Salmon Water Now Covers Salmon Summit in Half Moon Bay

Salmon Water Now Covers Salmon Summit in Half Moon Bay

by Dan Bacher

Bruce Tokars took the Salmon Water Now video camera to Half Moon Bay on Saturday, December 4, 2010 to capture the Salmon Summit hosted by Representatives Jackie Spier and Mike Thompson. Over 200 people, including recreational anglers, commercial fishermen, Indian Tribal members and environmental activists, attended the standing room-only event in the Maverick's Lodge and Conference Center.

Here is the link and the details:

HMB Salmon Summit – 12/4/10 - (Parts 1 - 4)

"They came to Half Moon Bay, California to talk about wild salmon and the reasons for their near extinction," said Tokars. "The overflow crowd heard from fishery scientists, fishermen, business owners, and people who just want salmon back in their diet. It was a remarkably powerful event and it gives hope that salmon can be saved, if we act now."

This video is in four parts. See it here: http://vimeo.com/channels/hmbsamsum

Part 1 (16:40) features opening remarks by Congresswoman Jackie Spier and Congressman Mike Thompson. Representatives from the National Marine Fisheries Service, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation and the California Department of Water Resources describe the state of salmon. There are lively exchanges between these presenters and the attending crowd.

Part 2 (20:06) spotlights presentations by Christina Swanson, chief scientist of The Bay Institute and Zeke Grader, Executive Director of the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Associations (PCFFA).

Dr. Swanson explains the state of salmon and their troubled habitat and what must be done to reverse the collapse of salmon. Grader’s comments address the human suffering caused by the loss of salmon and forcefully points to the forces in government and agriculture that have been responsible for the decline of the salmon fishery.

Part 3 (15:20) covers legendary charter boat skipper, Jacky Douglas (FV Wacky Jacky), describing her love of salmon and the need to reverse their decline.

Marc Gorelnik of the Coastside Fishing Club makes a passionate presentation about the importance of salmon to recreational anglers and the need to stop the “criminal” policies and actions of big agriculture on the West side of the Central Valley that has been the main cause of the decline of salmon.

Duncan MacLean, a commercial salmon fisherman, describes how the loss of salmon impacts his life. His forceful comments and call to action are a rallying cry that anyone who cares about salmon should hear.

Part 4 (21:04) features Peggy Beckett, owner of Huck Finn Sport Fishing in Pillar Point, describing the hardships she has been dealing with since the collapse of salmon.

Caleen Sisk-Franco, Chief and Spiritual Leader of the Winnemem Wintu Tribe, explains her people’s connection to salmon and their efforts to be heard by the U.S. Government. Over 30 members of the Tribe went to New Zealand in the spring of 2010 to conduct joint ceremonies with the Maori Nation and to arrange the reintroduction of the eggs of winter run chinook from the Rakaira River back to the McCloud River, their native river, above Shasta Dam.

Following these two presentations, the Representatives wrap up the summit with a call to have additional meetings in all 74 harbors throughout the state to keep the public spotlight on the plight of salmon.

Finally, Salmon Moods (7:17) offers images of salmon fishing, salmon cooking and eating, salmon dreaming set to music.

For more information, contact: Bruce Tokars, http://www.salmonwaternow.org.

On the day of the summit, the San Francisco Chronicle ran my commentary supporting Speier's call to save the salmon and outlining my solutions to the salmon collapse:

Support fish, fishermen

I applaud Rep. Jackie Speier for standing up for the salmon and salmon fishermen in her opinion piece, "No water, no salmon" (Open Forum, Dec. 2).

California urgently needs the jobs that will be provided by the full recovery of Central Valley chinook salmon runs.

To restore these iconic fish, three major actions are needed.

First, the state and federal agencies must comply with the federal biological opinions protecting Central Valley steelhead, Sacramento River chinook salmon, green sturgeon, delta smelt and southern resident killer whales.

Second, the state and federal governments must abandon all efforts, including the Bay Delta Conservation Plan, to build a peripheral canal/tunnel to facilitate water exports to Southern California and corporate agribusiness.

Third, the agencies must work cooperatively with Indian tribes, fishermen and environmentalists to reintroduce salmon and steelhead, wherever feasible, to Central Valley rivers above dams, including Shasta, Englebright, Folsom and New Melones dams.

Dan Bacher, Sacramento

This article appeared on page A - 9 of the San Francisco Chronicle

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/12/03/EDB61GLH1N.DTL

I will be publishing an indepth article about the salmon summit in several days.