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<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=4 face=Tahoma><span style='font-size:14.0pt;
font-family:Tahoma;font-weight:bold'>SALMON SEASON ISSUES:<o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=4 face=Tahoma><span style='font-size:14.0pt;
font-family:Tahoma;font-weight:bold'>Fishermen fear lost salmon season;
Dramatic drop in chinook returning to Sacramento River may idle North Coast
boats - Santa Rosa Press Democrat<o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=4 face=Tahoma><span style='font-size:14.0pt;
font-family:Tahoma;font-weight:bold'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=4 face=Tahoma><span style='font-size:14.0pt;
font-family:Tahoma;font-weight:bold'>Salmon report disastrous news for
fishermen; Sacramento River's chinook population plummets precipitously - <st1:place
w:st="on"><st1:PlaceName w:st="on">Inside</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType w:st="on">Bay</st1:PlaceType></st1:place>
Area<o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=4 face=Tahoma><span style='font-size:14.0pt;
font-family:Tahoma;font-weight:bold'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><b><font size=4 face=Tahoma><span
lang=EN style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Tahoma;font-weight:bold'>Chinook
return uncertain - Marysville Appeal Democrat<o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><b><font size=4 face=Tahoma><span
lang=EN style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Tahoma;font-weight:bold'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></b></p>
<h1 style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><b><font size=4 face=Tahoma><span
lang=EN style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Tahoma'>Editorial: Our shrinking
salmon; Answer to 'unprecedented collapse' needed - <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:City
w:st="on">Sacramento</st1:City></st1:place> Bee<o:p></o:p></span></font></b></h1>
<h1 style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><b><font size=4 face=Tahoma><span
lang=EN style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Tahoma'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></b></h1>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=4 face=Tahoma><span style='font-size:14.0pt;
font-family:Tahoma;font-weight:bold'>Editorial: Salmon mystery; What is
happening with <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:State w:st="on">California</st1:State></st1:place>'s
Chinook? - <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:City w:st="on">Santa Rosa</st1:City></st1:place>
Press Democrat<o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=4 face=Tahoma><span style='font-size:14.0pt;
font-family:Tahoma;font-weight:bold'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=4 face=Tahoma><span style='font-size:14.0pt;
font-family:Tahoma;font-weight:bold'>SALMON SEASON ISSUES:<o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=4 face=Tahoma><span style='font-size:14.0pt;
font-family:Tahoma;font-weight:bold'>Fishermen fear lost salmon season;
Dramatic drop in chinook returning to Sacramento River may idle <st1:place
w:st="on"><st1:PlaceName w:st="on">North</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType w:st="on">Coast</st1:PlaceType></st1:place>
boats<o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=4 face=Tahoma><span style='font-size:14.0pt;
font-family:Tahoma;font-weight:bold'>Santa Rosa Press Democrat – 1/31/08<o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=4 face=Tahoma><span style='font-size:14.0pt;
font-family:Tahoma;font-weight:bold'>By Robert Digitale, staff writer</span></font></b><b><font
size=4 color="#435e8f"><span style='font-size:14.0pt;color:#435E8F;font-weight:
bold'><o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><st1:place w:st="on"><st1:PlaceName w:st="on"><font size=4
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:14.0pt'>North</span></font></st1:PlaceName><font
size=4><span style='font-size:14.0pt'> <st1:PlaceType w:st="on">Coast</st1:PlaceType></span></font></st1:place><font
size=4><span style='font-size:14.0pt'> sport and commercial fishermen fear they
might lose this spring's salmon season, a mere two years after federal
officials declared the same fishery a disaster. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='background:white'><b><font size=4 color="#666666"
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:14.0pt;color:#666666;font-weight:
bold'>ADVERTISEMENT<o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><b><font size=4 color="#666666"
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:14.0pt;color:#666666;font-weight:
bold'><script language="JavaScript">
OAS_AD('Middle');
</script></span></font></b><font size=4><span style='font-size:14.0pt'><br>
"When they start talking about no fishing at all, that's obviously a
concern," said Chuck Wise, a <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:PlaceName w:st="on">Bodega</st1:PlaceName>
<st1:PlaceType w:st="on">Bay</st1:PlaceType></st1:place> fisherman and
president of the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen's Associations.<br>
<br>
"It would be devastating to the charter boats in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:PlaceName
w:st="on">Bodega</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType w:st="on">Bay</st1:PlaceType></st1:place>,"
said Rick Powers, the skipper of the New Sea Angler. Powers' vessel and other charter
boats provide ocean salmon fishing trips for sport anglers.<br>
<br>
The possible fishing closure is tied to reports of a dramatic drop in the
number of adult chinook salmon returning to spawn in the <st1:place w:st="on">Sacramento
River</st1:place>, the state's most productive salmon river. About 90,000
adult chinook returned this fall to the <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:City w:st="on">Sacramento</st1:City></st1:place>,
the fewest since 1992.<br>
<br>
Federal regulators suggested in a press release that they might be unable to
conserve enough <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:City w:st="on">Sacramento</st1:City></st1:place>
salmon this year "even without any commercial or recreational salmon
fishing where these fish are found."<br>
<br>
The regulators will meet in early April in <st1:City w:st="on">Seattle</st1:City>
to devise season rules and recommend them to the <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region
w:st="on">U.S.</st1:country-region></st1:place> secretary of commerce.<br>
<br>
The state's commercial fishery has declined sharply during the past two
decades, even as the number of salmon raised worldwide in aquaculture, or fish
farms, has grown exponentially. More than 2,500 commercial vessels landed
salmon in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:State w:st="on">California</st1:State></st1:place>
in 1988, compared with fewer than 500 in 2006, the most recent year of record.<br>
<br>
That year, the federal Pacific Fisheries Management Council sharply curtailed
fishing because of low salmon stocks from the Klamath River north of <st1:place
w:st="on"><st1:City w:st="on">Eureka</st1:City></st1:place>. The federal
government eventually provided $64 million in relief for West Coast fishermen
and related industries.<br>
<br>
Now attention is turned to the <st1:City w:st="on">Sacramento</st1:City>, from
which come the majority of salmon caught in both <st1:State w:st="on">California</st1:State>
and <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:State w:st="on">Oregon</st1:State></st1:place>.<br>
<br>
Rep. Mike Thompson, D-St. Helena, who sponsored the disaster relief
legislation, said Wednesday that a fishing ban on salmon this year could cost
West Coast fishing ports upwards of $80 million.<br>
<br>
"It's terrible news for both the fish and the industry," Thompson
said.<br>
<br>
If the fishery is once more declared a disaster, Thompson said he again will
seek aid for the fishermen.<br>
<br>
State and federal officials are reporting low salmon runs this year from <st1:State
w:st="on">California</st1:State> to <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:State w:st="on">British
Columbia</st1:State></st1:place>.<br>
<br>
"As you go up and down the West Coast, there are not very many bright
spots," said Harry Morse, spokesman for the state Department of Fish &
Game.<br>
<br>
Returning chinook salmon on the <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:PlaceName w:st="on">Russian</st1:PlaceName>
<st1:PlaceType w:st="on">River</st1:PlaceType></st1:place> this fall numbered
1,900, compared with an average this decade of about 4,500, said Sean White, a
fisheries biologist for the Sonoma County Water Agency.<br>
<br>
Federal regulators said the reason for the decline is unclear but probably
related to ocean conditions.<br>
<br>
However, <st1:PersonName w:st="on">Zeke Grader</st1:PersonName>, executive
director of the federation of fishermen's associations, maintained the decline
is much sharper on the <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:City w:st="on">Sacramento</st1:City></st1:place>
than other rivers. Water diversions for farms and cities "is at least a
major cause" of the problems in the river system, he said.<br>
<br>
"We've just taken too much water out," Grader said.<br>
<br>
Despite the grim outlook for this season, fishermen maintained the declines
aren't permanent.<br>
<br>
"I fully expect these fish to bounce back," said Chris Lawson,
president of the Fisherman's Marketing Association of Bodega Bay. Nonetheless,
he said, "I'm concerned with the season we're going to get this
year." #<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:14.0pt'><a
href="http://www1.pressdemocrat.com/article/20080131/NEWS/801310346/1033/NEWS01">http://www1.pressdemocrat.com/article/20080131/NEWS/801310346/1033/NEWS01</a><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=4 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:14.0pt;color:black;font-weight:bold'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=4 face=Tahoma><span style='font-size:14.0pt;
font-family:Tahoma;font-weight:bold'>Salmon report disastrous news for
fishermen; <st1:place w:st="on">Sacramento River</st1:place>'s chinook
population plummets precipitously<o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=4 face=Tahoma><span style='font-size:14.0pt;
font-family:Tahoma;font-weight:bold'>Inside Bay Area – 1/31/08<o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=4 face=Tahoma><span style='font-size:14.0pt;
font-family:Tahoma;font-weight:bold'>By Julia Scott, staff writer</span></font></b><b><font
size=4 color=black><span style='font-size:14.0pt;color:black;font-weight:bold'><o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:14.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:14.0pt;color:black'>PRINCETON-BY-THE-SEA — Local
fishermen saw doom in a report released Tuesday warning that the <st1:place
w:st="on">Sacramento River</st1:place>'s fall chinook salmon population fell by
two-thirds in 2007 and is headed for collapse, according to data from the
federal government. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:14.0pt;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:14.0pt;color:black'>The sharp drop in chinook, or
"king," salmon returning from the Pacific Ocean to spawn in the <st1:place
w:st="on">Sacramento River</st1:place> led the Pacific Fishery Management
Council, which released Tuesday's report, to suggest that it may be necessary
to close the salmon season entirely. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:14.0pt;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:14.0pt;color:black'>That would spell disaster for both
commercial and recreational fishermen at <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:PlaceName
w:st="on">Pillar</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType w:st="on">Point</st1:PlaceType>
<st1:PlaceType w:st="on">Harbor</st1:PlaceType></st1:place>, who typically
depend on the salmon and Dungeness crab seasons for their entire incomes. Poor
salmon returns from the <st1:place w:st="on">Klamath River</st1:place> in 2006
and 2007 previously caused regulators to cut the first month and a half of
salmon season, which normally starts May 1, resulting in untold financial
losses for fishermen. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:14.0pt;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:14.0pt;color:black'>Those losses would be compounded by an
even poorer season this year. And the pain would be borne not just by
fishermen, but by all the groups that benefit from salmon season — from
processors to bait shops, RV parks, and fishing guides along the <st1:place
w:st="on">Klamath River</st1:place>. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:14.0pt;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:14.0pt;color:black'>Duncan MacLean, a Half Moon Bay fisherman
who is on a team that advises the fishery council, said he's bracing for hard
times. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:14.0pt;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:14.0pt;color:black'>"It's probably going to be worse than
anything we've experienced before," said MacLean, 58, who relies on salmon
fishing for as much as 70 percent of his income. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:14.0pt;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:14.0pt;color:black'>"It's going to put a lot of us out of
business." <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:14.0pt;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:14.0pt;color:black'>Fishermen say they knew the <st1:place
w:st="on">Sacramento River</st1:place> runs were weaker than expected last
year, but even they were shocked by the low number of chinook returning to the
river to spawn. Only about 90,000 returning adult salmon were counted in the <st1:place
w:st="on">Central Valley</st1:place> in 2007, the second lowest number since
1973, according to the report. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:14.0pt;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:14.0pt;color:black'>More worrisome is that only about 2,000
2-year-old chinooks — whose numbers are used to predict returns of adult
spawners in the coming season — returned to the <st1:place w:st="on">Central
Valley</st1:place> last year — by far the lowest number ever counted. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:14.0pt;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:14.0pt;color:black'>On average, about 40,000 juveniles, or
"jacks," return each year. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:14.0pt;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:14.0pt;color:black'>Some believe the losses are related to
changes in the ocean linked to global warming. Others blame the troubles in <st1:State
w:st="on">California</st1:State> on increased pumping of fresh water from the
San Joaquin-Sacramento River Delta, which supplies drinking water to millions
of people in drought-stricken Southern California, as well as irrigation for <st1:place
w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">America</st1:country-region></st1:place>'s
most fertile farming region. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:14.0pt;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:14.0pt;color:black'>The Pacific Fishery Management Council
will use the data to decide on possible restrictions to, or a complete closure
of, the season when it meets in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:City w:st="on">Sacramento</st1:City></st1:place>
in March. Final decisions will be made in April. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:14.0pt;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><st1:place w:st="on"><st1:City w:st="on"><font size=4
color=black face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:14.0pt;color:black'>Sacramento</span></font></st1:City></st1:place><font
size=4 color=black><span style='font-size:14.0pt;color:black'> salmon form the
cornerstone of the Pacific salmon fishery. They have a much greater range than
Klamath River stocks, and are caught in <st1:State w:st="on">California</st1:State>,
<st1:State w:st="on">Oregon</st1:State>, <st1:State w:st="on">Washington</st1:State>
and even <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:State w:st="on">British Columbia</st1:State></st1:place>.
<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:14.0pt;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:14.0pt;color:black'>The news would be easier to take if the
Dungeness crab season had been less of a bust this year, said Jim Anderson,
chairman of the California Salmon Council and a commercial fisherman out of
Pillar Point. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:14.0pt;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:14.0pt;color:black'>Fishermen across <st1:place w:st="on">Northern
California</st1:place> lost the first two weeks — the most profitable
two weeks — of the crab season in November when the Cosco Busan oil spill
forced Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to ban all fishing in potentially affected
areas. It's been impossible to catch up since then, said <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:City
w:st="on">Anderson</st1:City></st1:place>. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:14.0pt;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:14.0pt;color:black'>"The weather's been really bad, and
there's not much crab out there. I talked to a lot of guys, and they've just
made their expenses. Nobody's been able to make any money," he said.
"I'm still trying to catch up on the gear I bought last year." <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:14.0pt;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:14.0pt;color:black'>In his work with the California Salmon
Council, <st1:City w:st="on">Anderson</st1:City> helped secure a $33 million
emergency compensation package last year for <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:State
w:st="on">California</st1:State></st1:place> fishermen and fishing-related
businesses from the U.S. Department of Commerce. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:14.0pt;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:14.0pt;color:black'>The payouts, which were based on a
fisherman's catch history between 2002 and 2006, helped ease the pain a little,
but "didn't do anything for the future," said <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:City
w:st="on">Anderson</st1:City></st1:place>. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:14.0pt;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:14.0pt;color:black'>He said he has already been in touch with
officials from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, an agency
of the Department of Commerce, about the possibility of putting together
another compensation package or securing zero-interest loans for fishermen and
others affected across the state. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:14.0pt;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:14.0pt;color:black'>Any loss of the salmon season would strip
away 50 percent of the annual profits at Huck Finn Sportfishing, a mainstay of <st1:place
w:st="on"><st1:PlaceName w:st="on">Pillar</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType w:st="on">Point</st1:PlaceType>
<st1:PlaceType w:st="on">Harbor</st1:PlaceType></st1:place> for years. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:14.0pt;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:14.0pt;color:black'>"Salmon has always been our bread and
butter, along with rockfish," said Peggy Beckett, who owns the store along
with her husband Bill. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:14.0pt;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:14.0pt;color:black'>"It's not been a good winter. If we
lost the salmon season, I don't know. Unless I can figure out something else to
do, I don't know how we'll survive." #<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:14.0pt'><a
href="http://www.insidebayarea.com/search/ci_8127445?IADID=Search-www.insidebayarea.com-www.insidebayarea.com">http://www.insidebayarea.com/search/ci_8127445?IADID=Search-www.insidebayarea.com-www.insidebayarea.com</a><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:14.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><b><font size=4 color=black
face=Tahoma><span lang=EN style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Tahoma;
color:black;font-weight:bold'>Chinook return uncertain<o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><b><font size=4 color=black
face=Tahoma><span lang=EN style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Tahoma;
color:black;font-weight:bold'>Marysville Appeal Democrat – 1/30/08<o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><b><font size=4 color=black
face=Tahoma><span lang=EN style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Tahoma;
color:black;font-weight:bold'>By Howard Yune staff writer</span></font></b><b><font
size=4 color=black><span lang=EN style='font-size:14.0pt;color:black;
font-weight:bold'><o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:14.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span
lang=EN style='font-size:14.0pt'>A dramatic fall in the <st1:place w:st="on">Sacramento
River</st1:place>'s salmon population has fishing-related businesses uncertain
when, or if, sales will bounce back anytime soon. <br>
<br>
Bait-and-tackle shops and other businesses linked to recreational fishing
reported steep sales declines during the past fall's salmon season - the
effect, they say, of a chinook salmon population federal regulators believe has
dropped precipitously in five years. With a possible closure of the
salmon-fishing season looming, no quick relief is apparent. <br>
<br>
"Mainly, it's going to cut out that whole season," said Mike Searcy,
owner of Star Bait and Tackle in Linda. "We'll basically lose three months
of business because of the loss of (salmon) season, because there isn't any
other species to target during that time. A good 25 percent of our business
would be gone." <br>
<br>
The numbers of chinook, also called king salmon, returning from the Pacific
Ocean to the Sacramento River system to spawn fell steeply in river systems
across the <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:PlaceName w:st="on">North</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType
w:st="on">State</st1:PlaceType></st1:place>, according to an internal memo of
the Pacific Fishery Management Council. The Associated Press released the
memo's contents on Wednesday. <br>
<br>
Last year's total of about 90,000 salmon in the <st1:place w:st="on">Sacramento
River</st1:place> and its tributaries marked a near-historic low and an 88
percent falloff from the record 804,000 chinook that entered the river and its
tributaries in 2002. It was the <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:City w:st="on">Sacramento</st1:City></st1:place>'s
smallest salmon tally since the 82,000 fish counted in 1992, according to
fishery council records. <br>
<br>
Scientists, anglers and water authorities are debating the cause of the
decline. <br>
<br>
In the Mid-Valley, some blame heavy-handed management of the San
Joaquin-Sacramento River Delta - particularly the pumping of water to support
agriculture and the millions of residents in <st1:place w:st="on">Southern
California</st1:place>. <br>
<br>
Excessive drawing from the delta has shrunk the supply of one-celled plankton
and upset the food chain that salmon depend on, according to Searcy. He also
pointed to non-native plants like water hyacinths stripping the delta of native
plants that give young chinooks cover from predatory adult fish. <br>
<br>
"I had guys who used to catch 70-100 salmon a year, and last year they
were counting the number of salmon they caught on both hands," he said. <br>
<br>
In <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:City w:st="on">Yuba City</st1:City></st1:place>,
Bob Boucke reported salmon-related business at his shop, Johnson's Bait &
Tackle, has shriveled to barely 10 percent of the level five years ago. While
others focus on the draining of the <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:City w:st="on">Sacramento</st1:City></st1:place>,
he pointed to intensified ocean fishing that enriches overseas fishers at the
expense of West Coast anglers. <br>
<br>
"You've got Russians, Japanese, and their boats are taking every salmon
they can get and we don't have control over those people," said Boucke,
who added his shop and local competitors are having to lean far more heavily on
striper bass anglers to stay profitable. <br>
<br>
Fishery council members will meet in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:City w:st="on">Sacramento</st1:City></st1:place>
in March and could shorten or even cancel the salmon season, which is slated to
begin in May. <br>
<br>
But a longtime Colusa angler cautioned authorities against such haste, saying
more research is needed to understand the disappearance of salmon - and adding
such declines have happened before. <br>
<br>
"I've fished the <st1:place w:st="on">Sacramento River</st1:place> since I
was 8, and I'm 42 now," said Pat Kittle, co-owner of Kittle Outdoor &
Sport Co. "When I was in high school, next to nobody caught salmon in the
river, and if you did you were a hero. Then for the last eight years, it was
pretty common. <br>
<br>
"Why? There are so many variables, I couldn't point a finger at any
one." #<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:14.0pt'><a
href="http://www.appeal-democrat.com/news/salmon_59735___article.html/river_sacramento.html">http://www.appeal-democrat.com/news/salmon_59735___article.html/river_sacramento.html</a><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<h1 style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><b><font size=4
face="Times New Roman"><span lang=EN style='font-size:14.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></b></h1>
<h1 style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><b><font size=4 face=Tahoma><span
lang=EN style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Tahoma'>Editorial: Our shrinking
salmon; Answer to 'unprecedented collapse' needed<o:p></o:p></span></font></b></h1>
<h1 style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><st1:place w:st="on"><st1:City
w:st="on"><b><font size=4 face=Tahoma><span lang=EN style='font-size:14.0pt;
font-family:Tahoma'>Sacramento</span></font></b></st1:City></st1:place><font
size=4 face=Tahoma><span lang=EN style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Tahoma'>
Bee – 1/31/08</span></font><font size=4><span lang=EN style='font-size:
14.0pt'><o:p></o:p></span></font></h1>
<p style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:14.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span lang=EN
style='font-size:14.0pt'>Throughout the ages, salmon populations have been
known to gyrate from year to year.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span lang=EN
style='font-size:14.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span lang=EN
style='font-size:14.0pt'>Newborn salmon that enjoy a perfect combination of
river and ocean conditions come swimming back in huge numbers three or four
years later. Lousy environmental conditions lead to a salmon decline.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span lang=EN
style='font-size:14.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span lang=EN
style='font-size:14.0pt'>Apparently, life for <st1:place w:st="on">Central
Valley</st1:place> salmon was pretty lousy four years ago. The current fall
run of fish is at near-record lows. A preliminary count suggests that the 2007
class of Valley salmon will consist of a mere 90,000 fish, compared to more
than 250,000 in 2006 and 800,000 in 2002. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span lang=EN
style='font-size:14.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span lang=EN
style='font-size:14.0pt'>Federal fishery regulators are calling the downturn an
"unprecedented collapse," meaning that commercial fishermen can expect
to see fishing restrictions beyond those that are already hurting this
industry. Gone are the days when consumers could easily find fresh, locally
caught salmon for less than $10 a pound.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span lang=EN
style='font-size:14.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span lang=EN
style='font-size:14.0pt'>If only it were easy to understand what is driving
this downturn. Dams, water diversions, pollution and loss of shady river
habitat clearly are hurting the effort to rebuild numbers of natural spawners.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span lang=EN
style='font-size:14.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span lang=EN
style='font-size:14.0pt'>But water diversions have spiked steadily since the
1990s in the <st1:place w:st="on">Central Valley</st1:place>, and salmon
nonetheless had impressive runs from 2001 to 2003. That suggests that stresses
on salmon go beyond the Valley's water projects and extend far out into the
ocean.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span lang=EN
style='font-size:14.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span lang=EN
style='font-size:14.0pt'>While out at sea, salmon eat shrimp-like creatures
called krill, as well as anchovies and other small fish. Some scientists have
found that changes in West Coast wind patterns have disturbed a normal
"upwelling" of the ocean that helps energize the food chain. This
could be a harbinger of climate change or just a temporary cycle. Much more
research is needed to understand the links.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span lang=EN
style='font-size:14.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span lang=EN
style='font-size:14.0pt'>In coming decades, <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:State
w:st="on">California</st1:State></st1:place> is expected to invest billions of
dollars in new water projects, including a possible canal to divert fresh water
around the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. But will such projects help or hurt
salmon? Or have no impact? Californians will want answers before opening their
wallets. #<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p style='mso-margin-top-alt:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:14.0pt;
margin-left:0in'><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'><a href="http://www.sacbee.com/110/story/675216.html">http://www.sacbee.com/110/story/675216.html</a><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=4 face=Tahoma><span style='font-size:14.0pt;
font-family:Tahoma;font-weight:bold'>Editorial: Salmon mystery; What is happening
with <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:State w:st="on">California</st1:State></st1:place>'s
Chinook?<o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=4 face=Tahoma><span style='font-size:14.0pt;
font-family:Tahoma;font-weight:bold'>Santa Rosa Press Democrat – 1/31/08</span></font></b><b><font
size=4 color="#435e8f"><span style='font-size:14.0pt;color:#435E8F;font-weight:
bold'><o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:14.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt'>The decline of <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:State w:st="on">California</st1:State></st1:place>'s
salmon population is no mystery. <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:PlaceName w:st="on">Sonoma</st1:PlaceName>
<st1:PlaceType w:st="on">County</st1:PlaceType></st1:place> residents have
experienced first-hand the impacts of the decline -- from fishing bans to water
conservation efforts. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><b><font size=4 color="#666666"
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:14.0pt;color:#666666;font-weight:
bold'><script language="JavaScript">
OAS_AD('Middle');
</script></span></font></b><font size=4><span style='font-size:14.0pt'><br>
The mystery now is why efforts to bolster the number of Chinook or king salmon,
particularly those returning from the Pacific to the <st1:place w:st="on">Sacramento
River</st1:place>, have failed -- and what can be done to turn the situation
around.<br>
<br>
According to a Pacific Fishery Management Council memo, the state's largest
salmon run is suffering an "unprecedented collapse." The number of
salmon returning to the <st1:place w:st="on">Sacramento River</st1:place> and
its tributaries this past fall dropped 67 percent from a year earlier. In just
five years, the <st1:place w:st="on">Central Valley</st1:place> salmon
population has dropped 88 percent.<br>
<br>
Is it global warming? Fishing? The influence of fresh water being pumped from
the delta? Whatever the cause, the effect is going to be another season or two
of severe fishing restrictions throughout the West. #<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:14.0pt'><a
href="http://www1.pressdemocrat.com/article/20080131/WIRE/801310375/1043/OPINION01">http://www1.pressdemocrat.com/article/20080131/WIRE/801310375/1043/OPINION01</a><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;font-weight:bold'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;font-weight:bold'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoAutoSig><st1:PersonName w:st="on"><i><font size=3 color=gray
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:gray;font-style:
italic'>Byron Leydecker</span></font></i></st1:PersonName><i><font color=gray><span
style='color:gray;font-style:italic'><o:p></o:p></span></font></i></p>
<p class=MsoAutoSig><i><font size=3 color=gray face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;color:gray;font-style:italic'>Friends of <st1:place
w:st="on">Trinity River</st1:place>, Chair<o:p></o:p></span></font></i></p>
<p class=MsoAutoSig><i><font size=3 color=gray face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;color:gray;font-style:italic'>California Trout, Inc.,
Advisor<o:p></o:p></span></font></i></p>
<p class=MsoAutoSig><st1:address w:st="on"><st1:Street w:st="on"><i><font
size=3 color=gray face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;
color:gray;font-style:italic'>PO Box</span></font></i></st1:Street><i><font
color=gray><span style='color:gray;font-style:italic'> 2327</span></font></i></st1:address><i><font
color=gray><span style='color:gray;font-style:italic'><o:p></o:p></span></font></i></p>
<p class=MsoAutoSig><i><font size=3 color=gray face="Times New Roman"><span
lang=ES-EC style='font-size:12.0pt;color:gray;font-style:italic'>Mill Valley,
CA 94942-2327</span></font></i><span lang=ES-EC><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoAutoSig><i><font size=3 color=gray face="Times New Roman"><span
lang=ES-EC style='font-size:12.0pt;color:gray;font-style:italic'>415 383 4810</span></font></i><span
lang=ES-EC><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoAutoSig><i><font size=3 color=gray face="Times New Roman"><span
lang=ES-EC style='font-size:12.0pt;color:gray;font-style:italic'>415 383 9562
fax<o:p></o:p></span></font></i></p>
<p class=MsoAutoSig><i><font size=3 color=blue face="Times New Roman"><span
lang=ES-EC style='font-size:12.0pt;color:blue;font-style:italic'>bwl3@comcast.net<o:p></o:p></span></font></i></p>
<p class=MsoAutoSig><i><font size=3 color=blue face="Times New Roman"><span
lang=ES-EC style='font-size:12.0pt;color:blue;font-style:italic'>bleydecker@stanfordalumni.org</span></font></i><i><span
lang=ES-EC style='font-style:italic'> <font color=gray><span style='color:gray'>(secondary)<o:p></o:p></span></font></span></i></p>
<p class=MsoAutoSig><i><font size=3 color=blue face="Times New Roman"><span
lang=ES-EC style='font-size:12.0pt;color:blue;font-style:italic'>http://www.fotr.org<o:p></o:p></span></font></i></p>
<p class=MsoAutoSig><i><font size=3 color=blue face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;color:blue;font-style:italic'>http://www.caltrout.org<o:p></o:p></span></font></i></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
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