By George Bradshaw and Fritz Durst
During a crisis, we cannot choose the challenges we will experience. But we can choose how we respond. Fishermen and Sacramento Valley farmers and water managers are choosing to focus on the “fix” rather than the “fight.” Both of our communities have suffered devastating impacts from the most recent drought. This year, the Chinook salmon fishing season has been shut down, putting commercial fishermen and guides out of work and taking away a revenue source for coastal and inland communities. Last year, water contracts based upon some of the most senior water rights in the state were not fulfilled to hold water in Shasta Reservoir for winter-run Chinook. The unprecedented curtailments led to the fallowing of over 600 square miles of family farms in the Sacramento Valley.
In response to this crisis, we have chosen to come together and work on a “fix” rather than retreat to our respective corners and “fight” in regulatory or legal arenas. Earlier this year, our communities came together to determine what we can work on to improve conditions for Chinook salmon. Our combined effort, which is known as The Bridge Group, provides a forum for us to discuss ideas and a means for us to collectively advocate for efforts to benefit Chinook salmon. The Bridge Group includes Northern California Guides and Sportsmen’s Association, Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Association and Golden Gate Fishermen’s Association, who collectively represent the California fishing industry, and the Northern California Water Association and Sacramento River Settlement Contractors, representing water managers and landowners in the Sacramento Valley.
Our uniting makes sense when you consider the commonalities between our communities. We both are reliant upon natural resources for our livelihood and, as such, we are experienced in the unpredictable “boom and bust” cycle of relying upon Mother Nature. As a result of this, we also are problem solvers. Our instinct is to take on challenges and come up with solutions. In addition, we have families and communities that depend upon our livelihood, and we are dedicated to having future generations continue in our spirit.
One of our first collective actions was to send a letter to U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Regional Director Paul Souza asking for enhanced hatchery production of fall-run Chinook salmon and revised practices to diversify the timing and location of hatchery releases in response to the dismal population estimates resulting from the drought. We are working with the state and federal fishery agencies and fishery biologists to ensure that impacts to naturally produced fish associated with increased hatchery production are minimized.
This immediate focus on hatchery practices is in response to the fall-run crisis and is not the totality of our efforts. A California WaterBlog post earlier this year by U.C. Davis’ Andrew Rypel and Peter Moyle is titled “Hatcheries alone cannot save species and fisheries” and we cannot agree more. These hatchery recommendations are not a “solution” to the declining salmon populations. Instead, they are a stop-gap while we work to improve conditions for all fresh water life-cycle stages for all four runs of Chinook salmon as part of a Holistic Approach for Healthy Rivers and Landscapes in the Sacramento River Basin. As Rypel and Moyle write, “Indeed, blending hatchery and habitat management practices strikes us as an important frontier for improving management of our fragile fish biodiversity.”
We appreciate this opportunity to work together, focusing on the fix not the fight, to improve conditions for Chinook salmon in the Sacramento Valley and strive to achieve their recovery so water can be managed for multiple beneficial uses and commercial and recreational fishermen can benefit from a vibrant and sustainable fishery.
George Bradshaw is a fisherman based out of Crescent City and President of the Pacific Coast Federation of Fisherman’s Association. Fritz Durst is a farmer in Yolo County, Vice-President of Reclamation District 108 and Co-Chair of the Northern California Water Association Dry Year Task Force.
