Central Valley Salmon Runs Are Still Down

Central Valley Salmon Runs Are Still Down

by Dan Bacher

In bad news for fishermen and all those that care about salmon, the Central Valley fall-run salmon counts are down and appear to be headed to another all time low. "State water mismanagement continues to spiral the populations downward," said Dick Pool, administrator of Water for Fish.

In 2008, a record low of only 66,000 fall-run fish returned to the Sacramento, American, Feather and Yuba rivers and other Sacramento Valley rivers. The minimum escapement for long term sustainability of these fish is 122,000 and the fall 2009 run could be as low as 60,000 fish, according to Pool.

In the coming weeks, state and federal fishery biologists will be compiling the statistics on the 2009 fall run, the result of carcass counts on the rivers and hatchery returns. While salmon numbers were up from 2008 at the Nimbus, Feather River and Mokelumne River fish hatcheries, they were down 60 percent from last year's dismal run at Coleman National Fish Hatchery on the Sacramento River.

"It is clear that over pumping from the California Delta and the failure to protect fish in the state's water policies are to blame," said Pool. "The salmon fishing industry will issue a press release and a letter to Congress expressing its outrage. A 2010 salmon fishing season is in question again."

The salmon fishing season was closed in ocean waters off California and most of Oregon in 2008, due to the collapse of fall salmon. In 2009, the season was again closed off California and southern Oregon, with the exception of a 10 day season off the North Coast in late August and early September.

Salmon fishing in all Central Valley rivers was also closed both years, with the exception of a selective fishery for late fall run chinook salmon for 2 months in 2008 and 6 weeks in 2009 in the Sacramento River from Red Bluff to Knights Landing.

The closures have led to the loss of 23,000 jobs in coastal communities and the Central Valley, according to economic data from the American Sportfishing Association.

In a related issue, the National Marine Fisheries Service biological opinion on salmon is under attack by corporate agribusiness and the Schwarzenegger administration. In June NMFS issued its new biological opinion on imperiled Sacramento River winter and spring run Chinook salmon, steelhead, green sturgeon and offshore Orca killer whales. The agency also issued its Reasonable and Prudent Alternatives which require the offending agencies to correct the conditions that put the fish in jeopardy of extinction.

The Delta pumping operations and Central Valley dam operations received most of the blame for the fishery losses, according to Pool. The NMFS alternatives require changes in pumping regimes, as well as changes in the dam operations so these species don't get pushed over the abyss of extinction.

Westlands Water District and other San Joaquin Valley water interests have filed 13 lawsuits in an effort to overturn the opinion and stop the salmon recovery. Corporate agribusiness also funded a massive "Astroturf" public relations program blaming the biological opinions for salmon and Delta smelt for the water shortages and unemployment of farmworkers. The truth is that most of the farmworkers that were unemployed are suffering because of the drought and the economy, according to Pool.

A report written by Jeffrey Michael, University of the Pacific economist, backs up Pool's contention that most of the farm unemployment wasn't caused by reductions in pumping to protect endangered fish. Michael estimates that the San Joaquin Valley lost 8,500 jobs from reduced water exports in 2009. "Roughly 2,000 of these are attributable to the endangered Delta smelt and the rest to the natural drought," said Michael (http://forecast.pacific.edu/water-jobs/Pacific-BFC-Water-Jobs.pdf).

However, Pool emphasized that agribusiness and its political allies now have a proposal before Congress to bypass the Endangered Species Act for the Delta.

"This would be a fatal fisheries move and we must fight it," said Pool. "Water4Fish and the salmon fisheries industry coalition are fighting hard for the science based biological opinion. Please support these efforts every way you can."

If you want to see a power packed summary of the political attacks on salmon, Pool urged that you log onto http://www.vimeo.com/8245848. This hard-hitting three minute program is a must view for every fisherman and supporter of the salmon plight.

Log on, watch it, then tell your friends. Other videos which provide excellent coverage of the salmon plight are available on the Salmon Water Now website: http://www.salmonwaternow.org.

For updates on the salmon crisis and what you can do to help, visit the Water4Fish booths at the San Mateo and Sacramento International Sportsmen's Expositions. You can sign petitions, pick up literature or bumper stickers and see the the three minute political action video. San Mateo runs Jan 14 - 17 and Sacramento runs Jan 21 - 24.

On Saturday Jan 23 in Sacramento, the annual Fishermen's Forum and press conference will be held at 1:30 in the Outdoor Sportsmen's Theater.

"Don't miss it," urged Pool. "You will be briefed by top fishery experts and Assemblyman Jared Huffman who chairs the Assembly Water Parks and Wildlife Committee."

If you can spend some important volunteer time, Pool said he could use help in the Water4Fish booth. Email Bob Mellinger at bob4fish [at] comcast.net. "74,000 supporters have now signed our petitions," stated Pool. For more information, go to http://www.water4fish.org.