[Fishlink] ~~>SUBLEGALS 10Jan03<~~
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~~>SUBLEGALS 10Jan03<~~
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A WEEKLY QUOTA OF FISHERY SHORTS CAUGHT AND
LANDED BY THE INSTITUTE FOR FISHERIES RESOURCES
AND THE PACIFIC COAST FEDERATION OF FISHERMEN'S
ASSOCIATIONS
VOL. 07, NO. 02 10 JANUARY 2003
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"Fish need water. It doesn't get much simpler than that."....Paul Wertz
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IN THIS ISSUE.......
California Fish & Game Report Finds Federal Cut-Off
of Klamath Water Cause of Fish Kill. 7:02/01
Sacramento Valley Growers Five Dollar an Acre-Foot
Trick to Sell Water South. 7:02/05
Thai Fishermen, Villagers Seek International Support
With Petition to World Bank to Stop Dam. 7:02/08
Maryland Watermen Celebrate 30 Years With Third
Annual Commercial Fishing Boat Raffle. 7:02/09
Pew Ocean Commission to Release Fisheries Reports,
MPA Report on 14 January. 7:02/10
AND MORE......
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7:02/01. CALIFORNIA FISH & GAME REPORT LAYS BLAME
FOR KLAMATH FISH KILL SQUARELY ON FEDERAL WATER
CUTOFFS: In a detailed 63-page official report released 3 January, the
California Department of Fish & Game (CDFG) laid the blame for the
death of more than 33,000 adult salmon and steelhead in the Lower
Klamath River squarely on a Bush Administration decision to pump
extra water out of the river to serve farms in the Upper Klamath Basin.
During 2002, a dry year, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (BOR) chose to
provide full irrigation water deliveries to farmers on the federal Klamath
Irrigation Project, in the process deliberately pushing lower river flows
below levels that CDFG, Tribal biologists and the Department of
Interior's own peer-reviewed flow studies said were needed for fish to
survive. The result, according to the CDFG analysis, was severe
overcrowding, stress and the spread of disease in the lower 40 miles of
the river as chinook salmon, steelhead and federally protected coho
salmon tried in vain to migrate up to spawning grounds. The September
2002 fish kill is believed to have been the worst salmon die-off in the
history of the Klamath Basin, destroying more than 25 percent of the
entire year class, seriously weakening the remainder and pushing
expected juvenile recruitment for the next cycle close to or below
minimum replacement levels (see Sublegals, 6:17/06; 6:16/01; 6:15/01;
6:13/03; 6:13/02; 6:13/01; 6:12/07; 6:02/09; 5:26/08).
In the 63-page report, "September 2002 Klamath River Fish Kill:
Preliminary Analysis of Contributing Factors," CDFG said it "concludes
that low flows and other flow related factors (e.g., fish passage and fish
density) caused the 2002 fish kill on the lower Klamath River.
Furthermore, of the conditions that can cause or exacerbate a fish kill,
flow is the only factor that can be controlled to any degree. Flow is
regulated by upstream reservoirs operated by the USBR [U.S. Bureau of
Reclamation] on both the Klamath and Trinity rivers.... September 2002
was unique compared to other low flow years when adult fish kills did
not occur in the Klamath River basin. September flow releases from
Iron Gate Dam in 2002 (provisional data) were the lowest on record
when returning numbers of fall Chinook salmon were at average or
above average levels.... When looking at the longer period of record
since 1951, higher average September flows than in 2002 occurred in
92% of the years." (Report, at p. 54) The cover letter to the report went
on to state, "The DFG concludes that low flows restricted fish passage
and increased fish density thereby causing the 2002 fish kill on the
Lower Klamath River." The report also concludes that the risk of future
fish kills remains high so long as similar low flows are all that the BOR
provides for the lower river.
"The current federal water plan ignores science and instead relies on
guess-work, wishful thinking and voluntary measures," said PCFFA
Northwest Director Glen Spain responding to the release of the CDFG
report. "This is a water plan for killing fish. Why should farmers have all
the water they need while coastal fishing-dependent communities and
fishing families wind up with dead fish and dry rivers?"
U.S. Representative Mike Thompson (D-CA), a co-plaintiff in
PCFFA's lawsuit against BOR over the Klamath flows, told the Santa
Rosa Press-Democrat, "I think this study will help a great deal. I'm
going to make sure my colleagues get a copy of this study to show that
(Bush) administration policy is deleterious not only to salmon, but to the
livelihoods of people in the lower (Klamath) basin." Thompson, along
with Congressman Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), plans to introduce
legislation next month that would require the federal government to
assure river water levels CDFG says are needed for protected salmon.
The bill, which failed last year, also would provide $20 million in
emergency aid for communities hurt by the massive fish kill and $200
million for a water conservation program intended to end a fight between
inland farmers and coastal fishermen and Indian tribes.
For a copy of the CDFG Klamath kill report, contact Sharon Hope,
Northern California-North Coast Region, California Department of Fish
& Game, 601 Locust Street, Redding, CA 96001, (530) 225-2125. For
more of the story, also see the 5 January San Jose Mercury News article
at: www.bayarea.com/mld/mercurynews/news/4878385.htm, the 7
January Santa Rosa Press-Democrat at:
http://www.pressdemocrat.com/local/news/07klamath.html, the 7
January Humboldt Times-Standard at:
http://www.times-standard.com/Stories/0,1413,127%7E2896%7E10941
51,00.html#, and the 7 January New York Times at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/01/07/national/07FISH.html. A copy of
the CDFG report is also available from a link at the top of the PCFFA
web site at: www.pcffa.org.
7:02/02. NOT ONLY DID WATER CUTBACKS HAVE LITTLE
IMPACT ON KLAMATH BASIN GROWERS, BUT BULK OF
SUBSIDIES WENT TO SMALL GROUP OF WELL-CONNECTED
FAMILIES: A recent report by economists and researchers at Oregon
State University (OSU) and the University of California (UC) found that
Klamath Basin growers losses in 2001, attributable to cutbacks in water
supply to maintain minimum instream flows to protect imperiled coho
salmon populations, were largely covered by federal aid (see Sublegals,
6:25/01). Now comes word in a separate report by the Wilderness
Society, that the bulk of the Klamath Project farm subsidies during 2001
went to a small percentage of farmers. As the Los Angeles Times
reported on 3 January, the Wilderness Society study "determined that
just 10 farm families in the basin collected nearly 20% of the
government subsidy money, with one pair of brothers reaping nearly
$900,000. 'Many of those families helped lead the fight for increased
bail-out money,' said Pete Rafle of the Wilderness Society. 'Those who
had the best connections got the most money.' In addition, farmers who
leased agricultural land in federal wildlife refuges in the basin reaped a
disproportionate share, Rafle said. The 39 farm families that lease refuge
land received nearly a third of the federal funding distributed in
2001........" The 3 January Los Angeles Times article can be found at:
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-klamath3jan03.story.
7:02/03. WANGER DECISION CREATES DOUBTS FOR
FUTURE OF TRINITY SALMON RESTORATION ON KLAMATH
RIVER'S MOST IMPORTANT TRIBUTARY: U.S. District Court
Judge Oliver Wanger's ruling on 10 December to squelch flow increases
for the Trinity River in northern California is drawing criticism from
many fronts (see Sublegals, 6:24/01). In his decision, Wanger held that
the impacts of flow increases up to 48 percent of historic levels called
for in the Trinity Record of Decision (ROD) had not been adequately
studied as to their effects on Sacramento Valley power generation and
endangered Delta smelt populations. Reaction to the Wanger ruling
have been swift and furious, with the most fundamental concern being
raised for the health of the river and its ability to support salmon
populations at something approaching its pre-Central Valley Project
days. In a 3 January San Francisco Chronicle article, Tom Stokley,
principal natural resources planner for Trinity County, warns that
without higher flows "you'll see impaired downriver migration of young
fish, silting in of the (spawning grounds) and warmer water
temperatures. That will all increase mortality."
Susan Masten, Yurok Tribal Chairwoman, continued, saying the
flows set by Wanger's decision "aren't what's needed for the long-term
health of the fishery." The Yurok and Hupa Tribes both have fishing and
water rights in the Klamath Basin, including the Trinity. As part of the
Judge's decision, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (BOR) was given four
months to submit a revised environmental impact study (EIS). So far
there has been no announcement whether it plans to comply with the
ruling or seek an appeal. For more see:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2003/0
1/03/MN154556.DTL.
7:02/04. DEADLOCKED COLORADO RIVER WATER DEAL
COLLAPSES; SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA BEGINS LOOKING
NORTH; DESAL AN ANSWER?: The New Year's Eve deadline came
and went last week without an agreement over a proposed water sale
between Southern California's Imperial Irrigation District (IID) and
Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (MWD). The sale,
which was rejected by Met because of last-minute stipulations from IID,
would have satisfied requirements for a transfer of Colorado River
withdrawals from farming to urban users as part of a larger plan to limit
California to its allotted 4.4 million acre-feet per year (see Sublegals,
6:26/01). Two years ago members of the seven-state Colorado River
Water Users Association, including California, formally agreed to a plan
that would allow Southern California water users to make a 15-year
transition to that level from its current usage of about 5.2 million
acre-feet per year. The plan was based on a 1984 ruling by the
California State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB), which
found IID had been using water wastefully. Disputes over long-term
water rights and the Salton Sea ultimately prevented an acceptable sale,
however. As a result, the Bush Administration, through Assistant
Interior Secretary Bennett Raley, made clear its intentions to follow
through with an immediate reduction in withdrawals to the 4.4 million
acre-feet limit. This means MWD will see its proposed 2003 water
order of 1,250,000 acre-feet reduced to 713,500 acre-feet, while IID will
be restricted to 2,769,600acre-feet of the 3,003,200 acre-feet it
requested. IID subsequently filed suit against the Department of Interior
for the loss of the water.
There is little doubt that without the Colorado River supplies MWD
will need to look to Northern California for replacement sources once its
groundwater and reservoirs go dry. Officials with Met, the nation's
largest urban water district, have touted their focus on conservation,
groundwater storage and recycling as ways to keep their needs from
impacting the rest of the state. Some MWD customers are even
beginning desalination projects (see Sublegals, 6:26/02; 6:19/09). But
Environmental Defense's Tom Graff says that eventually MWD will
need to look for new water supplies "either from farmers or the
[Sacramento-San Joaquin] Delta." The Met has already begun
negotiating water sales with 14 water districts in Glenn and Colusa
Counties to buy up to 200,000 acre-feet per year from Sacramento
Valley rice growers, according to a recent Contra Costa Times report.
This would mean more water diverted from the already overdrawn
Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. In the search for new water sources for
the state, the proposed Sites Reservoir and Los Vaqueros Reservoir
expansion are two examples of projects further increasing diversions
from the delta. Coupled to all of this is a plan by state officials to
increase the diversion capacity of the Delta from 6,600 cubic feet per
second (cfs) to 8,500 cfs (see Sublegals, 6:21/07). This could result in
further harm to downstream migrating salmon as well as diminish
freshwater inflows critical to maintaining the health of the San Francisco
Bay estuary.
One possible solution to California's -- southern and northern --
impending water shortage could be an increased reliance on desalination.
Though it has been characterized as expensive and inefficient,
technological advances have made desalination a viable alternative,
especially in coastal areas where demand for fresh water is high and
supply is low. The Marin Municipal Water District (MMWD) is
currently exploring desalination for its customers in this county across
the Golden Gate from San Francisco as an alternative to piping in
Russian River water. Russian River supplies are not reliable owing to
the massive diversion of Eel River water into the Russian. On the
Russian, coho populations are listed under the Endangered Species Act
(ESA) and in some tributaries nearly extinct, while on the Eel coastal
chinook populations there are listed too, the principal cause being lack of
water due to the Potter Valley diversion. Cutting back the Eel River
diversions would thus reduce Russian River supplies.
For more, see the Contra Costa Times at:
http://www.bayarea.com/mld/cctimes/4853379.htm. Also see the 29
December San Francisco Chronicle article at:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2002/12/29/BA152564.
DTL&type=science. For more on the Marin Municipal Water District
desalination plans, see the 30 December issue of the San Francisco
Chronicle at:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2002/1
2/30/MN41336.DTL.
7:02/05. THE FIVE DOLLAR-A-TRICK SOLUTION FOR
SELLING NORTHERN WATER SOUTH: Several Sacramento Valley,
California irrigation districts are moving ahead with deals to sell about
205,000 acre-feet of water to the Metropolitan Water District of
Southern California (MWD), the Chico Enterprise-Record reported on 8
January. According to the article, the "plan is to fallow farmland, the
majority of it being in rice, to free the water....There's been little
controversy during the environmental review. But the Butte and Glenn
county Farm Bureaus have said they want to have discussions about
what effect not farming will have on farm-related businesses and the
local labor force. Farmers in the program will get a $10/acre-foot option
payment, which they keep even if Metropolitan does not follow through
on the purchase. If water is sold, growers will receive an additional $90
an acre-foot......In addition to the money for growers, Metropolitan has
agreed to pay $5 an acre-foot for third-party impacts."
The Enterprise-Record reported the following irrigation districts are
in negotiation with MWD for a total of 205,000 acre-feet in possible
water transfers. "The numbers do not yet add up to 205,000 acre-feet
because Metropolitan is still working on the deals.....They are:
* Glenn-Colusa Irrigation District (GCID) - 60,000 acre-feet.
* A combination of Sacramento River contractors will provide
about 50,000 acre-feet, those contractors include Reclamation District
108, Sutter-Mutual Water Co., Natomas Water Co., River Garden
Farms, Meridian Water Co., Pelger Mutual Water Co. and Pleasant
Grove-Verona Mutual Water Co. Quinn said this combination of players
will likely end up negotiating for a slightly larger sale than 50,000
acre-feet.
* Western Canal Water District - 20,000 acre-feet.
* Richvale Irrigation Water District - 15,000 acre-feet.
* Placer County Water Agency - 20,000 acre-feet. This is a new
agency in the deal after negotiations with Yuba County Water Agency
fell through because Yuba has a history of selling water the Department
of Water Resources' environmental water account....Yuba will likely sell
about 180,000 acre-feet to the state."
GCID attorney Stuart Somach issued an opinion that "if there are
third-party impacts from the sale, the irrigation district is not legally
required to avoid or mitigate them." The concern with the proposed sale,
however, is not just for local impacts -- drying up farmlands to ship the
water south for urban uses. Much of the water planned to be sold is not
used by these irrigation districts in many years and then stays instream.
Presently, the San Francisco Bay estuary is short an estimated 1.5
million acre-feet in average annual inflow to maintain its health. These
sales would further short estuarine needs. Moreover, the proposed sales
of Sacramento Valley irrigation water to the Met will further increase
Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta diversions, resulting in more kills of baby
salmon at the Delta pumps. For more, see the Chico Enterprise-Record
at: http://www.chicoer.com/articles/2003/01/08/news/news4.txt.
7:02/06 WATER BAGGER NOT GIVING UP, NOW LOOKING
AT MAD RIVER: Rick Davidge and his Alaska Water Exports (AWE)
Company has not given up on bagging Northern California water and
selling it to Southern California or any other willing buyer. Davidge,
who was seeking to take Albion and Gualala River water from
California's Mendocino County and sell it to San Diego (see Sublegals,
6:24/08; 6:19/06; 6:15/05; 6:14/10) by "bagging" it in giant
condom-shaped plastic receptacles and towing it by tug to the point of
sale, is now plotting to take water from the salmon-producing Mad River
in Humboldt County. The Humboldt Bay Municipal Water District has
been staggering under debt load ever since it agreed to contracts with the
local paper mills in the late 1970's and early 1980's selling Mad River
water for nominal amounts. The District tried repeatedly since to get the
paper companies to renegotiate the price upward in those contracts with
no success. These contracts are now running out.
If Davidge or his associates can pay the District more than the pulp
mills -- and the District can get away with it politically -- the District
will likely sell that water to the foreign-owned AWE. One of Davidge's
associates who claims he has solid interest from the Metropolitan Water
District of Southern California in hauling water to and dumping it in the
Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, is also looking for Northern California
buyers, even approaching the Marin Municipal Water District. For more
on this issue, see the 10 January Santa Rosa Press-Democrat editorial,
"Water for Sale - In State's Arid South, Thirst For North Coast Water
Will Grow," at:
http://www.pressdemocrat.com/opinion/editorials/10ed2.html.
7:02/07. WATER CONFLICTS NOW BETWEEN SPECIES:
Fishermen in the western United States have long recognized that
conflicts over water use are not just between humans, but more often
than not are between human use and that by fish, other animals and
wildlife. Of course for the fishing industry it is really a battle between
human uses, since the fish represent an economic value in themselves --
food, jobs or recreation. From the Aral Sea to the trickles in the Klamath
and a dewatered San Joaquin River, fishermen have known for some
time what the public is just now learning -- there is not enough water to
go around the way it is currently being used. The January/February 2003
issue of WorldWatch has as its lead an article titled, "A Human Thirst"
by Don Hinrichsen (pp.12-18). "The water needs of wildlife are often the
first to be sacrificed and last to be considered," the National Wildlife
Federation's Karin Kirchnak is quoted in the article. "We ignore the fact
that working to ensure healthy freshwater ecosystems for wildlife would
mean healthy waters for all." According to the Hinrichsen, "humans now
appropriate more than half of all the freshwater in the world. Rising
demands from agriculture, industry and a growing population have left
important habitats around the world high and dry. To see the article, go
to the WorldWatch Institute website at: www.worldwatch.org.
7:02/08. PETITION TO WORLD BANK TO DECOMMISSION
THAILAND'S PAK MUN DAM: Villagers in Thailand, including
fishermen, who will be affected by the completion of the Pak Mun Dam
on a tributary of the Mekong River are asking for international help in
their petition to the World Bank requesting the decommissioning of the
yet-to-be completed structure. Despite objections from its U.S.,
Australian and German Directors, the World Bank approved the loan to
Thailand to build the dam. In the 13 years since approving the loan, the
World Bank consistently ignored both academic research and the
concerns expressed by affected villagers regarding the dam, despite: 1)
the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) report that the
Pak Mun Dam was likely to cause significant damage to local
communities and ecology; 2) the environmental assessment for the dam
project was insufficient and incomplete; and 3) fair and full
compensation has never been given affected villagers to compensate for
lost vegetation, forest food sources, fish, and a way of life that dies
when the river's mouth is closed. Petitioners also point to the fact that in
2000, the World Commission on Dams (WCD) concluded that the
economic, social and environmental costs of the dam far outweigh the
irrigation and energy benefits.
The region's fisheries have been major victims of the dam
construction and will likely be destroyed once the dam's gates are closed.
During the dam's construction in 1991, many of the rapids that the fish
use as both habitat and breeding grounds were either destroyed or
submerged. Closure of the sluice gates will harm the river's ecology and
disrupt the natural life cycles of fish migrating from the Mekong to
spawn. These two factors will significantly reduce fish populations,
while the high waters required for electricity render the remaining fish
inaccessible to local fishermen with their small-scale traditional gear.
Petitioners are asking for signatories from other nations by 31 January.
For more information on the petition, go to:
pakmunwbpetition@yahoo.com. For more information about the Pak
Mun Dam and the protests about it, go to:
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/page.news.php3?clid=3&id=6969&u
srsess=1.
7:02/09. MARYLAND WATERMEN CELEBRATE 30TH
ANNIVERSARY WITH THIRD ANNUAL BOAT DRAWING: The
Maryland Watermen's Association is celebrating its 30th year with its
drawing for a brand new 48 foot (16ft. beam, 3.5 ft. depth) commercial
fishing boat with twin Caterpillar diesels, full hydraulics and electronics.
The vessel has a value of approximately $200,000. The date for the
drawing is 2 February; each ticket is $200.00. To get your ticket go to:
www.marylandwatermen.com.
7:02/10. PEW COMMISSION TO RELEASE FISHERIES AND
MPA REPORTS 14 JANUARY: The Pew Oceans Commission to
"honor America's fishing heritage" will officially release its latest report
"Managing Marine Fisheries of the United States" and its summaries of
Commission focus groups on fishery management, "A Dialogue on
America's Fisheries" in the Northern California fishing port of Half
Moon Bay (just south of San Francisco) on Tuesday, 14 January. The
Commission will also be releasing its "Socioeconomic Perspectives on
Marine Fisheries in the United States," a paper on the economic and
social benefits of America's fishing industry. On hand for the release will
be Commission Chairman Leon Panetta, along with Commission
members Pietro Parravano (PCFFA President) and Julie Packard
(Executive Director, Monterey Bay Aquarium). The release will be made
during a press conference and reception at the Harbor House Conference
Center, 346 Princeton Avenue in Half Moon Bay beginning at 0930
HRS. At noon that day at Stanford University, the Commission will
release its paper on Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). For more
information contact either Nicole Brown at: nbrown@ifrfish.org or
Justin Kenney at: kenneyj@pewoceans.org. Copies of the Pew reports
are available on the Commission website at: www.pewoceans.org.
7:02/11. "PAYING ATTENTION?" IS THE NEW CONTEST
FROM THE SARCASTIC FRINGEHEAD FOR SUBLEGALS
READERS: A new feature in upcoming Sublegals will be a contest (no,
not the one where we put in a fictional article to see if readers were on
the toes - a lot weren't and believed them) with one multiple choice
question per issue based on an article in that issue or in the one
immediately proceeding it. It's sort of our cross between "Wait, Wait,
Don't Tell Me," and "Ask Dr. Science." Readers can submit their answer
by e-mail (PCFFA/IFR does not give out readers' e-mail addresses) and a
winner will be selected from those submitting correct answers and made
a member of the "Order of the Fringehead," receiving a certificate and
stunning Sarcastic Fringehead t-shirt in their choice of gray.
Paying Attention? The California Coastal Commission was recently
declared unconstitutional by an appellate court as a result of a lawsuit
brought by a group called the Marine Forests Society. What is the
Marine Forests Society?
A) A Luxemborg Corporation seeking to recycle old offshore oil rigs
into artificial Christmas trees.
B) A group seeking to dump old car tires off the California coast, calling
them artificial fishing reefs.
C) A joint venture between MAXXAM and Sierra Pacific seeking to
grow salt-tolerant Australian mangroves in the California coastal zone as
"marine tree farms," clear cut them and use the material to supplement
existing woodchip sources for the manufacture of bleach-free paper.
D) A Bolinas commune seeking to plant and harvest Culerpa taxifora
along the Pacific Coast to be used in Odwalla's new line of organic "Sea
Breeze" superfood juice.
E-Mail your answer by no later than Thursday, 16 January, to: "Editor"
at: sublegals@ifrfish.org.
NEWS, COMMENTS, CORRECTIONS: Submit your news items,
comments or any corrections to Editor at: sublegals@ifrfish.org, or call
the IFR/PCFFA office with the news and a source at either: (415)
561-FISH (Southwest Office) or (541) 689-2000 (Northwest Office).
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~~>SUBLEGALS 10Jan03<~~<BR>
##########################################################<BR>
A WEEKLY QUOTA OF FISHERY SHORTS CAUGHT AND<BR>
LANDED BY THE INSTITUTE FOR FISHERIES RESOURCES <BR>
AND THE PACIFIC COAST FEDERATION OF FISHERMEN'S<BR>
ASSOCIATIONS<BR>
<BR>
VOL. 07, NO. 02 10 JANUARY 2003<BR>
##########################################################<BR>
"Fish need water. It doesn't get much simpler than that."....Paul Wertz<BR>
##########################################################<BR>
IN THIS ISSUE.......<BR>
<BR>
California Fish & Game Report Finds Federal Cut-Off <BR>
of Klamath Water Cause of Fish Kill. 7:02/01<BR>
<BR>
Sacramento Valley Growers Five Dollar an Acre-Foot <BR>
Trick to Sell Water South. 7:02/05<BR>
<BR>
Thai Fishermen, Villagers Seek International Support <BR>
With Petition to World Bank to Stop Dam. 7:02/08<BR>
<BR>
Maryland Watermen Celebrate 30 Years With Third <BR>
Annual Commercial Fishing Boat Raffle. 7:02/09<BR>
<BR>
Pew Ocean Commission to Release Fisheries Reports, <BR>
MPA Report on 14 January. 7:02/10<BR>
<BR>
AND MORE......<BR>
########################################################## <BR>
7:02/01. CALIFORNIA FISH & GAME REPORT LAYS BLAME<BR>
FOR KLAMATH FISH KILL SQUARELY ON FEDERAL WATER<BR>
CUTOFFS: In a detailed 63-page official report released 3 January, the<BR>
California Department of Fish & Game (CDFG) laid the blame for the<BR>
death of more than 33,000 adult salmon and steelhead in the Lower<BR>
Klamath River squarely on a Bush Administration decision to pump<BR>
extra water out of the river to serve farms in the Upper Klamath Basin. <BR>
During 2002, a dry year, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (BOR) chose to<BR>
provide full irrigation water deliveries to farmers on the federal Klamath<BR>
Irrigation Project, in the process deliberately pushing lower river flows<BR>
below levels that CDFG, Tribal biologists and the Department of<BR>
Interior's own peer-reviewed flow studies said were needed for fish to<BR>
survive. The result, according to the CDFG analysis, was severe<BR>
overcrowding, stress and the spread of disease in the lower 40 miles of<BR>
the river as chinook salmon, steelhead and federally protected coho<BR>
salmon tried in vain to migrate up to spawning grounds. The September<BR>
2002 fish kill is believed to have been the worst salmon die-off in the<BR>
history of the Klamath Basin, destroying more than 25 percent of the<BR>
entire year class, seriously weakening the remainder and pushing<BR>
expected juvenile recruitment for the next cycle close to or below<BR>
minimum replacement levels (see Sublegals, 6:17/06; 6:16/01; 6:15/01;<BR>
6:13/03; 6:13/02; 6:13/01; 6:12/07; 6:02/09; 5:26/08). <BR>
<BR>
In the 63-page report, "September 2002 Klamath River Fish Kill:<BR>
Preliminary Analysis of Contributing Factors," CDFG said it "concludes<BR>
that low flows and other flow related factors (e.g., fish passage and fish<BR>
density) caused the 2002 fish kill on the lower Klamath River. <BR>
Furthermore, of the conditions that can cause or exacerbate a fish kill,<BR>
flow is the only factor that can be controlled to any degree. Flow is<BR>
regulated by upstream reservoirs operated by the USBR [U.S. Bureau of<BR>
Reclamation] on both the Klamath and Trinity rivers.... September 2002<BR>
was unique compared to other low flow years when adult fish kills did<BR>
not occur in the Klamath River basin. September flow releases from<BR>
Iron Gate Dam in 2002 (provisional data) were the lowest on record<BR>
when returning numbers of fall Chinook salmon were at average or<BR>
above average levels.... When looking at the longer period of record<BR>
since 1951, higher average September flows than in 2002 occurred in<BR>
92% of the years." (Report, at p. 54) The cover letter to the report went<BR>
on to state, "The DFG concludes that low flows restricted fish passage<BR>
and increased fish density thereby causing the 2002 fish kill on the<BR>
Lower Klamath River." The report also concludes that the risk of future<BR>
fish kills remains high so long as similar low flows are all that the BOR<BR>
provides for the lower river.<BR>
<BR>
"The current federal water plan ignores science and instead relies on<BR>
guess-work, wishful thinking and voluntary measures," said PCFFA<BR>
Northwest Director Glen Spain responding to the release of the CDFG<BR>
report. "This is a water plan for killing fish. Why should farmers have all<BR>
the water they need while coastal fishing-dependent communities and<BR>
fishing families wind up with dead fish and dry rivers?" <BR>
<BR>
U.S. Representative Mike Thompson (D-CA), a co-plaintiff in<BR>
PCFFA's lawsuit against BOR over the Klamath flows, told the Santa<BR>
Rosa Press-Democrat, "I think this study will help a great deal. I'm<BR>
going to make sure my colleagues get a copy of this study to show that<BR>
(Bush) administration policy is deleterious not only to salmon, but to the<BR>
livelihoods of people in the lower (Klamath) basin." Thompson, along<BR>
with Congressman Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), plans to introduce<BR>
legislation next month that would require the federal government to<BR>
assure river water levels CDFG says are needed for protected salmon.<BR>
The bill, which failed last year, also would provide $20 million in<BR>
emergency aid for communities hurt by the massive fish kill and $200<BR>
million for a water conservation program intended to end a fight between<BR>
inland farmers and coastal fishermen and Indian tribes.<BR>
<BR>
For a copy of the CDFG Klamath kill report, contact Sharon Hope,<BR>
Northern California-North Coast Region, California Department of Fish<BR>
& Game, 601 Locust Street, Redding, CA 96001, (530) 225-2125. For<BR>
more of the story, also see the 5 January San Jose Mercury News article<BR>
at: www.bayarea.com/mld/mercurynews/news/4878385.htm, the 7<BR>
January Santa Rosa Press-Democrat at:<BR>
http://www.pressdemocrat.com/local/news/07klamath.html, the 7<BR>
January Humboldt Times-Standard at:<BR>
http://www.times-standard.com/Stories/0,1413,127%7E2896%7E10941<BR>
51,00.html#, and the 7 January New York Times at: <BR>
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/01/07/national/07FISH.html. A copy of<BR>
the CDFG report is also available from a link at the top of the PCFFA<BR>
web site at: www.pcffa.org.<BR>
<BR>
7:02/02. NOT ONLY DID WATER CUTBACKS HAVE LITTLE<BR>
IMPACT ON KLAMATH BASIN GROWERS, BUT BULK OF<BR>
SUBSIDIES WENT TO SMALL GROUP OF WELL-CONNECTED<BR>
FAMILIES: A recent report by economists and researchers at Oregon<BR>
State University (OSU) and the University of California (UC) found that<BR>
Klamath Basin growers losses in 2001, attributable to cutbacks in water<BR>
supply to maintain minimum instream flows to protect imperiled coho<BR>
salmon populations, were largely covered by federal aid (see Sublegals,<BR>
6:25/01). Now comes word in a separate report by the Wilderness<BR>
Society, that the bulk of the Klamath Project farm subsidies during 2001<BR>
went to a small percentage of farmers. As the Los Angeles Times<BR>
reported on 3 January, the Wilderness Society study "determined that<BR>
just 10 farm families in the basin collected nearly 20% of the<BR>
government subsidy money, with one pair of brothers reaping nearly<BR>
$900,000. 'Many of those families helped lead the fight for increased<BR>
bail-out money,' said Pete Rafle of the Wilderness Society. 'Those who<BR>
had the best connections got the most money.' In addition, farmers who<BR>
leased agricultural land in federal wildlife refuges in the basin reaped a<BR>
disproportionate share, Rafle said. The 39 farm families that lease refuge<BR>
land received nearly a third of the federal funding distributed in<BR>
2001........" The 3 January Los Angeles Times article can be found at:<BR>
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-klamath3jan03.story.<BR>
<BR>
7:02/03. WANGER DECISION CREATES DOUBTS FOR<BR>
FUTURE OF TRINITY SALMON RESTORATION ON KLAMATH<BR>
RIVER'S MOST IMPORTANT TRIBUTARY: U.S. District Court<BR>
Judge Oliver Wanger's ruling on 10 December to squelch flow increases<BR>
for the Trinity River in northern California is drawing criticism from<BR>
many fronts (see Sublegals, 6:24/01). In his decision, Wanger held that<BR>
the impacts of flow increases up to 48 percent of historic levels called<BR>
for in the Trinity Record of Decision (ROD) had not been adequately<BR>
studied as to their effects on Sacramento Valley power generation and<BR>
endangered Delta smelt populations. Reaction to the Wanger ruling<BR>
have been swift and furious, with the most fundamental concern being<BR>
raised for the health of the river and its ability to support salmon<BR>
populations at something approaching its pre-Central Valley Project<BR>
days. In a 3 January San Francisco Chronicle article, Tom Stokley,<BR>
principal natural resources planner for Trinity County, warns that<BR>
without higher flows "you'll see impaired downriver migration of young<BR>
fish, silting in of the (spawning grounds) and warmer water<BR>
temperatures. That will all increase mortality."<BR>
<BR>
Susan Masten, Yurok Tribal Chairwoman, continued, saying the<BR>
flows set by Wanger's decision "aren't what's needed for the long-term<BR>
health of the fishery." The Yurok and Hupa Tribes both have fishing and<BR>
water rights in the Klamath Basin, including the Trinity. As part of the<BR>
Judge's decision, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (BOR) was given four<BR>
months to submit a revised environmental impact study (EIS). So far<BR>
there has been no announcement whether it plans to comply with the<BR>
ruling or seek an appeal. For more see:<BR>
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2003/0<BR>
1/03/MN154556.DTL.<BR>
<BR>
7:02/04. DEADLOCKED COLORADO RIVER WATER DEAL<BR>
COLLAPSES; SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA BEGINS LOOKING<BR>
NORTH; DESAL AN ANSWER?: The New Year's Eve deadline came<BR>
and went last week without an agreement over a proposed water sale<BR>
between Southern California's Imperial Irrigation District (IID) and<BR>
Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (MWD). The sale,<BR>
which was rejected by Met because of last-minute stipulations from IID,<BR>
would have satisfied requirements for a transfer of Colorado River<BR>
withdrawals from farming to urban users as part of a larger plan to limit<BR>
California to its allotted 4.4 million acre-feet per year (see Sublegals,<BR>
6:26/01). Two years ago members of the seven-state Colorado River<BR>
Water Users Association, including California, formally agreed to a plan<BR>
that would allow Southern California water users to make a 15-year<BR>
transition to that level from its current usage of about 5.2 million<BR>
acre-feet per year. The plan was based on a 1984 ruling by the<BR>
California State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB), which<BR>
found IID had been using water wastefully. Disputes over long-term<BR>
water rights and the Salton Sea ultimately prevented an acceptable sale,<BR>
however. As a result, the Bush Administration, through Assistant<BR>
Interior Secretary Bennett Raley, made clear its intentions to follow<BR>
through with an immediate reduction in withdrawals to the 4.4 million<BR>
acre-feet limit. This means MWD will see its proposed 2003 water<BR>
order of 1,250,000 acre-feet reduced to 713,500 acre-feet, while IID will<BR>
be restricted to 2,769,600acre-feet of the 3,003,200 acre-feet it<BR>
requested. IID subsequently filed suit against the Department of Interior<BR>
for the loss of the water.<BR>
<BR>
There is little doubt that without the Colorado River supplies MWD<BR>
will need to look to Northern California for replacement sources once its<BR>
groundwater and reservoirs go dry. Officials with Met, the nation's<BR>
largest urban water district, have touted their focus on conservation,<BR>
groundwater storage and recycling as ways to keep their needs from<BR>
impacting the rest of the state. Some MWD customers are even<BR>
beginning desalination projects (see Sublegals, 6:26/02; 6:19/09). But<BR>
Environmental Defense's Tom Graff says that eventually MWD will<BR>
need to look for new water supplies "either from farmers or the<BR>
[Sacramento-San Joaquin] Delta." The Met has already begun<BR>
negotiating water sales with 14 water districts in Glenn and Colusa<BR>
Counties to buy up to 200,000 acre-feet per year from Sacramento<BR>
Valley rice growers, according to a recent Contra Costa Times report.<BR>
This would mean more water diverted from the already overdrawn<BR>
Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. In the search for new water sources for<BR>
the state, the proposed Sites Reservoir and Los Vaqueros Reservoir<BR>
expansion are two examples of projects further increasing diversions<BR>
from the delta. Coupled to all of this is a plan by state officials to<BR>
increase the diversion capacity of the Delta from 6,600 cubic feet per<BR>
second (cfs) to 8,500 cfs (see Sublegals, 6:21/07). This could result in<BR>
further harm to downstream migrating salmon as well as diminish<BR>
freshwater inflows critical to maintaining the health of the San Francisco<BR>
Bay estuary.<BR>
<BR>
One possible solution to California's -- southern and northern --<BR>
impending water shortage could be an increased reliance on desalination. <BR>
Though it has been characterized as expensive and inefficient,<BR>
technological advances have made desalination a viable alternative,<BR>
especially in coastal areas where demand for fresh water is high and<BR>
supply is low. The Marin Municipal Water District (MMWD) is<BR>
currently exploring desalination for its customers in this county across<BR>
the Golden Gate from San Francisco as an alternative to piping in<BR>
Russian River water. Russian River supplies are not reliable owing to<BR>
the massive diversion of Eel River water into the Russian. On the<BR>
Russian, coho populations are listed under the Endangered Species Act<BR>
(ESA) and in some tributaries nearly extinct, while on the Eel coastal<BR>
chinook populations there are listed too, the principal cause being lack of<BR>
water due to the Potter Valley diversion. Cutting back the Eel River<BR>
diversions would thus reduce Russian River supplies.<BR>
<BR>
For more, see the Contra Costa Times at:<BR>
http://www.bayarea.com/mld/cctimes/4853379.htm. Also see the 29<BR>
December San Francisco Chronicle article at:<BR>
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2002/12/29/BA152564.<BR>
DTL&type=science. For more on the Marin Municipal Water District<BR>
desalination plans, see the 30 December issue of the San Francisco<BR>
Chronicle at:<BR>
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2002/1<BR>
2/30/MN41336.DTL.<BR>
<BR>
7:02/05. THE FIVE DOLLAR-A-TRICK SOLUTION FOR<BR>
SELLING NORTHERN WATER SOUTH: Several Sacramento Valley,<BR>
California irrigation districts are moving ahead with deals to sell about<BR>
205,000 acre-feet of water to the Metropolitan Water District of<BR>
Southern California (MWD), the Chico Enterprise-Record reported on 8<BR>
January. According to the article, the "plan is to fallow farmland, the<BR>
majority of it being in rice, to free the water....There's been little<BR>
controversy during the environmental review. But the Butte and Glenn<BR>
county Farm Bureaus have said they want to have discussions about<BR>
what effect not farming will have on farm-related businesses and the<BR>
local labor force. Farmers in the program will get a $10/acre-foot option<BR>
payment, which they keep even if Metropolitan does not follow through<BR>
on the purchase. If water is sold, growers will receive an additional $90<BR>
an acre-foot......In addition to the money for growers, Metropolitan has<BR>
agreed to pay $5 an acre-foot for third-party impacts."<BR>
<BR>
The Enterprise-Record reported the following irrigation districts are<BR>
in negotiation with MWD for a total of 205,000 acre-feet in possible<BR>
water transfers. "The numbers do not yet add up to 205,000 acre-feet<BR>
because Metropolitan is still working on the deals.....They are: <BR>
* Glenn-Colusa Irrigation District (GCID) - 60,000 acre-feet. <BR>
* A combination of Sacramento River contractors will provide<BR>
about 50,000 acre-feet, those contractors include Reclamation District<BR>
108, Sutter-Mutual Water Co., Natomas Water Co., River Garden<BR>
Farms, Meridian Water Co., Pelger Mutual Water Co. and Pleasant<BR>
Grove-Verona Mutual Water Co. Quinn said this combination of players<BR>
will likely end up negotiating for a slightly larger sale than 50,000<BR>
acre-feet.<BR>
* Western Canal Water District - 20,000 acre-feet.<BR>
* Richvale Irrigation Water District - 15,000 acre-feet.<BR>
* Placer County Water Agency - 20,000 acre-feet. This is a new<BR>
agency in the deal after negotiations with Yuba County Water Agency<BR>
fell through because Yuba has a history of selling water the Department<BR>
of Water Resources' environmental water account....Yuba will likely sell<BR>
about 180,000 acre-feet to the state."<BR>
<BR>
GCID attorney Stuart Somach issued an opinion that "if there are<BR>
third-party impacts from the sale, the irrigation district is not legally<BR>
required to avoid or mitigate them." The concern with the proposed sale,<BR>
however, is not just for local impacts -- drying up farmlands to ship the<BR>
water south for urban uses. Much of the water planned to be sold is not<BR>
used by these irrigation districts in many years and then stays instream. <BR>
Presently, the San Francisco Bay estuary is short an estimated 1.5<BR>
million acre-feet in average annual inflow to maintain its health. These<BR>
sales would further short estuarine needs. Moreover, the proposed sales<BR>
of Sacramento Valley irrigation water to the Met will further increase<BR>
Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta diversions, resulting in more kills of baby<BR>
salmon at the Delta pumps. For more, see the Chico Enterprise-Record<BR>
at: http://www.chicoer.com/articles/2003/01/08/news/news4.txt. <BR>
<BR>
7:02/06 WATER BAGGER NOT GIVING UP, NOW LOOKING<BR>
AT MAD RIVER: Rick Davidge and his Alaska Water Exports (AWE)<BR>
Company has not given up on bagging Northern California water and<BR>
selling it to Southern California or any other willing buyer. Davidge,<BR>
who was seeking to take Albion and Gualala River water from<BR>
California's Mendocino County and sell it to San Diego (see Sublegals,<BR>
6:24/08; 6:19/06; 6:15/05; 6:14/10) by "bagging" it in giant<BR>
condom-shaped plastic receptacles and towing it by tug to the point of<BR>
sale, is now plotting to take water from the salmon-producing Mad River<BR>
in Humboldt County. The Humboldt Bay Municipal Water District has<BR>
been staggering under debt load ever since it agreed to contracts with the<BR>
local paper mills in the late 1970's and early 1980's selling Mad River<BR>
water for nominal amounts. The District tried repeatedly since to get the<BR>
paper companies to renegotiate the price upward in those contracts with<BR>
no success. These contracts are now running out. <BR>
<BR>
If Davidge or his associates can pay the District more than the pulp<BR>
mills -- and the District can get away with it politically -- the District<BR>
will likely sell that water to the foreign-owned AWE. One of Davidge's<BR>
associates who claims he has solid interest from the Metropolitan Water<BR>
District of Southern California in hauling water to and dumping it in the<BR>
Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, is also looking for Northern California<BR>
buyers, even approaching the Marin Municipal Water District. For more<BR>
on this issue, see the 10 January Santa Rosa Press-Democrat editorial,<BR>
"Water for Sale - In State's Arid South, Thirst For North Coast Water<BR>
Will Grow," at:<BR>
http://www.pressdemocrat.com/opinion/editorials/10ed2.html.<BR>
<BR>
7:02/07. WATER CONFLICTS NOW BETWEEN SPECIES:<BR>
Fishermen in the western United States have long recognized that<BR>
conflicts over water use are not just between humans, but more often<BR>
than not are between human use and that by fish, other animals and<BR>
wildlife. Of course for the fishing industry it is really a battle between<BR>
human uses, since the fish represent an economic value in themselves --<BR>
food, jobs or recreation. From the Aral Sea to the trickles in the Klamath<BR>
and a dewatered San Joaquin River, fishermen have known for some<BR>
time what the public is just now learning -- there is not enough water to<BR>
go around the way it is currently being used. The January/February 2003<BR>
issue of WorldWatch has as its lead an article titled, "A Human Thirst"<BR>
by Don Hinrichsen (pp.12-18). "The water needs of wildlife are often the<BR>
first to be sacrificed and last to be considered," the National Wildlife<BR>
Federation's Karin Kirchnak is quoted in the article. "We ignore the fact<BR>
that working to ensure healthy freshwater ecosystems for wildlife would<BR>
mean healthy waters for all." According to the Hinrichsen, "humans now<BR>
appropriate more than half of all the freshwater in the world. Rising<BR>
demands from agriculture, industry and a growing population have left<BR>
important habitats around the world high and dry. To see the article, go<BR>
to the WorldWatch Institute website at: www.worldwatch.org. <BR>
<BR>
7:02/08. PETITION TO WORLD BANK TO DECOMMISSION<BR>
THAILAND'S PAK MUN DAM: Villagers in Thailand, including<BR>
fishermen, who will be affected by the completion of the Pak Mun Dam<BR>
on a tributary of the Mekong River are asking for international help in<BR>
their petition to the World Bank requesting the decommissioning of the<BR>
yet-to-be completed structure. Despite objections from its U.S.,<BR>
Australian and German Directors, the World Bank approved the loan to<BR>
Thailand to build the dam. In the 13 years since approving the loan, the<BR>
World Bank consistently ignored both academic research and the<BR>
concerns expressed by affected villagers regarding the dam, despite: 1)<BR>
the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) report that the<BR>
Pak Mun Dam was likely to cause significant damage to local<BR>
communities and ecology; 2) the environmental assessment for the dam<BR>
project was insufficient and incomplete; and 3) fair and full<BR>
compensation has never been given affected villagers to compensate for<BR>
lost vegetation, forest food sources, fish, and a way of life that dies<BR>
when the river's mouth is closed. Petitioners also point to the fact that in<BR>
2000, the World Commission on Dams (WCD) concluded that the<BR>
economic, social and environmental costs of the dam far outweigh the<BR>
irrigation and energy benefits.<BR>
<BR>
The region's fisheries have been major victims of the dam<BR>
construction and will likely be destroyed once the dam's gates are closed.<BR>
During the dam's construction in 1991, many of the rapids that the fish<BR>
use as both habitat and breeding grounds were either destroyed or<BR>
submerged. Closure of the sluice gates will harm the river's ecology and<BR>
disrupt the natural life cycles of fish migrating from the Mekong to<BR>
spawn. These two factors will significantly reduce fish populations,<BR>
while the high waters required for electricity render the remaining fish<BR>
inaccessible to local fishermen with their small-scale traditional gear.<BR>
Petitioners are asking for signatories from other nations by 31 January.<BR>
For more information on the petition, go to:<BR>
pakmunwbpetition@yahoo.com. For more information about the Pak<BR>
Mun Dam and the protests about it, go to:<BR>
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/page.news.php3?clid=3&id=6969&u<BR>
srsess=1.<BR>
<BR>
7:02/09. MARYLAND WATERMEN CELEBRATE 30TH<BR>
ANNIVERSARY WITH THIRD ANNUAL BOAT DRAWING: The<BR>
Maryland Watermen's Association is celebrating its 30th year with its<BR>
drawing for a brand new 48 foot (16ft. beam, 3.5 ft. depth) commercial<BR>
fishing boat with twin Caterpillar diesels, full hydraulics and electronics.<BR>
The vessel has a value of approximately $200,000. The date for the<BR>
drawing is 2 February; each ticket is $200.00. To get your ticket go to:<BR>
www.marylandwatermen.com.<BR>
<BR>
7:02/10. PEW COMMISSION TO RELEASE FISHERIES AND<BR>
MPA REPORTS 14 JANUARY: The Pew Oceans Commission to<BR>
"honor America's fishing heritage" will officially release its latest report<BR>
"Managing Marine Fisheries of the United States" and its summaries of<BR>
Commission focus groups on fishery management, "A Dialogue on<BR>
America's Fisheries" in the Northern California fishing port of Half<BR>
Moon Bay (just south of San Francisco) on Tuesday, 14 January. The<BR>
Commission will also be releasing its "Socioeconomic Perspectives on<BR>
Marine Fisheries in the United States," a paper on the economic and<BR>
social benefits of America's fishing industry. On hand for the release will<BR>
be Commission Chairman Leon Panetta, along with Commission<BR>
members Pietro Parravano (PCFFA President) and Julie Packard<BR>
(Executive Director, Monterey Bay Aquarium). The release will be made<BR>
during a press conference and reception at the Harbor House Conference<BR>
Center, 346 Princeton Avenue in Half Moon Bay beginning at 0930<BR>
HRS. At noon that day at Stanford University, the Commission will<BR>
release its paper on Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). For more<BR>
information contact either Nicole Brown at: nbrown@ifrfish.org or<BR>
Justin Kenney at: kenneyj@pewoceans.org. Copies of the Pew reports<BR>
are available on the Commission website at: www.pewoceans.org. <BR>
<BR>
7:02/11. "PAYING ATTENTION?" IS THE NEW CONTEST<BR>
FROM THE SARCASTIC FRINGEHEAD FOR SUBLEGALS<BR>
READERS: A new feature in upcoming Sublegals will be a contest (no,<BR>
not the one where we put in a fictional article to see if readers were on<BR>
the toes - a lot weren't and believed them) with one multiple choice<BR>
question per issue based on an article in that issue or in the one<BR>
immediately proceeding it. It's sort of our cross between "Wait, Wait,<BR>
Don't Tell Me," and "Ask Dr. Science." Readers can submit their answer<BR>
by e-mail (PCFFA/IFR does not give out readers' e-mail addresses) and a<BR>
winner will be selected from those submitting correct answers and made<BR>
a member of the "Order of the Fringehead," receiving a certificate and<BR>
stunning Sarcastic Fringehead t-shirt in their choice of gray.<BR>
<BR>
Paying Attention? The California Coastal Commission was recently<BR>
declared unconstitutional by an appellate court as a result of a lawsuit<BR>
brought by a group called the Marine Forests Society. What is the<BR>
Marine Forests Society?<BR>
A) A Luxemborg Corporation seeking to recycle old offshore oil rigs<BR>
into artificial Christmas trees.<BR>
B) A group seeking to dump old car tires off the California coast, calling<BR>
them artificial fishing reefs.<BR>
C) A joint venture between MAXXAM and Sierra Pacific seeking to<BR>
grow salt-tolerant Australian mangroves in the California coastal zone as<BR>
"marine tree farms," clear cut them and use the material to supplement<BR>
existing woodchip sources for the manufacture of bleach-free paper.<BR>
D) A Bolinas commune seeking to plant and harvest Culerpa taxifora<BR>
along the Pacific Coast to be used in Odwalla's new line of organic "Sea<BR>
Breeze" superfood juice. <BR>
E-Mail your answer by no later than Thursday, 16 January, to: "Editor"<BR>
at: sublegals@ifrfish.org. <BR>
<BR>
NEWS, COMMENTS, CORRECTIONS: Submit your news items,<BR>
comments or any corrections to Editor at: sublegals@ifrfish.org, or call<BR>
the IFR/PCFFA office with the news and a source at either: (415)<BR>
561-FISH (Southwest Office) or (541) 689-2000 (Northwest Office). <BR>
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