A daily compilation of significant news articles and comment
May 16, 2008
3. Watersheds –
Feds: No food did in salmon: Fishermen argue Delta pumps deserve blame
Groups ask Congress for funds to rid waterways of mussels
The Desert Sun- 5/16/08
Old ranch to be transformed into trout hatchery:
The
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Feds: No food did in salmon: Fishermen argue Delta pumps deserve blame
By , Staff Writer
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Federal officials stuck with their assertion Thursday that the most immediate cause of last year's salmon crash was a lack of food in the ocean, despite arguments from fishermen that export pumps in the south Delta are largely to blame.
The National Marine Fisheries Service, charged with protecting salmon, was on the hook Thursday as legislators questioned an administrator about the sudden decline of fish in the Delta and throughout the West.
"We rank this as one of the largest man-made fishery disasters in this country," said Richard Pool, president of Pro-Troll Fishing Products in
"There's a number of causes," he said, "but in our mind, excess pumping from the Delta" beats them all.
Fisheries Service regional administrator Rodney McInnis said ocean conditions were blamed in a "preliminary inquiry," but he said a more detailed review of other potential causes would be finished by the end of the year.
Juvenile salmon migrating from the
But there's more to the story, said Pool, the fishing gear supplier.
Efforts to save salmon in the 1990s were widely praised, as endangered winter-run chinook were brought back from the brink. Fall-run fish also fared well: In 2002, 775,000 of these salmon returned from the ocean to spawn.
"It appeared we had a major success story," Pool said in written testimony.
After the Fisheries Service allowed export pumping to increase in the early 2000s, things went south. That's when the salmon crash began, with poor ocean conditions the final blow, Pool testified. As few as 54,000 fall-run fish are expected to return this year.
Some legislators jumped on federal regulators for allowing federally protected fish to be killed through pumping guidelines that they claim are politically motivated and not based on the best science. This became evident last month, they say, when federal Judge Oliver Wanger threw out a Fisheries Service report that said winter-run salmon, steelhead and threatened spring-run chinook salmon would not be harmed by increased water exports from the Delta.
Jason Peltier, chief deputy general manager for Westlands Water District in the southern
"But I have never seen a credible statistical analysis that shows us what is lost at the pumps and how significant of a population level effect that is," he said.
Congresswoman Lois Capps, D-Santa Barbara, said she's been told by some commercial fishermen that they don't want their children following in their footsteps.
"This is very sad," she said. "It seems to me we are spending an awful lot of federal funds ... and getting little in return." #
http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080516/A_NEWS/805160320/-1/A_NEWS
Groups ask Congress for funds to rid waterways of mussels
The Desert Sun- 5/16/08
By Deborah Barfield
A coalition of water authority officials from Western states asked Congress on Thursday to channel more than $20 million into projects to research and kill an invasive mussel threatening the region's waterways, including those in the
"This is a very, very frightening situation for a lot of us," said Rep. Grace Napolitano, D-Santa Fe Springs.
The group, which included officials from water authorities in
The coalition urged lawmakers to set aside funding, including $3.3 million for research of the quagga, a thumb-sized mussel that can clog water pipes and facilities and wreak havoc on habitats.
They also asked for funding to develop plans and help agencies affected by the infestation.
"We have to act quickly," said Ricardo De Leon, water system operations manager for the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California.
In the past year alone, officials said the problem has grown worse with the species spreading across the West. The mussels, which multiply quickly, can attach to facilities and pipes.
"They're shutting down our facilities," said Ronald Zegers, director of the southern Nevada Water System, adding that an infestation of mussels had caused two plant shutdowns. "It's a growing problem."
The mussel first appeared in the
Officials said there are few effective ways to kill the mussels except chlorine, which can harm the broader environment.
Federal land officials said addressing the problem is a priority. Robert Quint, director of operations for the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, said the agency is spending $800,000 on research and plans to nearly double that to $1.5 million in 2009.
Quint said as the problem spreads, it's important to coordinate efforts and share information.
"Right now, it's a disjointed effort," he said.
http://www.mydesert.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080516/NEWS07/805160361/1013/news07
Old ranch to be transformed into trout hatchery:
The
By Pete Thomas
LEE VINING,
Conway Ranch used to raise cattle. Now it's the domain of coyotes, watched over by eagles and completely ignored by motorists whizzing by on U.S. 395.
But barring lengthy bureaucratic snags, it'll soon house the region's largest and most ambitious private trout hatchery.
The transformation has begun. Earthen raceways are dug. One is watered and brimming with fat rainbows, luring eagles to nearby power poles, perched like vultures.
Brown and cutthroat trout also will be raised here and stocked in area waters.
Meantime, the Inland Aquaculture Group of investors irons out details with Mono County, which haggles with LADWP, DFG, USFWS, NRCS, SCE, BLM and other agencies with ties to the land, water and wildlife.
The Inland Aquaculture Group is Tim Alpers, who sold his Owens River ranch and hatchery last December; John Frederickson, who owns concessions at
They've leased 835 acres of property purchased recently by
Dan Lyster, director of economic development for
Alpers, whose namesake rainbows have become internationally famous, says this operation will replace that with which he helped transform the region into a trophy-trout paradise.
"Same business, different location," Alpers boasts of a facility that'll annually stock 45,000 pounds of trout and feature a park-like atmosphere and educational and interpretive tours.
So far there has been no major opposition, Lyster says.
To be sure, it seems a more appropriate use of the land than that envisioned previously by developers. They'd aspired to build a condo complex, golf course and fly-fishing ranch.
"The board thought that might be a bad fit," Lyster says.
Troubled waters
Outdoors enthusiasts are encouraged to visit the new Gulf of California exhibit and film at the Aquarium of the Pacific in
The aquarium has partnered with the World Wildlife Fund to raise awareness to growing threats caused by development.
Cabo San Lucas has become an unsightly mega-cluster of hotels, condos, time shares and golf courses. Similar development has spread throughout the Los Cabos corridor.
Now the
High-priced lots are parceled along the waterfront. New marinas are being dredged, and golf courses -- with all that poisonous runoff -- are planned or already materializing atop the desert landscape.
Aquarium President Jerry Schubel hopes Baja tourists will frequent only eco-friendly establishments and avoid purchasing property in sensitive areas.
In a recent interview, he said, "Do we really want to lose the qualities that have attracted people there for decades? I don't think we want every place in the world to look like
And to think that not long ago over-fishing seemed the only real threat to one of the world's richest marine ecosystems.
Everest back on line
The Olympic flame last week attained the summit of
All well and good, but the endeavor has been a major headache for expedition leaders who had been banned from scaling the world's highest mountain until the torch run was complete.
About two dozen expeditions and thousands of dollars were lost, as base camp became crowded with climbers waiting for the ban to be lifted, which it was late last week.
So forget the Games. The refrain now echoing through the
Divers to the rescue
More than $120,000 was raised during the recent Chamber Day fundraiser to benefit the USC Catalina Hyperbaric Chamber.
As if to underscore the importance of maintaining a chamber on
Chairman Ken Kurtis reports:
"Our divers put him on oxygen immediately, the captain radioed Baywatch, they came out to do an assessment, and he was whisked off to the chamber . . . and treated to full resolution."
About 300 divers participated in Chamber Day.
And finally
Ventura-based Island Packers, which transports campers, hikers, bird-watchers and surf-fishermen to and from the northern
By coincidence I was aboard one of the high-speed catamarans bound for
We cruised alongside a mother humpback whale and her calf, mingled with common dolphins and, finally, disembarked at Prisoner's Harbor.
Using trout rods, my brother and I caught calico bass and mackerel from the beach -- a first for us -- and hiked among towering trees and chattering birds.
Our escort home was a large pod of Pacific white-sided dolphins. It was quite the celebration.#
http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-outdoors16-2008may16,0,6168385.story?page=1
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