<html><head><base href="x-msg://1/"></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; "><div><div><span style="font-family:'Helvetica'; font-size:medium; color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 1);"><b>From: </b></span><span style="font-family:'Helvetica'; font-size:medium;">"Michael Coats" <<a href="mailto:michael@coatspr.com">michael@coatspr.com</a>></span></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px;"><span style="font-family:'Helvetica'; font-size:medium; color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 1);"><b>Date: </b></span><span style="font-family:'Helvetica'; font-size:medium;">September 20, 2012 9:32:57 AM PDT<br></span></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px;"><b><br></b></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; "><div bgcolor="#ffffff"><div style="font-size: medium; font-family: Helvetica; "><div style="line-height: 18px; margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; "><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; ">FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: center; line-height: 18px; margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; "><img hspace="12" alt="GGSA Logo.jpg" align="left" width="281" height="193" v:shapes="_x0000_s1026" id="e7d72ebe-cd89-41fe-b844-067b474ce160" apple-width="yes" apple-height="yes" src="cid:7185B625521E47778C8982D813771358@coats01"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; "><o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; "><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; "><o:p> </o:p></span></div><div style="margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; "><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; "><o:p> </o:p></span></div><div style="margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; "><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; "><o:p> </o:p></span></div><div style="margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; "><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; "><o:p> </o:p></span></div><div style="margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; "><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; "><o:p> </o:p></span></div><div style="margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; "><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; "><o:p> </o:p></span></div><div style="margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; "><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; "><o:p> </o:p></span></div><div style="margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; "><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; "><o:p> </o:p></span></div><div style="margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; "><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; "><o:p> </o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: center; line-height: 18px; margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; "><b><span style="line-height: 40px; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 20pt; ">EARLY SEASON WRAP ON 2012<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div style="text-align: center; line-height: 18px; margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; "><b><span style="line-height: 40px; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 20pt; ">SALMON SEASON<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div style="text-align: center; line-height: 18px; margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; "><b><span style="line-height: 40px; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 20pt; ">Average Season, Much Better Than Last Few<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div style="text-align: center; line-height: 18px; margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; "><b><span style="line-height: 40px; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 20pt; "><o:p> </o:p></span></b></div><div style="line-height: 18px; text-indent: 0.5in; margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; "><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; ">PETALUMA, CA (September 20, 2012) –<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><span> </span>The<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><b>Pacific Fisheries Management Council</b><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>issued the first preliminary salmon counts showing how many salmon have been caught in the 2012 season. As of August 31, close to 300,000 salmon were taken off the<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><st1:place w:st="on"><st1:state w:st="on">California</st1:state></st1:place><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>coast by both the sport and commercial salmon fishing fleets.<span> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="line-height: 18px; text-indent: 0.5in; margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; "><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; ">Commercial fishermen caught<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><b>172,914</b><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>king salmon, about two and a half times as many as they caught in 2011, but only about one-fourth of their average harvest over the past 40 years<a name="_GoBack"></a>.<span> <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span>Sport fishermen brought in<b>111,196</b>, which is more than two times the 49,020 caught last year.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="line-height: 18px; text-indent: 0.5in; margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; "><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; ">Although this year’s catch obviously is an improvement over 2011’s, it was still only considered an average year by recent historical standards.<span> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="line-height: 18px; text-indent: 0.5in; margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; "><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; ">“We’re happy to have had a decent season but unless we can maintain restrictions on delta water pumping, we could soon be back to low salmon returns,” said GGSA president<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><b>Victor Gonella</b>. (</span><a href="http://www.goldengatesalmonassociation.com/"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; "><font color="#800080">www.goldengatesalmonassociation.com</font></span></a><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; ">)<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><span> </span>“It is too early to judge whether pre- season forecasts estimating 880,000 adult<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><st1:place w:st="on">Sacramento River</st1:place><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>salmon in the ocean may have been a bit optimistic. The counting of fish returning to the hatcheries has only just begun and will continue for at least another month or so.”<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="line-height: 18px; text-indent: 0.5in; margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; "><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; "><o:p> </o:p></span></div><div style="line-height: 18px; text-indent: 0.5in; margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; "><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; ">Rebounding salmon runs all along the coasts of<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><st1:city w:st="on">Washington</st1:city>,<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><st1:state w:st="on">Oregon</st1:state><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>and<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><st1:place w:st="on"><st1:state w:st="on">California</st1:state></st1:place><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>all benefited from increased fresh water flows won in court rulings.<span> <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span><st1:place w:st="on"><st1:state w:st="on">Klamath River</st1:state></st1:place><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>salmon, estimated to number close to 1.6 million, were helped by a 2006 court ruling ordering more water released from upriver reservoirs to help salmon.<span> <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span>Likewise,<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><st1:city w:st="on"><st1:state w:st="on">Columbia</st1:state></st1:city><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>and<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><st1:place w:st="on"><st1:state w:st="on">Snake River</st1:state></st1:place><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>salmon benefited from a 2005 court order mandating greater salmon water releases.<span> </span>Here in<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><st1:place w:st="on"><st1:state w:st="on">California</st1:state></st1:place><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>a 2008 court ruling won by salmon advocates resulted in additional water flows for salmon that supported this year’s returns.<span> <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span>Other factors including an apparent uptick in food available to young salmon in the ocean likely also contributed to this year’s resurgence.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><span> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="line-height: 18px; text-indent: 0.5in; margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; "><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; ">“More salmon translate directly into more good, family wage jobs throughout the west coast,” said GGSA chairman and party boat captain<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><b>Roger Thomas</b>.<span> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="line-height: 18px; text-indent: 0.5in; margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; "><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; ">“The commercial salmon fishing fleet is still suffering from the tremendous hit we took prior to the 2008 court order requiring more water be set aside for salmon in our rivers and the bay delta,” said GGSA board member and PCFFA executive director<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><b>Zeke Grader</b>. “This year our commercial fishermen began to regain a little ground with some decent catches and prices.”<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="line-height: 18px; text-indent: 0.5in; margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; "><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; ">“Recreational salmon fishermen enjoyed the good fishing we had in the early and mid season,” said GGSA and Coastside Fishing Club board member<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><b>Marc Gorelnik</b>. “Our fishing supports thousands of jobs and provides our families with one of<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><st1:place w:st="on"><st1:state w:st="on">California</st1:state></st1:place>’s finest foods.<span> <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span>It’s essential that we do everything we can to make sure freshwater resources in northern California are managed in a balanced way that always leaves enough to support a strong salmon fishery.”<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="line-height: 18px; text-indent: 0.5in; margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; "><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; ">Prior to major increase in freshwater diversion in the SF Bay Delta that began in the early 2000’s, commercial salmon fishermen regularly landed in excess of 300,000 to 400,000 salmon annually. The increased water diversions of the last decade sent<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><st1:place w:st="on"><st1:state w:st="on">Central Valley</st1:state></st1:place><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>salmon into steep decline.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="line-height: 18px; text-indent: 0.5in; margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; "><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; ">Looking ahead, supervisors in<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><st1:placename w:st="on">Humboldt</st1:placename><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><st1:placetype w:st="on">County</st1:placetype><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>have taken steps to keep the proposed peripheral canal from damaging<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><st1:place w:st="on">Klamath River</st1:place><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>salmon runs.<span> <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span>Canal proponents hope to capture and ship even more northern<st1:state w:st="on">California</st1:state><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>south to agricultural operations in the<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">San Joaquin</st1:placename><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><st1:placetype w:st="on">Valley</st1:placetype></st1:place>.<span> <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span>Some of this water could come from the Klamath River’s main tributary, the<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><st1:place w:st="on">Trinity River</st1:place>.<span> <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span>Supervisors have asked the state for assurances this won’t happen. Taking any more water out of the Klamath could lead to a repeat of the disastrous fish kill that occurred in the Klamath in 2002 when upstream agriculture operations withheld too much water.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: justify; line-height: 18px; text-indent: 0.5in; margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; "><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: black; ">The Golden Gate Salmon Association is a coalition of salmon advocates that includes commercial and recreational salmon fisherman, businesses, restaurants, tribes, environmentalists, elected officials, families and communities that rely on salmon. Their mission is to protect and restore California’s largest salmon producing habitat comprised of the Central Valley river’s that feed the Bay-Delta ecosystem and the communities that rely on salmon as a long-term, sustainable, commercial, recreational and cultural resource.</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; "><o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: justify; line-height: 18px; text-indent: 0.5in; margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 1in; "><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; "><o:p> </o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: justify; line-height: 18px; text-indent: 0.5in; margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; "><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; ">Currently,<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><st1:state w:st="on">California</st1:state>’s salmon industry is valued at $1.4 billion in economic activity annually and about half that much in economic activity and jobs again in<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><st1:state w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Oregon</st1:place></st1:state>. The industry employs tens of thousands of people from<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><st1:city w:st="on">Santa Barbara</st1:city><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>to northern<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><st1:state w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Oregon</st1:place></st1:state>. This is a huge economic bloc made up of commercial fishermen, recreational fishermen (fresh and salt water), fish processors, marinas, coastal communities, equipment manufacturers, the hotel and food industry, tribes, and the salmon fishing industry at large.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="line-height: 18px; text-indent: 0.5in; margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; "><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; ">Please check out our new salmon video here:<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q0ct3gSUiTU"><font color="#800080" face="Cambria">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q0ct3gSUiTU</font></a><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; "><o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="line-height: 18px; text-indent: 0.5in; margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; "><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; "><o:p> </o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: center; line-height: 18px; margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; "><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; ">#<span> <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span>#<span> <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span>#<span> <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span>#<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="line-height: 18px; margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; "><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; ">Media contact: Michael Coats,<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span><a href="mailto:michael@coatspr.com"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; ">michael@coatspr.com</span></a><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; "><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>or (707) 935-6203<o:p></o:p></span></div></div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium; ">Michael Coats<br>Coats Public Relations<br><a href="mailto:Michael@coatspr.com">Michael@coatspr.com</a><br>707-935-6203</div></div></span></div></body></html>