Rivers of a Lost Coast

• Posted on 03/03 at 08:41 AM

Krill ban

In a rather obvious line of reasoning, the environmental group Oceana’s new report, “Hungry Oceans: What happens when the prey is gone” points to dwindling prey fish such as krill, herring, pollock, mackerel as a reason for the collapse of larger species such as Seabirds, Tuna and Salmon.

Margot Stiles, lead author and Oceana marine biologist said Monday, the loss of food at the bottom of the ocean food chain harms a range of species, resulting in malnutrition, death of offspring or disruption in migration and breeding patterns.

“These fish may be small. They’re not glamorous. But they do all of the work in the ocean,” Stiles said. “They’re the foundation of the food web. Without them, we would lose the things we really care about - the seabirds, whales, tuna and salmon.”

The San Francisco Chronicle article on the report noted, Oceana and another group, Ocean Conservancy, are asking for catch limits that would protect existing fisheries. They also want prohibitions on starting new fisheries of prey species.

A ban on krill fishing adopted three years ago by the Pacific Fishery Management Council, which regulates federal waters off California, Oregon and Washington, has been held up by the U.S. Commerce Department’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Scientific and environmental groups are asking officials in the Obama administration to approve the West Coast ban on krill fishing and to extend catch limits to other prey species.

You can learn more about the study’s concerns of over fishing, fish farming and warming ocean temperatures in Jane Kay’s SF Chronicle piece

SF Chronicle Oceana report

Posted by Justin on 03/03 at 08:41 AM in Conservation • (1) Comments • Permalink

• Posted on 03/02 at 07:56 AM

A reel with the stamp of Sam Wells

A few months ago Doug Stephens of Toronto, Ontario emailed us inquiring about the early California fly fisherman Sam Wells, who , as you will note in our pioneers and legends section, during the early 20th century operated a fly shop in Eureka, CA. Doug had recently come across an old fly reel engraved with a Sam Wells insignia and wanted to learn more about the pioneering steelheader. He went on to do some of his own research on Wells and relayed what he found out back to us.

Sam Wells was born in Boston and moved west as a young man. Earning the title of the Western States Fly Casting Champion, Wells was a traveling sporting goods salesman in San Francisco before moving to Eureka in the 1920s. Shortly after arriving on the North Coast he opened a shop and helped bring English and Irish fly equipment, patterns and techniques to the Eel and other local rivers. He was a nationally known sportsman whose customers included presidents, state and local politicians and celebrity fishermen like Zane Grey.

As the still living Nelson Rossig remembers, Sam Wells was a phenomenal angler and gentleman. Doug Stephens noted, Sam Wells starred in an early film about eel river fishing.

In 1930, he was elected State Fish and Game Commissioner, due in large part to his work and reputation as a conservationist.

After he and his daughter narrowly escaped a car accident that took his wife, Wells returned to his life as a fly shop owner in the late 30’s. He remarried and outlived his much younger second wife who was lost to a heart-attack. Wells died at the age of 81 in the back room of his fly shop. By that time he had seen the friendly arrival of Jim Pray and Lloyd silvius, two fellow Eel River fly tiers and shop owners who helped carry on the tradition, John Benn and Sam Wells started.

Sam Wells Photo

Posted by Justin on 03/02 at 07:56 AM in Ramblings • (4) Comments • Permalink

• Posted on 02/27 at 09:08 AM

Is the Chief bigger than the Department?

On Wednesday, State senators postponed confirmation of Schwarzenegger’s appointed candidate David Koch for Department of Fish and Game Chief. Although few senators had anything negative to say about Koch, the panel expressed larger concerns about the department as a whole.

Koch steps into the Fish and Game spotlight amid great turmoil in the department and throughout the state.

Matt Weiss of the Sacramento Bee noted, “Several witnesses complained the department has failed to fulfill its law-enforcement responsibilities, whether by not hiring enough game wardens or by not asserting its permit authority over matters such as timber harvesting and stream alterations.

“Of particular concern to some was the department’s recent refusal to halt recreational suction-dredge mining, which the department’s own scientists assert damages fish habitat. Another raised by several witnesses is inadequate protection of endangered salmon populations.

“Few speakers blamed Koch for these problems. But they said the department has been starved of the money and authority it needs to carry out its responsibilities.

“It’s tragic our state professes to be a leader in the ‘green’ movement, but will not hire or maintain enough staffing to protect our natural resources,” said Jerry Karnow, a game warden and legislative liaison to the California Fish and Game Wardens Association. “At this time, the wardens association will not offer an endorsement of any director appointed by this governor.”

“Karnow noted the department employs only about 220 field-level game wardens to police wildlife crimes statewide. And last week, more than 90 of them got layoff notices as part of the administration’s effort to balance the state budget.

“Whether those layoffs go forward remains unclear.

“You may have a good man in a bad department,” said Zeke Grader, executive director of Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Associations.

Sacramento Bee article

Posted by Justin on 02/27 at 09:08 AM in Conservation • (6) Comments • Permalink

• Posted on 02/26 at 08:26 AM

Association of California Water Agencies

News from the Association of California Water Agencies:

EXTENSION GRANTED FOR NEW STEELHEAD, SALMON LAWS
A federal judge on Monday granted a three-month extension for agencies to finalize new rules to protect two runs of Chinook salmon and Central Valley steelhead.

U.S. District Court Judge Oliver Wanger granted the extension, requested by federal agencies, to allow more time to refine the plan for protecting the three species. A draft biological opinion issued in December 2008 found the continued operation of the federal Central Valley Project and State Water Project would likely jeopardize the species.

Wanger ruled last year that protections under the current biological opinion were inadequate and violated the federal Endangered Species Act.

DFG SETS MEETING ON 2009 SALMON OUTLOOK
The Department of Fish and Game will host a meeting March 3 on California salmon populations and the outlook for 2009 ocean and river fisheries. The meeting is set for 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Sonoma County Water Agency in Santa Rosa.

The afternoon session will allow the public to provide input to a California salmon management panel that includes key individuals who will be involved in upcoming decisions by the Pacific Fishery Management Council. The council, which will meet in Seattle in March and in Millbrae in April, voted last year to ban all commercial salmon fishing in California and Oregon in 2008. The first-ever ban followed estimates that Central Valley fall run salmon would drop to record lows in 2008.

The council is expected to issue initial forecasts for 2009 later this week.

FEDERAL, STATE 2009 SUPPLY ALLOCATIONS AT HISTORIC LOWS
The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation released initial 2009 water allocations on Feb. 20 that call for some agricultural contractors to receive no water deliveries from the Central Valley Project this year, while municipal contractors can count on receiving a 50% supply. The allocations were based on the state Department of Water Resources’ Feb. 1 runoff forecast.

DWR also announced Feb. 20 that its initial allocation for urban and agricultural customers of the State Water Project remains at just 15% of requested supplies, among the lowest forecasts ever.

“It becomes more urgent every day that we move immediately to implement a long-term solution that works for the environment and the economy,” said ACWA Executive Director Timothy Quinn in a statement. “If we had already made the investments in infrastructure recommended by Delta Vision, we would be having a very different conversation today. We could have significantly more water in storage south of the Delta, a more resilient system to deal with current drought conditions, and a much better outlook for the environment and our ability to reduce or avoid the dire economic consequences that California will experience in 2009.”

DWR is scheduled to conduct its third snow survey of the season March 3.

Posted by Justin on 02/26 at 08:26 AM in Conservation • (6) Comments • Permalink