Lois Wolk's Legislation To Protect Delta Fisheries Moves to the California Assembly Floor for Important Vote

[courtesy of California Progress Report]

By Dan Bacher

Long-needed legislation by Assemblywoman Lois Wolk (D-Davis) to protect the California Delta’s rapidly declining fisheries won the approval of the State Assembly’s Appropriations Committee on Thursday, May 22. The bill will be heard next week on the Assembly Floor, according to Melissa Jones, Wolk's spokesperson.

The Committee vote was 12-5 for Wolk's AB 1806, a bill that requires public land managers to prepare emergency fish rescue plans before undertaking a project that would have a significant adverse impact on fishery resources in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta.

The vote passed through Committee on a party line vote, with Committee Democrats voting for the bill and the Republicans voting against it. Assembly Members Mark Leno, Anna Caballero, Mike Davis, Mark DeSaulnier, Mike Eng, Jared Huffman, Patty Berg, Paul Krekorian, Ted Lieu, Fiona Ma, Pedro Nava and Jose Solorio voted "Yes," while Mimi Walters, Bill Emmerson, Doug La Malfa, Alan Nakanishi and Sharon Runner voted "No" for the bill.

Wolk introduced the bill in response to a devastating fish kill on Prospect Island that took place last fall after the Bureau of Reclamation drained water from the area for levee repairs, leaving thousands of striped bass and other fish to die while fishermen volunteers struggled to rescue fish. A volunteer crew of anglers rescued 1831 striped bass and tens of thousands of smaller fish including Sacramento blackfish, Sacramento splittail, black bass, bluegill, crappie and other species.

Department of Fish and Game officials said last fall that they would do a "criminal investigation" of the huge fish kill, but the CAlifornia Department of Fish and Game has to date been silent on the progress of the investigation.

The Prospect Island fish kill devastated the sportfishing community, which plays a sizeable role in the local and state economy, said Wolk. My bill holds the state to its public trust responsibilities by requiring plans be in place to prevent unnecessary destruction of fish.