Salmon crisis creates a dilemma for the average angler

Several news releases this week have painted a dismal picture of the salmon population crisis facing California, especially regarding the Sacramento River. Salmon numbers in the Sacramento River are down precipitously, and prospects for the upcoming season are even worse than they were last year.

A question that comes up time and again from concerned private citizens is: "What can I do?" Since the causes and solutions to the situation are complicated and cross over regularly between state and federal jurisdiction, tops on everyone's list should be both their California and US lawmakers.

Newspaper, television and radio reports this week have been filled with gloom and doom this week, but anglers need to sit down and sort through the information carefully. Several organizations are dedicated to this cause; some exclusively for salmon, and some as part of an overall recreational fishing advocacy.

A definite mover and shaker is the grassroots group Water4fish.org that is headquartered in Concord, CA. The organization's specific objectives are to restore the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and its' tributaries rivers, along with working for the Klamath, Trinity, American Eel and other rivers. Leader Dick Pool spoke ominously at a recent public panel meeting, "If you didn't like last years' salmon season, you really won't like this year."

Visitors to its website are urged to sign the online petition, or download sample letters that can be sent to politicians. Besides logging onto the website, contact can be made via e-mail at action@water4fish.org and by phone at 925-686-4064.

The California Sportfishing Protection Alliance has a long history of fighting for fish, including on Butte Creek, the west branch of the Feather River and Butt Valley Reservoir. Leader John Beuttler can be e-mailed at jbeuttler@aol.com and the CSPA has been at the forefront of this type of fight for many years.

The Coastside Fishing Club began simply as an Internet-based site for anglers to exchange tips, but has morphed over the years into much more. The club's leadership now functions much like a Political Action Committee; specifically fighting for the recreational angler. Checking out the club's website at CoastsideFishingClub.com or e-mailing contact Ben Sleeter at bsleeter@gmail.com will fill you in on the club's objectives and goals.

Ongoing information on the fishery crisis can be gathered at the website for USAfishing.com and also from The Fish Sniffer magazine at the FishSniffer.com website. The California Striped Bass Association has its' Striper-CSBA.com website.

The Berkley Conservation Institute [berkley-fishing.com] is sponsored by the venerable fishing tackle company Berkley, and addresses a variety of important fishery topics with local and national applications. Programs include Pacific Salmon Recovery and Mercury Pollution; it also runs a Fishing Line Recycling program that is administered locally by the Chico Bass Club. The BCI's Director Jim Martin can be seen firing up the crowd at the recent ISE Show in Sacramento by going to You-Tube or Googling "fisherman angry speak out".

National organizations that are keeping tabs on this issue include the American Sportfishing Association [asafishing.org]; Keep American Fishing [keepamericafishing.org]; and the Recreational Fishing Alliance [JoinRFA.org]. All of the aforementioned local and national groups are of course also in need of financial support.

Water4fish's Dick Pool summed up with, "Although much greater in number, anglers have historically been less politically active than hunters. Hunting advocacy groups such as Ducks Unlimited, California Waterfowl Association and NRA have been in the political trenches for a very long time. Anglers must now do the same if they want their sport to continue in a meaningful way. So far 21,000 anglers have signed our online petition and sent letters, but we need 100,000!"

Waterfowl season ends

The final week of the season was quite productive, according to local waterfowl consultant Harry Boyle. "We had a good finishing note" observed Boyle. "The weather really helped, the birds were moving around a lot. The mallards were in short supply, but there were plenty of widgeon, wood ducks and teal.

"On the whole, our season was above average this year. The first half was very good, but the second half slipped into the doldrums for quite awhile. It may be that our season is too long; the birds get very savvy after about 60 days.

"Next year could be very interesting, many farmers may sell their water south instead of flooding up. With less total water in the area, the ducks may be more concentrated."

BCFGC meeting

The Butte County Fish and Game Commission will meet at 7:00 PM on Feb. 4 in room 1 of the Chico Municipal Center, 411 Main Street. Agenda items include a biologist report, warden's report and 2009 financial grant awards. The public is invited.

Trout plant

The DFG planted catchable-size rainbow trout this week in the Thermalito Forebay.

Waterfowl scores

Highest daily average per-hunter scores at the refuges last week were as follows: Sacramento- 2.0 birds per hunter average [11 geese]; Colusa- 2.3 [4 geese]; Sutter- 2.8 [1 goose]; Delevan- closed due to flooding.

Send your outdoor news items to Steve Carson via e-mail at scarson@sunset.net