By: Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen's Associations
SAN FRANCISCO, June 27, 2009 - A coalition of commercial and recreational fishermen and allied businesses are calling on Interior Secretary Ken Salazar to let science and facts be his guide when he meets with growers and water agencies on Sunday in Fresno.
The fishing groups warn that protections for fish in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and San Francisco Bay are critical for the livelihoods of thousands of Californian's along the coast. Some agricultural leaders and water contractors, along with a few members of Congress, have blamed the San Joaquin Valley's high unemployment and economic woes on protections for fish -- including measures to make sure there is enough water for fish survival.
"We feel the pain of unemployed farm workers. Salmon fishermen have been out of work for two years now because of the total closure of the fishery," said Zeke Grader, Executive Director of the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen's Associations (PCFFA), which represents working men and women in the West Coast commercial fishing fleet. "But don't make the fish or their protections a scapegoat for the problems of the San Joaquin Valley."
Experts have pointed out that the San Joaquin Valley's unemployment rates have historically been much higher than the rest of the State. A switch to less labor-intensive crops has added to the problem while cutbacks in water deliveries to growers are mainly due to the current drought, not protections for fish, say fishing groups.
"We've had a long history of political meddling with fishery protections by water interests that have left fish vulnerable and resulted in tremendous losses to our fishing economy and the jobs it represents. We're sympathetic with those in the Valley currently without jobs, but we've had tremendous job losses in recreational fishing businesses and among commercial fishermen over the years because no one was looking out for the water needs of the fish," noted Dr. Mark Rockwell of the Northern California Federation of Fly Fishers.
"This is a fish and people problem, not a fish versus people problem," continued Rockwell.
In June the National Marine Fisheries Service put in place its scientifically-peer reviewed biological opinion for state-federal water operations in the Delta to protect endangered winter and spring-run chinook salmon and sturgeon. That BiOp establishes fish protection measures including some restrictions on the diversion of fresh water flows critical for fish survival and essential for maintaining the Delta estuarine ecosystem.
The fishing groups point out that past efforts to put in place science-based protections have been overridden by water politics including the killing of the State Water Resources Control Board's October 1988 draft order for Delta flows and, more recently, 2004 biological opinions for salmon and Delta smelt that were found inadequate, when Bush Administration officials overruled scientists in favor of state and federal water contractors.
"The issue here is not jobs versus fish, it is jobs versus jobs and food versus food," emphasized Dick Pool, a fishing gear manufacturer and head of Water 4 Fish. "Currently there are 23,000 commercial and recreational people unemployed because California's salmon fishery is shut down. This has taken $1.4 billion out of the State's economy."
The Central Valley historically has been the second-largest salmon producing river system in the lower 48 states -- second only to the Columbia. Its salmon, include four runs of chinook, the most valuable of the five runs of Pacific Salmon. Wild-caught salmon are considered among the top 10 foods for nutritional value, along with various vegetables, fruits and nuts.
"Fish are our livelihood. Our coastal communities and people depend on sustainable fisheries to support families and the infrastructure of communities," according to Captain Roger Thomas, a charter fishing boat skipper and president of the Golden Gate Fishermen's Association.
The fishing groups whose main emphasis has been with the protection of those fish having commercial and recreational value, also warn that even the tiny Delta Smelt, protected by a biological opinion issued by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, has a beneficial role in the ecosystem.
"These small fish are our warning light about the health of the estuary. They tell us whether the system is well or dying," explained Grader. "Allowing their extinction would be as foolish as ripping warning lights out of the cockpit of a jet airliner. In both instances it would be putting people's lives in danger."
At the meeting in Fresno with Secretary Salazar on Sunday, fishing representatives are offering to work with growers to find solutions to farm water problems without sacrificing science-based fish protection. Fishing groups have worked successfully with farmers in the Sacramento Valley. They also plan to invite Secretary Salazar to affected fishing communities, allowing him to see the full breadth of the problem.
"I want our farms to have all the water they need to grow their broccoli, lettuce, bell peppers and other great veggies for us. We cannot have a good salmon dinner without vegetables," said Captain Mike Hudson, a commercial fisherman who regularly sells his catch at Farmer's Markets. "But we all need to come to a solution that will allow our fish to thrive along with farmers."
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