Nearly 100 Coastsiders were in attendance Thursday to witness a panel discussion on the status of salmon populations in the state. The council fielded questions to individual members of the panel, which included representatives from the California Department of Fish and Game, the state Water Resources Control Board, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Pacific Coast Federation of Fisherman's Associations and other agencies.
Though the agenda called for a dialogue on salmon, the discussion quickly snowballed into a discourse over the quality of state watersheds.
California Coastkeeper Alliance Executive Director
Linda Sheehan recommended a wider approach to stifling
the decline of salmon populations.
"We need to focus on clear, cold abundant water," she
said. "The frustration is that we know what a lot of the
issues are. Studies are great, but in conjunction with
comprehensive action."
Sheehan noted that many of the problems salmon face,
including poor water quality and inadequate water
quantity, are shared by humans as well.
"What other things can benefit from the same things we'd
do for salmon," she asked council board members. "To me,
we need to deal with the problem but (recognize that)
we're doing more than just for salmon."
Seated alongside Sheehan and representing the Pacific
Coast Fisherman's Association was Executive Director
Zeke Grader, an outspoken advocate of removing inland
dams in as a base point of action.
Citing the late biologist Oscar Hammerstein, Grader
implored, "'Fish gotta swim.' But we continue to keep
losing the habitat where these fish can swim. We need to
fix this. I don't think we need more reports."
Grader continued to outline his action plan for the
council, which consisted of three main objectives.
"First, we have to get the dams down," he said. "No. 2,
we need to get at the water quality issues. And third,
stop the impingement (of salmon) at the pumps at
critical times (of the year). Unless you do that you
don't have the foundation to build on."