon stocks were more abundant and when far more commercial fishermen took part in the harvest.
Last year only 600 commercial vessels landed salmon in
The commercial salmon season typically runs from May 1 to Sept. 30. And recreational anglers normally can fish in some of the state's coastal waters until mid-November.
This year the only salmon fishing off the
Once state and federal regulators realized how low the returning
Now fishing communities will seek disaster aid as they received after the 2006 season, which until now was the worst salmon harvest on record.
Reps. Mike Thompson, D-St. Helena, and Lynn Woolsey, D-Petaluma, and 46 other West Coast members of Congress already have asked Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez to prepare a declaration of a federal fisheries failure, the first step for providing aid to the region.
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and the governors of
And commercial fishermen, some still catching crab off
Some will try other fisheries.
"That's probably what I'm going to do, go tuna fishing up in
The council considered but eventually rejected a plan to allow commercial fishermen to catch salmon for a research project that would have studied where chinook salmon from certain rivers can be found in ocean waters during the spring and summer. That study would have used genetics and Global Positioning System technologies.
The salmon would have been released after a small sample was clipped from their fins. But officials said some still would die and that was unacceptable in a year of such few fish.
The California Fish and Game Commission still must decide the salmon season for the state's rivers and streams. Observers predict sport fishing will still be allowed on the Klamath and possibly some other rivers. #
http://www1.pressdemocrat.com/article/20080411/NEWS/804110352/1033/NEWS&template=kart
Salmon fishing closed for California, Oregon
San Francisco Chronicle – 4/11/08
By John Koopman, staff writer
(04-10) 20:24 PDT
The Pacific Fishery Management Council voted Thursday to cancel the chinook fishing season in an effort to reverse the catastrophic disappearance of
"I think it's probably the right thing to do," said Barbara Emley, 64, who has run a commercial fishing boat with her husband out of Fisherman's Wharf since 1985.
"It's tough, though. We're going to lose our (fishing) community. People are going to have to figure out what to do with five months of no income."
Just hours after the vote, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger declared a state of emergency and sent a letter to President Bush asking for his help in obtaining federal disaster assistance. In addition, the governor's office announced that Schwarzenegger will sign legislation to appropriate about $5.3 million for coastal salmon and steelhead fishery restoration projects.
"
The Pacific Fishery Management Council, meeting in SeaTac, Wash., considered a variety of options for saving the salmon because too few fall-run chinook came back to spawn in the Sacramento River and its tributaries in autumn.
Fishing ban the only option
In the end, it decided the only option was to halt fishing throughout the salmon habitat all along the
The council's recommendation will be forwarded to the National Marine Fisheries Service for approval by May 1.
"This is a disaster for West Coast salmon fisheries, under any standard," said council Chairman Don Hansen.
"There will be a huge impact on the people who fish for a living, those who eat wild-caught king salmon, those who enjoy recreational fishing, and the businesses and coastal communities dependent on these fisheries."
The commercial salmon season off
The council canceled the seasons after the fall run in the Sacramento River and its tributaries saw the number of spawning fish drop from more than 800,000 just six years ago to slightly more than 68,000 last year.
Experts are predicting that a little more than 50,000 fish will be in the river this autumn.
The
"The reason for the sudden decline of
Millions in losses
If the ban holds, it would mean the loss of $20.7 million that commercial and recreational salmon fishing brings into the
Losses in
Zeke Grader, executive director of the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen's Associations, said he was disappointed that the decision had to be made, but he doesn't fault the council.
"We're trying to get a disaster declaration to get (fishermen) through this and get them some money until things can be turned around," he said.
The next step, he said, is to get the commercial fishermen actively involved in the decision-making process for addressing water issues in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta.
"We've really got our work cut out for us," he said. "We knew there were problems, but this year they really came home to roost."
Tina Swanson, senior scientist at the Bay Institute and a fish biologist, said problems in either the ocean or the river system can disrupt the salmon population, but problems in both areas can be catastrophic. And that is essentially what has happened, she said.
"We can't do anything about conditions in the ocean," she said, "but we can control what goes on in the river. We need to do a better job of management to protect the salmon habitat.
"This isn't something that happened in just one year. It's been going on for some time."
Meanwhile, the people who fish for a living and those who do it recreationally will not be the only ones to feel the effects of the ban. Consumers will be hurt, as well.
Salmon in fancy restaurants will likely go for around $40 a portion, about twice the normal price.
Michael Weller, executive chef with the
At restaurants, however, Weller predicted that chefs will not replace wild salmon with the less-tasty farm-raised variety. Instead, he said, consumers will most likely see greater choices of striped bass or halibut.
The price fishermen get for their catch has gone up from about $1.75 a pound three years ago to about $5.50 a pound, but to most anglers, the situation isn't about money anymore. It's about survival of a species.
Salmon off-limits
The problem: Record low numbers of salmon returning from the ocean to the
What happened? The Pacific Fishery Management Council voted for a ban on commercial and sport chinook fishing off the coast of
What's next? The council's recommendation is expected to be approved by the National Marine Fisheries Service by May 1. #
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/04/10/MNO6103NBB.DTL
U.S. halts commercial salmon season; Regulators are trying to protect slumping chinook population off California and Oregon
By Eric Bailey, staff writer
For the first time since the birth of the West Coast fishing industry 150 years ago, Bitts and other fishermen face a season without salmon.
Federal regulators, worried about sagging runs up and down the coast, agreed Thursday to cancel this year's commercial and recreational catch of chinook -- the prized king salmon of the fish market -- off
The ban adopted by the Pacific Fishery Management Council after a weeklong meeting in
An aborted season will wallop coastal communities in which salmon has long been a financial and cultural mainstay. Repercussions are expected to ripple out, with the ban hurting not just fuel docks and tackle stores but also supermarkets and truck dealerships.
In
Hardest hit will be full-time fishermen like Bitts, a gray-bearded Stanford graduate who three decades ago chucked plans to follow his family into teaching. He preferred the sea.
Like most North Coast fishermen, a hearty but shrinking brotherhood scattered in harbor towns like Fort Bragg, Bodega Bay and Santa Cruz, Bitts depends on the salmon catch for more than half his income.
After the last two dismal salmon seasons, he and other commercial fishermen knew 2008 would be bad.
The
But lately the number of chinook returning to the river has been dropping. Scientists now predict that fewer than half the fish needed to ensure a sustainable population will return this fall.
Given these bleak realities, Bitts and many other fishermen are greeting the ban as a grim necessity for a livelihood that depends on the fickle nexus of Mother Nature and mankind.
"Going fishing this year would be like a farmer eating his seed corn," Bitts said. "For a sliver of a season and a tiny catch, it's not worth it."
Federal regulators approved a truncated salmon season for
A normal season in the West is long and prosperous, running from May to October, with more than 800,000 fish caught off
This year the season ended before it started.
"Fishermen are born with an extra helping of hope," Bitts said. "But I never had much hope for this season."
Now he and other fishermen are pushing hard for financial help and for the government to find a way to fix what ails the salmon.
Last week, Bitts and half a dozen peers flew to
The fishermen also are aggressively promoting potential solutions -- such as better practices at hatcheries that raise juvenile salmon and environmental fixes for the ecologically challenged Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta.
Federal scientists have laid much of the blame for the salmon slump on shifting ocean conditions and a flagging offshore food chain, possibly brought on by global warming.
But fishermen contend that there are other culprits. "We've come to the conclusion there are a whole bunch of smoking guns," said Duncan MacLean, a Half Moon Bay angler representing fishermen at this week's meeting.
Factors as unexpected as bridge construction -- in particular the underwater noise caused by pile-driving tower supports -- may have impeded tiny juveniles venturing to sea, MacLean said.
The fishermen also see trouble in long-enshrined hatchery practices.
A federal hatchery in the state's far north releases baby salmon right into the upper reaches of the
State hatcheries do haul juveniles by truck, dumping them beyond the delta near the entry to
But the 800-pound gorilla remains the troubled delta.
The state's biggest estuary saw a marked decline in several fish species as water exports ballooned, peaking in 2005 at more than 6 million acre-feet. The pumps are so strong they can suck up fish, including migrating juvenile salmon.
Salmon may be benefiting this year from a federally ordered pumping cutback intended to protect the tiny delta smelt. Bitts and other fishermen want permanent cutbacks in the water exported to Southern California cities and
They are pushing for the state to meet future water needs with conservation, recycling, increased groundwater storage and bolder efforts at desalinization. They would like to see
Salmon are survivors, Bitts said. They can rebound. But they need help.
"It's painful to watch what's happening," he said. "To the fish and the fisherman." #
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-salmon11apr11,0,876260,full.story
Off the hook: Salmon fishing ban OK’d
The Pacific Fishery Management Council (PFMC) is recommending to the U.S. Secretary of Commerce that the commercial and recreational salmon fisheries in
A state of emergency declaration was issued immediately by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger who says many commercial fishing operations will be driven out of business by the ban.
He says he will also sign a bill by Sen. Pat Wiggins, D-Santa Rosa, which appropriates approximately $5.3 million of the $45 million in Proposition 84 funds to begin coastal salmon and steelhead fishery restoration projects.
“Today’s decision by the Pacific Fishery Management Council underscores our responsibility to quickly free up state and federal resources to help the fishing industry cope with the devastating economic impacts closing the season will have,” Mr. Schwarzenegger says.
The federal Management Council says this fall’s spawning run of Chinook salmon from the Pacific Ocean to breeding grounds in the fresh water of the Sacramento River in the
As recently as 2002, an estimated 775,000 adult salmon made the same trip.
Why there has been a sudden collapse of the
“The National Marine Fisheries Service has suggested ocean temperature changes, and a resulting lack of upwelling, as a possible cause of the sudden decline. Many biologists believe a combination of human?caused and natural factors are to blame including freshwater in?stream water withdrawals, habitat alterations, dam operations, construction, pollution, and changes in hatchery operations,” the council says.
The Wiggins legislation will pay for coastal salmon and steelhead fishery restoration projects to address long-term environmental challenges resulting from poor ocean conditions and other factors.
The council’s recommendations will now go to the California Fish and Game Commission for a final decision via a process beginning April 15.
The California Department of Fish and Game estimates the potential damage from the closure of the salmon season to be $255 million and 2,263
http://www.centralvalleybusinesstimes.com/stories/001/?ID=8400
Dead in the water: Salmon season canceled in California, Oregon; Salmon season: Canceled in California, Oregon
By Larry Parsons, staff writer
Dwindling numbers of salmon won a reprieve Thursday as West Coast fishery managers shut down salmon fishing for 2008 off the coasts of
The decision, though widely expected in local fishing industry circles, will drive up the cost of salmon for consumers, scrap sport fishing for the fish and force commercial anglers to land other catches.
"Every fisherman over the years has learned to adapt," said Linda McIntyre, general manager of the Moss Landing Harbor District. "They are very adaptable."
Meeting in
Scientists and government officials are expecting this year's West Coast salmon season to be one of the worst in history. Although commercial salmon fishing off the
The council's decision still must be confirmed by the National Marine Fisheries Service.
The fishery council considered three options: a total ban on salmon fishing off
The move was prompted by what officials say has been a drastic collapse of the Sacramento chinook salmon run, which provides the bulk of salmon caught by commercial and sport trollers off the West Coast.
The reason for the precipitous plunge in the salmon run isn't known, though there are plenty of possible causes, including dam operations, water quality, farm pollution, marine predators and ocean conditions.
The natural range of the chinook, also known as king salmon, in North America goes from the
In 2006, the salmon season from
Record low of chinook
The Sacramento River chinook run is usually one of the most productive on the coast, but counts last fall found a record low number of chinook returning to
The salmon fishing ban didn't catch
The early
"They are supportive of this closure. They don't like it one bit, but not one fisherman I've talked to suggests the season should be open," McIntyre said. "They know the science and the data support this action."
Commercial fisherman have learned to roll with increasingly strict fishery rules and will go after other catches, including crab, albacore and rock cod, she said.
Charter boat operators that provide ocean sport fishing to recreational anglers will feel the impact of the salmon ban more than commercial anglers, McIntyre said. But they, too, can go after other fish.
"They will try to adapt ... but I'm not going to sugar coat it, the industry probably harmed the most is sport salmon fishing," she said.
Unless there's a remarkable turnaround in chinook salmon stocks, the 2009 salmon season may also be blacked out, McIntyre said.
"I would suspect (there) is going to be similar circumstances next year," she said.
Sport fishing hit hard
The demise of this year's sport salmon season — which traditionally opens with scores of anglers taking to Monterey Bay waters in early April — has taken a huge toll on sales at Gone Fishin', a Sand City fishing supply store.
"It will have a tremendous effect in the whole area," said owner Jim Franco. "There will be no month of April.
"It's just something happening, but I'm not going to jump up and down and whine about it," he said. "It's not just me, it's the whole area."
Salmon lovers may have to turn to other seafood or face skyrocketing prices for their favorite seafood.
"We'll probably start looking for alternate places to get salmon, like
Fresh salmon could go for more than $20 a pound, he said.
"We're spoiled around here, all those years getting reasonably priced salmon out of the bay."
DiGirolamo said he understands the reason for the salmon ban, but it's a wrenching decision for the Moss Landing fishing community.
"Usually at this time of the year the whole island gets excited with the sport season and all the rest of it," he said. "It's a real shame." #
http://www.montereyherald.com/local/ci_8888096?nclick_check=1
Coastal salmon fishing all but banned for year
By Alex Breitler, staff writer
The Pacific Fishery Management Council banned fishing off the
The new restrictions on West Coast salmon fishing were said to be the toughest in history.
And it's all due to the decline of
"Obviously, it's a concern," said Cliff Rich, president of the
"I think our group believes that if there's an issue with the fish, no matter what it is, it's probably beneficial to close (fishing) until they recover," Rich said. "At least protect what's left."
Herman Spalinger of
"We're hoping the devil that this closure will be more than maybe a year or two to get the salmon going again," he said.
The California Fish and Game Commission will decide in coming weeks whether any inland salmon fishing is permitted. A spokeswoman said the commission has been waiting for the council to act first.
Federal officials have said they believe poor ocean conditions are behind the salmon crash. Conservationists and some fishermen say those experts should turn their attention inland, toward the giant pumps that suck water out of the Delta for two-thirds of
In an analysis written last week, Peter Moyle, a University of California, Davis, professor and expert on native fish, said salmon have been declining for more than a century thanks to mining, logging, levees, dams and unregulated fishing.
Most recently, less food has been available in the ocean, perhaps causing salmon to "starve away." However, Moyle, too, points to the Delta as a long-term cause for decline.
The pumps trap fish and change the temperature and water flows in the estuary. Near
"Blaming 'ocean conditions' for salmon declines is a lot like blaming the iceberg for sinking the Titanic, while ignoring the many human errors that put the ship on course for the fatal collision," Moyle wrote.
The fishery council has been meeting all week in
That would not only damage the $38.9 million salmon fishing industry, but it could also drive up the price of wild salmon at stores or restaurants.
Cutting back fishing is the only thing that can be done in the short term, council Executive Director Don McIsaac said.
"For now, unfortunately, those involved in the salmon fisheries are paying the price," he said. #
http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080411/A_NEWS/804110327/-1/A_NEWS
Salmon season disaster; Fishing council urges cancellation along Pacific
Marysville Appeal Democrat – 4/11/08
By Howard Yune, staff writer
The season for Pacific salmon fishing might be over before it could begin, leaving sport and commercial fishermen to cope with the loss — and preserve the business and the tourism it drives.
At its meeting Thursday in
"This is a disaster for West Coast salmon fisheries, under any standard," council chairman Don Hansen said in a statement. "There will be a huge impact on the people who fish for a living, those who eat wild-caught king salmon, those who enjoy recreational fishing, and the businesses and coastal communities dependent on these fisheries."
The decision virtually guarantees the elimination of this year's salmon angling in the
Within an hour of the fishery council's vote, local fishing suppliers were resigned to a year of lower profits and a choked-off tap of summer visitors the salmon run usually attracts to the region.
"It's gonna hurt tourism tremendously," said Bob Boucke, owner of Johnson's Bait & Tackle in
The National Marine Fisheries Service has until May 1 to confirm the fishing ban, which covers the Pacific coast from the Mexican border to
The long-awaited decision is expected to lead not only to lost jobs and higher fish prices but also cuts in tourism driven by the
John McCamman, acting director of the state Department of Fish and Game, said the agency will cut off commercial fishing this year and will recommend that the Fish and Game Commission also bar recreational fishing. The commission will meet at 10 a.m. Tuesday by conference call.
After the council announced the possible fishing ban in March, DFG officials warned that step could lead to blocking salmon angling in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, the fish's chief spawning ground. The season was to start July 16 in the
The scale of the salmon crisis became clear when the fishery council announced in January it had counted fewer than 90,000 salmon returned last year to the delta from the ocean to spawn. That figure was the second-lowest on record and just one-ninth of the 804,000 fish tallied in 2002.
Even with a blanket ban on ocean and river fishing, state Fish and Game officials have given a bleak prediction of the chinook's numbers this year — no more than 59,000 fish in the Sacramento system, less than half the department's goal of 120,000.
While researchers at the fishery council have identified more than 45 possible causes for the chinook's plight, McCamman said the attention at this week's meetings has turned to ocean conditions in 2005 — when the mysterious loss of plankton, the microscopic food supply of many ocean fish, may have starved a generation of young salmon before they could return to the rivers.
Despite the long odds against avoiding a fishing ban, a Linda supplier urged authorities to research the salmon problem more before cutting off the season.
Mike Searcy, who owns Star Bait and Tackle, said large water diversions from the
"I agree they have to do something, but more information needs to be gathered," said Searcy, who estimated salmon drives nearly 30 percent of his revenue. "My question is, lets say the fall season comes and 400,000 or 500,000 fish come back. What's gonna be the reaction? Will these guesstimates they've been making over the years matter at all?"
In Colusa, Pat Kittle has witnesses previous booms and busts in the
For now, though, Kittle called the fish supply salvageable — if humans manage the
"It can be gained back if they return the very next year," he said of the fish's future in the region, adding: "I'm 98 percent certain it will go on."
Consumers can expect to have a hard time finding chinook at stores later this year, but they will still be able to buy farm-raised salmon, as well as wild sockeye from
http://www.appeal-democrat.com/news/pacific_62594___article.html/salmon_season.html
Faltering salmon season shakes family; Fourth generation struggles to keep business alive
Inside Bay Area – 4/11/08
By Julia Prodis Sulek, staff writer
He's a fourth-generation Stagnaro, with his first child on the way. Growing up on the
Through the decades, the Stagnaro family has survived sea storms that destroyed their boats, fishing accidents that maimed their patriarch, the requisitioning of boats by the military during World War II, and the sell-off of their fleet in 1980. In January, Stagnaro's 83-year-old Aunt Gilda — "queen of the wharf" — collapsed and died in a torrential rain and wind storm on the pier just 90 feet from the restaurant that bears her name.
And now, after years of ever-tightening fishing restrictions, a critical part of Stagnaro's sport fishing business — salmon season — is being shut down.
With the population of wild Pacific salmon at historic lows, the season was closed to sport fishermen on opening day last weekend. On Thursday, commercial fishing was added to the list. The Pacific Fishery Management Council voted to cancel all commercial salmon fishing off the
Stagnaro didn't plan on such bad news when he sold his house a few years ago to build a handsome charter boat specifically for those salmon fishermen.
"It's not that I want to give it up. You just feel you're in an uphill battle with the government," said Stagnaro, 46. "You want to get out of it just to fend off disaster."
Up and down the Pacific coast, including the harbors of Moss Landing,
"I'm not going to have any income until July" when the tuna season starts, said Wilson Quick, who was working on his salmon boat "Sun Ra" in the
The bridge over the
In Moss Landing last weekend, members of the Bay Sportsmen fishing club gathered anyway to commiserate during a "non-opener" party hosted by the harbor master. They roasted a lamb and hired a band.
"There are people here who wait all year for this — and it just doesn't come," said Richard Kent, 65, of
But they all understand the bleak picture: In the fall, the number of chinook salmon that returned to the Sacramento River, which provides most of the salmon caught off the coasts of
With the fish population in so much trouble, most fishermen accept the ban, said recreational fisherman Pat Miller from
Stagnaro sure doesn't. His family came to the
At the peak of the family's holdings in the 1960s, the Stagnaros owned two restaurants, a fish market, a dozen fishing and sport vessels and two speed boats.
Now, it's down to Stagnaro's charter fishing boat "Velocity," which he runs with his cousin, Dino; and the restaurant, owned by his last surviving uncle, Robert "Big Boy" Stagnaro, 79, and his two grown sons.
In a gray-and-green vinyl-covered booth at Gilda's earlier this week, with walls of windows looking out to white-capped waters on either side, Stagnaro sat next to his uncle, who still seats the patrons and runs the bar.
The building shakes when cars drive across the wooden-planked pier. Seagulls squawk as they fly by. Sea lions lounging on cross bracing under the pilings yelp below.
Stagnaro gulped his coffee.
"I can't carry the brunt of ending the Stagnaro legacy of fishing on the ocean," he said. "I try to keep the business going, but ... "
"You're doing a wonderful job, Kenny," his uncle interjected, then said of the fourth generation, "They've got to weather the storm. They will. I'll help, Kenny."
The old man remembers the days when it was "all blood, sweat and tears put in by the family. We loved every minute of it and to work with a large family — how lucky we were."
The younger Stagnaro, his forehead creased with a deep furrow, feels the pressure closing in from all sides.
The walls of Gilda's restaurant are covered with framed black-and-white photographs of the 10 Stagnaro siblings (five boys — including Robert — and five girls), the king and queen of the fishing derby, five Stagnaro boats tied up to the wharf labeled "The Biggest Fishing Fleet on the Coast 1961."
"I've been immersed in this my whole life," he said. "Sometimes I just want to go to the desert where it's warm and not foggy. Sometimes you just want to break from it."
He points to the old Stagnaro ticket shack that sits on the edge of the pier.
"Look at that," he said.
In the old days, the signage was simple. "Bay Cruises — Fishing Trips."
Over the past five years, he's had to plaster several more signs advertising his latest ecotourism efforts to save the business: Whale watching, dolphin tours. Now he even offers "Scattering of Ashes."
He lies awake at night, thinking of new ways to make a living with the Velocity.
"I was thinking of making it a dockside cafe," he said, "putting tables and chairs out on the deck and selling breakfast burritos and coffee to people walking by."
He doesn't want to be the Stagnaro to have it all go under. #
http://www.mercurynews.com//ci_8888776?IADID=Search-www.mercurynews.com-www.mercurynews.com
Salmon 'emergency' spawns new limits; precedented fishing restrictions follow collapse of Calif.
Seattle
By Robert McClure, staff writer
SEATAC -- Calling flagging numbers of salmon an emergency, federal fisheries managers slapped unprecedented restrictions Thursday on West Coast salmon fishing.
The Pacific Fishery Management Council virtually eliminated fishing for salmon in the ocean alongside most of
Fishing for chinook along
Gov. Chris Gregoire said she would consider asking for emergency federal aid to fishermen if the restrictions prove financially disastrous here. The governors of
"We will have zero commercial fishing on salmon between
"We need to do it to protect our salmon stocks, in order to follow the law, but it's going to hurt."
The council's action was prompted by the precipitous collapse of chinook salmon from the Sacramento River, the backbone of
As recently as 2002, some 775,000 of those fish returned to spawn.
Because those
The only exception for ocean fishing is for 9,000 coho to be caught off central
Representing
"I am unable to see where we can afford any fishing. Every fish that doesn't go back to the river counts this year," Vokovich said. "We've never been in this situation with this
"The whole problem is
Council staff members, federal fishery scientists and others aren't so quick to blame
For example, it's well known that a phenomenon still not fully understood caused the Pacific Ocean's coastal food web to collapse in 2005, killing tens of thousands of sea birds and presumably starving the
In Washington, the coho catch had to be strictly limited because of endangered stocks in the lower Columbia River and along the Oregon coast because they, too, head to sea and turn right -- meaning they can get killed along the Washington coast. Those stocks are protected under the Endangered Species Act, unlike the
The National Marine Fisheries Service can overrule the council's decision. The agency's decision is expected by the time the fishing season usually starts May 1. Salmon fishing already had been greatly restricted for the winter and early spring, although summertime is the prime season. #
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/358664_salmon11.html
Yuma hosting binational conference on Colorado River
By Sarah Reynolds, staff writer
Near
This area, called Hunter's Hole on the
But a group of environmental, government and public safety workers on both sides of the border are trying to turn it into something else by restoring that portion of the river.
"If we could just restart the flow of water down, even just to San Luis along that stretch and restore that whole area, it would serve as inspiration maybe to other parts of the border," said Charles Flynn, executive director of the Yuma Crossing National Heritage Area. "This is so unique because a community isn't fighting with the government or fighting with
This was the message of the Common Ground Conference, which brought Mexican environmental scientists and students to
The conference centers around the restoration of the Limitrophe Division of the river - a 1,000-acre area that includes the 450 acres of Hunter's Hole on the
The goal was to duplicate the work done in the Yuma East Wetlands. As the project moved forward, it gained the attention of Mexican environmental groups, who eventually formed a collaboration. They have been working together over the past few months on restoration efforts.
"We were doing similar things in
>From an environmental standpoint Hunter's Hole faces many of the same challenges that once plagued the East Wetlands, said Fred Phillips, principal consultant on the Wetlands project.
"It was basically a dump, not the kind of place you could take people walking," Phillips said.
Before the restoration efforts over the past three years, the wetlands were overgrown with invasive non-native plants. The tangled vegetation had made it a haven for crime, drugs and vagrants in
Restoring the wetlands has uncovered and curbed the crime in that area and it is hoped something similar will happen in Hunter's Hole.
Border Patrol Agent Betty Mills-Carilli said part of the Hunter's Hole project will clear brush, creating a visual corridor for agents patrolling the area. The border fence, which is supposed to be in place by December 2008, will go through there. But Carilli said they could work with restoration officials to build the fence around, and in complement, with Hunter's Hole.
"That area is predominant for smuggling - alien smuggling and drug trafficking. So, by having the fence in there is going to prevent the illegal flow of vehicles coming through and pedestrians coming through," Carilli said. "(Restoration workers) reached out to the chief patrol agent in charge for
The project has gained international attention and is in the first stages of securing more funding. A $140,000 grant from the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation allowed the installation of groundwater pumps to aid in water restoration.
It is now entering the permitting stage. More funds will be needed to complete all necessary studies, excavate and create channels, construction wells and clear and replant vegetation.
Flynn said they hope to secure approximately $700,000 for that effort.
Hunter's Hole has gained the support of the city,
Representatives have been lobbying the federal government, both in the
Thursday's leg of the conference unveiled the Limitrophe Binational Restoration Plan and brought stake-holders together to tour Hunter's Hole and the Yuma East and West Wetlands.
It will continue at 8:30 a.m. Friday with a roundtable discussion at
http://www.yumasun.com/news/river_40942___article.html/colorado_binational.html
REGULATION:
Editorial: Time to probe Seeno project
Inside Bay Area – 4/10/08
Once again, Albert D. Seeno is under investigation for possible environmental damages at one of his developments. This time it's at his San Marco project in the hills of western
The California Department of Fish and Game and the city of
One of the concerns of Fish and Game is the possible destruction of a creek and other drainage areas. Also, Seeno's company has graded the top of one of the hills above the Concord Naval Weapons Station, which will be developed by
Pittsburg City Engineer Joe Sbranti has been working with Fish and Game since January to determine whether Seeno has violated any environmental regulations.
There is also concern that Seeno is operating under expired permits. Sbranti said his department could not find any current permit Seeno was operating under. The permit the city did find had expired at least five years ago.
That's not the only permit that seems to be outdated or missing. Permits for grading the stream bed are given by Fish and Game, the Army Corps of Engineers and the state Department of Water Resources. So far, those agencies also found permits to be expired.
Nevertheless, Seeno spokesman Kiley Russell said that all of the grading at the San Marco subdivision is in accordance with permits issued by
Seeno also is suspected of grading hills after Oct. 15, which is not allowed by Fish and Game. Warden Nicole Kozicki said her agency is investigating whether Seeno improperly altered the streambed and caused erosion.
She said grading had been done during the winter, when it is difficult to control erosion during a rainy period.
Russell would not comment on the timing of the grading.
Save
Seeno has a record of environmental abuse and has been fined several times during the past few years. He agreed to a $3 million settlement earlier this year relating to grading at an
The latest concerns about Seeno's operation in San Marco are real and need to be thoroughly investigated.
That is a positive step, but it may not be enough. Much stiffer fines and other penalties should be considered if Seeno is found to have violated environmental regulations. No developer should be allowed to break the law, pay an easily affordable fine and continue business as usual. #
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