Comments on: Central Valley Salmon Populations Facing "Unprecedented Collapse"

By: Fishing » Blog Archive » The Fishing Show-Fishing For Snapper

Fishing » Blog Archive » The Fishing Show-Fishing For Snapper — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 14:39:35 +0000

[...] Central Valley Salmon Populations Facing "Unprecedented Collapse"SACRAMENTO — – Faced with an “unprecedented collapse” of California’s Central Valley salmon population, federal regulators warned Tuesday that the West Coast fishing industry is on course toward steep restrictions this year. … [...]

By: Tom Chandler

Tom Chandler — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 14:10:21 +0000

GG: Thanks. A civil engineering friend (who worked on CA water issues) said the arid parts of the state (that import water, e.g. LA) won’t admit there’s a problem until one day they turn on their tap and nothing comes out.

It’s an oversimplification, but probably an accurate one, and the collapse of the salmon stocks might not even generate an admission of a problem…

By: GG

GG — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 17:15:23 +0000

I remember when one of my admirers in Humboldt showed up at my door with a Chinook Salmon–handing it to me whole and saying, “Here this is for you.”

Yep, men in the wilderness are a breed of their own.

Which has nothing to do with your post except that the gift was a symbol of the wealth of the area at the time. Abundant salmon existed and many men made their livings as fishing guides or fishermen in an area where the economy was “challenged.”

My belief is that we are polluting our water sources so highly that the extent of the damage has escalated so much that nobody wants to look at it–pointing fingers is right–how about taking some other actions?

In my area, the filtration process has been impeded by construction and heavy traffic. Runoff that use to filter through the ground or through gravel is now transported directly into the main water ways via asphalt roads and cement covered areas…plus it picks up muck along the way.

This is to say nothing about the dumping we do into our oceans. It used to be that I thrilled to venture into the bodies of water nearby. Today, I won’t go into the Pacific Ocean on the West coast (gee, they finally started posting warning signs and issuing news alerts on the dangers after a heavy rain) nor my local lake.

I’ve actually found sewage outlets into the lake bed when the waters levels were low.

Ewwwwhhhhh.

So, despite the issues surrounding recreational or commercial fishing, I think it goes back to society taking responsibility as a whole…and getting changes implemented on a broad scope level.

Oh, did I get carried away?

BTW: I enjoy your blog immensely. I can’t always comment in depth but I do drop by on a regular basis–guess you use the right bait around these parts.

By: Tom Chandler

Tom Chandler — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 17:03:02 +0000

Isaac: Lots of good points, though many scientists are pointing at a lack of food in the ocean (due to climate change) as one of the causes of the crash.

All the habitat degradation (I’ve heard that Shasta dam plugged up better than 80% of the state’s prime steelhead and salmon spawning habitat) set the stage for what’s playing out now — you create a situation where there’s damned little margin for error, so when something catastrophic does happen (like currents changing in the ocean), the system is ripe for collapse.

By: isaac roman

isaac roman — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 16:07:38 +0000

i believe, or want to believe it has to to do with mote than one factor…. first water quality– when i was doing watershed restoration in the redding area I learned of an old dump near hilltop. for about fifty years everything was thrwn down the side of the hil into the mighty sac, you can only imagine how many items have been leeching their toxic inards into the river(all batteries, tvs, oils, ect. this site has never been cleaned up. also the famed iron mtn mine has a tendency to introduce sulphuric acid right into the upper streches where the spawning takes place. not much of a chance for a acid tainted egg or fry. not to mention all the other pollution in the sea or down river.
2nd open sea fishing. yes we have slowed our commercial fishing, but what about russia,china,japan,ect. there is no way some bankies or river guides have stripped the river. they are most likely rapping the waters as they always have, out in the open seas. millions and millions of our kings and coho have fallen to this mass genocide for our sushi. that MIGHT be part of it
3rd the dams. you remove hundreds of miles of spawning habitat and there just wont be any numbers looking up. unless of course your the trinity river and can mimic flood stages through high water realeases. it is amazing to me that man can drop a giant wall right in the middle of a perfectly functioning ecosystem and expect it to maintain and survive. yes the lower sac is a trophy trout fishery, but it used to be a salmon and steelhead fishery.
now i might be way off, yet this is just what i have obseved with my third eye.