Need help! California Ocean Salmon Fishery Crisis

[littleblue]

Hey guys, some of you may have heard about the salmon fishing crisis off the ca, coast. We (fishermen) need your help. Here is a letter I have sent out to my friends that breifly explains the situation: Please read it and lend a helping hand. It will only take 2min of your time.

"I’m writing on a serious issue for once…I need your help! The powers that be are attempting to take away the upcoming salmon fishing season from me and the rest of my salmon fishing brethren (which includes some of you).

The reasons they are giving for the closure (the potential collapse of our natural salmon fishery) is complete B.S.! I have attached a link with detailed literature on the issue, but for the lazy ones here is the Cliffs notes version:

There are 2 types of salmon being caught off the CA coastline

1. Klamath River salmon
2. Sacramento River salmon.

The Klamath River salmon are the ones who are in trouble. Because idiots did not release enough water down the Klamath River a few years ago, there was a massive die off (even though they were warned of the effects!) and now there are lower than optimum numbers of these fish.

HOWEVER, based on the Pacific Fisheries Management Council and National Marine Fisheries Service 56,251 salmon are projected to return to the Klamath this year. If we were to have a salmon season this year, we would catch approx. 387 out of 29,000 natural spawners, or roughly ONLY 1% of the natural spawning population. The majority of the fish that swim around here are Sacramento fish, which have a more than healthy and sustainable population. (These are statistics that everybody is looking at in regards to this situation, not just some inflated number taken by fishermen.)

Basically they are saying that because we MIGHT catch 1% of the population of Klamath River salmon we must shut down the salmon season (commercial as well as recreational). California saltwater fishing contributes $1.7BILLION dollars into the economy. Countless jobs, dollars, and lives will be either lost or ruined over 1%. It makes NO sense financially, environmentally, or any other way you want to look at it.

If you have an extra two minutes PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, go to this link:
http://capwiz.com/asafish/issues/ale...638771&type=ML
All you need to do is fill in your zip code and press "go" (top of bottom icon is fine). Click the 5 media resources you want the automated letter to be sent to and fill the bottom portion. We need all the help we can get to set this situation straight. Thanks.

If you want to find out more go to:

http://home.comcast.net/~lyndaabbott...son/index.html

http://www.coastsidefishingclub.com

Thanks a million,

Jasper

[easymoney]

I agree, that all sportsmen need to get involved. This situation is one of "mismanagement" and might cost us all, our opportunity to salmon fish.
The inshore ocean fishing opportunities are drying up because of the same "mismanagemnent" problems. They will gladly cut all sport fishing but do nothing to stop gill netters or bottom scrapers(especially the orientals), who cull(that would be KILL, "for those in rio linda") all that they don't commercially keep...

Just follow the money, it always leads to the corruption.

[Orygun]

It is ironic(?) that if there had been no dam(s) on the Klamath, there would have been no water to release even if they had wanted to. It is is even more likely that the flows would have been lower and the water even warmer.


Which may have kept the fish further downstream in cooler water. Oregon has lost is ocean salmon season because of the Klamath and Columbia runs. General ocean fish limit of 5 instead of 15. limits on greenling and sole. Halibut and albacore are the only worthwhile fisheries off the coast at this time and neither are an inexpensive outing.