The PCS Blogosphere
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Salmon Collapse: Water Is the Real Problem
Ocean conditions may have some impact on salmon, but California water is the real culprit in our salmon collapse. That is the conclusion of most experts who can look at the data with a clear eyed analysis. Marc Gorelnik, a brilliant physicist/lawyer and fisherman, has done the analysis below from publicly available data and posted this on Coastside Fishing Club's web site. The politicians who want to blame "ocean conditions" take a small piece of the truth and make it into the whole story, but Marc's post shows what is really happening.
Ocean conditions may have some impact on salmon, but California water is the real culprit in our salmon collapse. That is the conclusion of most experts who can look at the data with a clear eyed analysis. Marc Gorelnik, a brilliant physicist/lawyer and fisherman, has done the analysis below from publicly available data and posted this on Coastside Fishing Club's web site. The politicians who want to blame "ocean conditions" take a small piece of the truth and make it into the whole story, but Marc's post shows what is really happening.
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Resources Secretary Chrisman Being Replaced by Water Guy
I have long been a critic of Governor Schwarzenegger's Resources Secretary Chrisman who, between the two of them, have done enormous harm during their term to the environment and especially to our salmon, striped bass, and the entire Sacramento River delta. So now Chrisman steps down (finally!) to be replaced by Lester Snow. Mr. Snow has been a water bureaucrat his entire career as evidenced by his resume sent out in a press release last week:
I have long been a critic of Governor Schwarzenegger's Resources Secretary Chrisman who, between the two of them, have done enormous harm during their term to the environment and especially to our salmon, striped bass, and the entire Sacramento River delta. So now Chrisman steps down (finally!) to be replaced by Lester Snow. Mr. Snow has been a water bureaucrat his entire career as evidenced by his resume sent out in a press release last week:
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NOAA Fisheries Needs to Get its Act Together
It's the death of a thousand cuts. I have worked for NOAA fisheries (NMFS or National Marine Fisheries is the old name) on the PFMC and also observed their practices over a the past 20 years while they slowly, painfully, inflict slice after slice, cut after cut, in our fisheries, never working to improve our lot, only offering not so benign neglect.
It's the death of a thousand cuts. I have worked for NOAA fisheries (NMFS or National Marine Fisheries is the old name) on the PFMC and also observed their practices over a the past 20 years while they slowly, painfully, inflict slice after slice, cut after cut, in our fisheries, never working to improve our lot, only offering not so benign neglect.
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MLPA and Environmentalism
We are finishing up the third phase of the implementation of the MLPA with two more areas targeted for the next two years to finish off the most unscrupulous implementation of a well intentioned act ever perpetrated on the California populace. I had bought into the grand vision for the MLPA: Create a sensible organized plan, a network of Marine Protected Areas, to protect the California Coastal waters for generations to come. Great idea I thought, let's preserve the bottom structure, provide a set of protections that insure that the marine ecosystem will stay healthy and productive. Make sure that we don't have our oceans become more polluted, overharvested, or physically despoiled. Who wouldn't like those ideas!
We are finishing up the third phase of the implementation of the MLPA with two more areas targeted for the next two years to finish off the most unscrupulous implementation of a well intentioned act ever perpetrated on the California populace. I had bought into the grand vision for the MLPA: Create a sensible organized plan, a network of Marine Protected Areas, to protect the California Coastal waters for generations to come. Great idea I thought, let's preserve the bottom structure, provide a set of protections that insure that the marine ecosystem will stay healthy and productive. Make sure that we don't have our oceans become more polluted, overharvested, or physically despoiled. Who wouldn't like those ideas!
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Time to Get Out the Crab Gear
Recreational crab season opens November 7 this year, so now is the time to start getting your gear ready. Check those lines, make sure any holes in the pots are mended, retie those escape hatches with cotton line, replace your zincs, check your rubber or elastic lines to insure that they are not rotted, clean and repaint your buoys, and make sure that you have enough bait for the season. Got all of that? Then you are ready for what should be a good season!
Recreational crab season opens November 7 this year, so now is the time to start getting your gear ready. Check those lines, make sure any holes in the pots are mended, retie those escape hatches with cotton line, replace your zincs, check your rubber or elastic lines to insure that they are not rotted, clean and repaint your buoys, and make sure that you have enough bait for the season. Got all of that? Then you are ready for what should be a good season!
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Albacore - Monterey Hot Bite
Wow! Have the albies been biting off Monterey this week. Fishing around the 36.15/122.52 area has been WFO this week. Private boat scores in the 20s and 30s are common and even much larger scores have been reported. I had a day where we got to 20+ in less than two hours, all on the troll. Just as good as it gets. After the non-albacore year last year, this year has been wonderful. The albies hit Northern California early this summer and are still around in large numbers. Get a flat day and the boats are taking advantage.
Wow! Have the albies been biting off Monterey this week. Fishing around the 36.15/122.52 area has been WFO this week. Private boat scores in the 20s and 30s are common and even much larger scores have been reported. I had a day where we got to 20+ in less than two hours, all on the troll. Just as good as it gets. After the non-albacore year last year, this year has been wonderful. The albies hit Northern California early this summer and are still around in large numbers. Get a flat day and the boats are taking advantage.
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Salmon Problems Continue
"The key spawning grounds for what was once the greatest run of salmon on the North Coast are close to being as dry as they have ever been, according to biologists and the U.S. Geological Survey." The San Francisco Chronicle this weekend ran an article talking about the fact that both the Scott and Shasta Rivers are virtually dry, stranding the salmon smolts in small ponds and putting future salmon seasons in doubt once again.
"The key spawning grounds for what was once the greatest run of salmon on the North Coast are close to being as dry as they have ever been, according to biologists and the U.S. Geological Survey." The San Francisco Chronicle this weekend ran an article talking about the fact that both the Scott and Shasta Rivers are virtually dry, stranding the salmon smolts in small ponds and putting future salmon seasons in doubt once again.
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Corruption, Politics and Wading Through the Morass
What a mixed bag this whole MLPA process is. The RLFF funding clearly is biasing the entire process and the North Central Coast was no exception: the majority of the scientists that were chosen were from the environmental camp and were clearly looking for ways to shut down fishing wherever they could, the BRTF was stacked against anglers with most of the members clearly sympathizing with every environmental proposal, and F&G analysis never pointed out the flaws that should have been obvious to anyone experienced in fishery management. Yet despite these obstacles the two primary options that were presented to the Fish and Game Commission last week actually had some influence from recreational anglers, kayakers and divers. Sure it could have been better, 2XA should have been the option selected, after all it was certainly a more intelligent option, better designed, more environmentally friendly, and had the least impact on recreational use of the area. But the fix was in and the Governor and Secretary Chrisman got their enviro ticket punched the dirty way, and the IPA option was approved.
What a mixed bag this whole MLPA process is. The RLFF funding clearly is biasing the entire process and the North Central Coast was no exception: the majority of the scientists that were chosen were from the environmental camp and were clearly looking for ways to shut down fishing wherever they could, the BRTF was stacked against anglers with most of the members clearly sympathizing with every environmental proposal, and F&G analysis never pointed out the flaws that should have been obvious to anyone experienced in fishery management. Yet despite these obstacles the two primary options that were presented to the Fish and Game Commission last week actually had some influence from recreational anglers, kayakers and divers. Sure it could have been better, 2XA should have been the option selected, after all it was certainly a more intelligent option, better designed, more environmentally friendly, and had the least impact on recreational use of the area. But the fix was in and the Governor and Secretary Chrisman got their enviro ticket punched the dirty way, and the IPA option was approved.
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Thanks to Coastside's Sleeter and Wolford
The North Central Coast MLPA options are up for final adoption at the next F&G Commission meeting and option 2XA needs our support. I was reading our magazine's great interview with Secretary Chrisman (boy is that guy out of touch with reality!) where they talked about this process and noticed the nice reference to Coastside Fishing Club's work on the MLPA in the North Central area. What wasn't mentioned is the extraordinary work of Coastside's Ben Sleeter and Dan Wolford on 2XA. Indeed, given the way that Chrisman stacked the deck against recreational fishing the whole North Central process would have been a complete disaster, especially without Ben's dedication, knowledge and hard work on the Regional Stakeholder Group. Sleeter is the architect of the 2XA option that is now supported by the PSO, Coastside and every other recreational group. Now we need to support 2XA and make sure that is the final adopted option.
The North Central Coast MLPA options are up for final adoption at the next F&G Commission meeting and option 2XA needs our support. I was reading our magazine's great interview with Secretary Chrisman (boy is that guy out of touch with reality!) where they talked about this process and noticed the nice reference to Coastside Fishing Club's work on the MLPA in the North Central area. What wasn't mentioned is the extraordinary work of Coastside's Ben Sleeter and Dan Wolford on 2XA. Indeed, given the way that Chrisman stacked the deck against recreational fishing the whole North Central process would have been a complete disaster, especially without Ben's dedication, knowledge and hard work on the Regional Stakeholder Group. Sleeter is the architect of the 2XA option that is now supported by the PSO, Coastside and every other recreational group. Now we need to support 2XA and make sure that is the final adopted option.
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Every once in a while a writer has to go fishing and that is what I have been doing this past month. First to Alaska for some halibut, then to the Eastcape of Baja for a Tournament Anglers Assn. marlin tournament at Palmas de Cortez, and then the albacore came in ahead of schedule to Half Moon Bay. Had a great time at all three locations and feel really refreshed!
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