September Is SalmonAid's Salmon Month in San Francisco

September Is SalmonAid's Salmon Month in San Francisco

by Dan Bacher

September 2010 is Salmon Month at San Francisco’s Aquarium of the Bay, located next to Pier 39 at The Embarcadero and Beach Street. Sponsored by the SalmonAID coalition, Salmon Month will feature exciting information and exhibits every day, as well as a number of special events.

The brainchild of commercial fisherman and activist Mike Hudson, the event has grown from a two-day music festival in 2008 and 2009 to a one-month event at the aquarium this year.

Here are some of the special events that will be taking place at during Salmon Month, 2010:

September 9, 23 and 26 – Come talk to Center staff and volunteers at our information table from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

September 1 – Go Wild Gala, featuring an elegant evening of salmon cuisine, beer/wine and conversation in the aquarium

September 10 – Meet Your Fishermen. This will include include a reading and book signing by acclaimed author and Alaska fisherman, Bill Carter, as well as SalmonAID Founder Mike Hudson and other local fishing legends.

September 11 and 12 – Films from the Wild & Scenic Environmental Film Festival

September 15 – Salmon Cinema and Storytelling Circle, featuring movies and live storytelling plus a cocktail reception. This event will include Tribal stories from the Klamath and Trinity rivers.

September 19 and 20 – Kids Weekend with games, activities and stories

September 26 – The third annual outdoor SalmonAID Music Festival

The SalmonAID coalition brings together more than two dozen conservation, commercial and sportfishing organizations as well as the West Coast’s best restaurants in order to educate the public about wild salmon and the perils they face across our coast.

Groups sponsoring the event include the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen's Associations, Institute for Fishery Resources, Earthjustice, Aquarium of the Bay, Bay Institute, Klamath Riverkeeper, Sierra Club, Alameda Creek Alliance, Food and Water Watch, Tuolumne River Trust, SYRCL, SPAWN, Karuk Tribe, Trout Unlimited, Small Boat Commercial Salmon Fishermen's Association, Save Our Wild Salmon, Fish or Cut Bait, Federation of Fly Fishers, Faces of California Fishing, Fisherman's Wharf Community Benefit District, American Land Conservancy, Water4Fish.org, Friends of the Eel River, Salmonid Restoration Federation, NRDC and Nature Conservancy.

This wide-ranging coalition motivates citizens to take actions to protect our wild salmon populations, now threatened by water diversions, pollution and habitat destruction, and the rivers they call home. Join the many sponsors of Salmon Month to help support restoration of wild salmon and wild rivers.

For more information about Salmon Month and the SalmonAID coalition, visit http://www.salmonaid.org.