Leaping Steelhead, Delta Conservation Awards For 2007—A Tough Year for Californians Who Fish

[courtesy of California Progress Report]

By Dan Bacher

In 2005 I instituted a new set of fishery conservation awards, the “Leaping Steelhead” awards, for those who have gone out of their way to restore and enhance our fish populations in the face of decades of state and federal government mismanagement of California and West Coast fisheries. Now it’s time for this year’s awards ceremony, featuring some new ones for Delta conservation.

2007 was another tough year for fishermen. The ocean salmon season was one of the worst on record for recreational anglers and commercial fishermen. So it was no surprise when anglers fishing the Sacramento, Feather and American Rivers experienced the worst ever fishing when the salmon moved into the rivers.

The California Delta pelagic species decline continued, with the fall midwater trawl surveys yielding record low numbers of delta smelt, longfin smelt, juvenile striped bass and threadfin shad. Fortunately, a decision by Superior Court Judge Roesch in March and a final order issued by federal judge Oliver Wanger on December 14 finally imposed protections for Delta smelt.

On February 15, Mike Chrisman announced the formation of a 41 member “Stakeholders Panel” for the Delta Vision Blue Ribbon Task Force. Unfortunately, not one representative from recreational anglers and California Indian Tribes, two of the groups most impacted by water decisions, was invited to the table.

After a group of us launched an action alert chastising the Governor and Resources Secretary for refusing to appoint angling or tribal representatives, the Governor finally appointed John Beuttler, conservation director of the California Sportfishing Protection Alliance, and Gary Mulcahy, governmental affairs director of the Winnemem Wintu Tribe. Beuttler and Mulcahy each receive the “Real Delta Visionary” award for their long, hard work on this panel.