|
Posted by gonphishing on March 23, 2008 at 09:56:47:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The "options" of the salmon season along the entire California coast is being drawn up at the Sacramento PFMC meeting as I type. There will be NO fishing for salmon along the entire California and Oregon Coasts this year. There is still a possibility that some limited areas could be opened by an emergency ruling at the PFMC April meetings but don't hold your breath for any opener within California. The currently open waters off Ft Bragg and Shelter Cove will close April 1st. I can only imagine how pissed off Oregon anglers are about being shut out of their fishery due to the collapse of the California Central Valley salmon runs.
It comes as no surprise that our state's most important fishery is being closed and with it $100s of millions will be lost to the California economy. You can thank Cal DFG, NOAA and BOR and the DWR and the unchecked water diversions out of the Delta and "them" doing nothing over the past five years to advert this disaster. How sad it has come to this, kind of like watching someone you love, die a slow and painful death.
As for me I am going to continue being the messenger and work and write to keep the focus on the reasons for the collapse and what we can do to return this fishery to health. We have a lot of work ahead of us if we hope to ever fish for salmon along the Cal coast again. Even though I have expected this day to come for nearly a year now, getting the official word has really bummed me out.
This battle for salmon recovery is just beginning and I will be focusing a lot of my effort on righting the wrongs and doing what ever I can to expose the true reasons for the decline of the fishery but most importantly what needs to be done to help it recover. We have to become part of the solution and I will be contacting F&G this next week to inquire about any volunteer programs that may be opened to the public. After all if we are part of the process we will have the eyes and ears on current practices and what needs to be done better such as the trucking and releasing of hatchery fish. We also have to reach out to fishing organizations along the entire west coast and work together to help all the different salmon fisheries recover not just the Central Valley. I hope that I can count on our readers to support our efforts. It's going to take years and the efforts of all sport anglers to turn this fishery around. We owe it to our kids and we cannot leave this fishless legacy to them.
usafishing.com
|
