[Fishlink] ~~>SUBLEGALS 18Apr03<~~
bit-bucket@straylight.primelogic.com
bit-bucket@straylight.primelogic.com
Sat, 19 Apr 2003 01:35:18 EDT
--part1_a7.30f3117c.2bd23a16_boundary
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
##########################################################
~~>SUBLEGALS 18Apr03<~~
##########################################################
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. 16 18 APRIL
2003
##########################################################
"Never separate the lives you live from the words you speak."
......................... Paul Wellstone
##########################################################
IN THIS ISSUE.......
"Wild About Salmon" Campaign Proves Conservation
Has Never Tasted Better. 7:16/01
San Francisco To Take Lead Pushing Sustainable Seafood? 7:16/03
Oregon Begins Enforcing National Law Requiring Warning
Label on Farmed Salmon. 7:16/06
DOI Refuses To Appeal Trinity Decision, PCFFA Suit
Over Klamath Flows Set For 29 April. 7:16/08
San Joaquin Restoration Settlement Collapses After
Water Users Reject Mediator's Proposal. 7:16/09
AND MORE.......
##########################################################
7:16/01. "WILD ABOUT SALMON," A NATIONWIDE
PROMOTION OF WILD SALMON BY CHEFS,
CONSERVATIONISTS AND FISHERMEN, SET TO KICK-OFF IN
MAY: With the Alaska Department of Fish & Game (ADFG) predicting
another banner year for that state's salmon fishery (see Sublegals,
7:09/07) and the Pacific Fishery Management Council (PFMC)
recommending the best ocean season in 15 years (see Sublegals,
7:15/01), a nationwide promotion of wild Pacific salmon is set to begin
in May. Seafood Choices Alliance, the national organization "bringing
ocean conservation to the table," along with many of the nation's finest
chefs are marking the start of the wild salmon season with "Wild About
Salmon." The nationwide promotion of wild West Coast and Alaska
salmon will feature cooking demonstrations "to encourage appreciation
of this seasonal fish. Wild salmon - abundant, well-managed and
delicious - is a good environmental choice for people who love seafood."
Dozens of top restaurant chefs who subscribe to the Alliance will be
celebrating the wild salmon season this spring and summer in their
restaurants and at select Bloomingdale's throughout the U.S. The chefs
will be showing off their salmon savvy in the stores' demonstration
kitchens beginning in May. Moreover, Seafood Choices subscriber chefs
will be serving wild salmon recipes in their restaurants throughout the
salmon season.
"'Wild About Salmon' is intended to raise consumer awareness of the
importance of making smart seafood choices. Best environmental
choices like wild salmon are not only good for the environment but taste
good, too," according to the Seafood Choices Alliance's Susan Boa.
"Why choose wild Alaska and West Coast salmon?" asks the Seafood
Choices Alliance, answering, "There are many reasons, but here's just
one: wild salmon is ocean-friendly. The wild Alaskan salmon fishery
was the first U.S. fishery to be certified as well-managed, abundant, and
sustainable by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC). Recently, the
California Salmon Council applied to the MSC to certify as sustainable
the California chinook salmon troll fishery. Many other conservation
organizations (such as Environmental Defense, the Monterey Bay
Aquarium, and the Wildlife Conservation Society) also list wild Alaskan
and West Coast salmon as an excellent environmental choice. Wild
salmon is undoubtedly a best choice in seafood. Choosing ocean-friendly
seafood like wild salmon is a winning proposition for everyone - chefs,
fishermen, and consumers - because it rewards best management
practices and ensures a lasting and diverse supply of seafood."
In addition to a number of fine restaurants in San Francisco and
Seattle, a nationwide sampling of Seafood Choices Alliance chefs and
restaurants involved in "Wild About Salmon" includes: PETER
HOFFMAN - Chef/Owner, Savoy (New York, NY); JAY SHAFFER -
Chef/Owner, Shaffer City Oyster Bar & Grill (New York, NY); ED
BROWN - Executive Chef, The Sea Grill (New York, NY); CHRIS
DOUGLASS - Chef/Owner, Icarus (Boston, MA); CARY NEFF -
Owner, Sansom Street Oyster House (Philadelphia, PA); JIM
SWENSON - Executive Chef, National Press Club (Washington, DC);
JOHN COLETTA - Executive Chef, Carlucci (Rosemont, IL); JASON
GIRARD - Executive Chef, Buddy Guy's Legends (Chicago, IL);
SUSAN SPICER - Chef/Owner, Bayona and Herbsaint (New Orleans,
LA); DAN THIESSEN - Executive Chef, Chandler's Crabhouse
(Seattle, WA).
For more information about the "Wild About Salmon" campaign,
contact Stephanie Crane at (914) 793-9400 or by e-mail at:
scrane@seafoodchoices.com.
7:16/02. ENVIRONMENTALLY SOUND SCOTTISH-STYLE
SMOKED SALMON: Orvis, the upscale sporting goods manufacturer,
has for some time carried a line of foods including smoked salmon. But
in 1999, it made the decision to pull smoked Atlantic salmon from its
catalogs and retail stores (see Sublegals, 1:24/07). "The reason was,"
according to Orvis, "our salmon was farm-raised, and research has
shown that farm-raised fish are contributing to the depletion of wild
Atlantic salmon stocks." The alternative now being offered by Orvis "is
a great-tasting wild fish from Togiak, Alaska, that has proved extremely
popular for its flavor and purity."
Orvis said the offering reflects its "commitment to salmon
conservation and the well-managed native fisheries that harvest wild
fish." This year Orvis is offering "wild sockeye salmon cured by one of
Britain's oldest and foremost salmon smokers: H. Forman & Son. They
are the only salmon smokers in the 'Academy of Culinary Arts' - the
world's leading academy of chefs. Forman supplies many of the leading
London chefs and top hotels, not to mention Buckingham Palace. Their
cure is a mild 'London cure,' which enhances the natural and succulent
flavor of the salmon. Dry-salted by hand, the salmon is then cold smoked
lightly and slowly over smoldering oak chips. The result is truly the most
delicious smoked salmon we have ever offered." For more information
see the Orvis press release at:
http://www.orvis.com/detail.asp?subject=36&index=7&dir_id=&cat_id
=&group_id=
7:16/03. SAN FRANCISCO TO TAKE LEAD PUSHING
SUSTAINABLE SEAFOOD?: The City of San Francisco has long been
known as one of the top three cities in the U.S. for high quality
restaurants (along with New York and New Orleans). Now the City may
be taking the lead by promoting sustainably harvested fish in its myriad
of fine seafood restaurants. Supervisor Gerardo Sandoval is the author
of a resolution "encouraging the consumption of locally-caught seafood
and fish harvested in a sustainable way and encouraging restaurants and
market featuring seafood to give preference to local seafood
and.......urging seafood markets and restaurants to provide consumer
labeling or information to inform customers as to the species or species
group of fish or shellfish, the gear or fishing method used to harvest the
fish, and where the seafood was caught or grown, and the known health
benefits or risks associated with the consumption of that fish or
shellfish." Sandoval's resolution, prepared in consultation with
consumer, conservation and fishing groups and restaurateurs, is to be
heard by the San Francisco Board of Supervisors' City Services
Committee on 24 April and, if approved, will be heard by the full Board
in early May. For more information, e-mail:
Gerardo.Sandoval@sfgov.org.
7:16/04. GROUP PUSHS FOR SUPPORT OF LOCAL FOOD
PRODUCTION: The Society for Ecology & Culture (ISEC) has
produced a web-based "Local Food Toolkit" aimed at educating
consumers "about the positive international effect on environments,
communities and local economies that can be achieved by supporting
local food production." In the San Francisco Bay Area, for example
(ISEC is located in Berkeley, California) most restaurants feature local
produce and wines, but then overlook locally produced seafood and its
seasons in favor of imports for cheap prices, pre-portioned servings and
year-around availability (see the 16 April San Francisco Chronicle article
by Bill Daley at: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/
chronicle/archive/2003/04/16/FD169679.DTL). The Local Food Toolkit
documents how many of society's crises are linked to food production
"globalizing" and makes a case for the benefits of local food systems.
The Toolkit includes a slide show, poster display, and a range of
handouts and books, including Bringing the Food Economy Home:
Local Alternatives to Global Agribusiness. For more information, go to:
www.isec.org.uk/ustoolkit.html.
7:16/05. PRESIDENT SIGNS LEGISLATION AUTHORIZING
WILD FISH TO BE ELIGIBLE FOR ORGANIC LABEL: On 16 April,
U.S. President George W. Bush signed the "Wartime Supplemental
Appropriations Bill" containing language inserted by U.S. Senator Ted
Stevens (R-AK) to make wild fish eligible for organic labeling (see
Sublegals, 7:15/03). The bill amends Section 2107 of the Organic Foods
Production Act of 1990, 7 U.S.C. 6503, adding language on wild
seafood as follows: "Notwithstanding the requirement of section 2107
(a)(1)(A) requiring products be produced only on certified organic farms,
the Secretary [of Agriculture] shall allow, through regulations
promulgated after public notice and opportunity for comment, wild
seafood to be certified as organic." The Stevens language now sets the
stage for the U.S. Department of Agriculture to begin holding hearings
to develop standards for organic labeling of wild fish. For more
information, see the 16 April Anchorage Daily News article, "Spending
bill helps Alaska salmon" at:
http://www.adn.com/business/story/2948122p-2982750c.html and the
15 April San Francisco Chronicle at:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/chronicle/archive/2003/04/
15/MN174559.DTL.
Wild fish, or at least wild salmon, may be a good fit with other
organic foods. Wild salmon, along with certain other oily fish, are
known to be high in beneficial omega 3 fatty acids, which reduce the
incidence of heart disease and the formation of certain tumors. Now
comes news that organic foods, which are grown without pesticides, are
better for humans than chemical-dependent crops. Tests of pesticide-free
strawberries, blackberries, and corn found that they contain up to 58
percent more polyphenolics, or health-boosting compounds than
conventional crops grown on neighboring plots, according to an 8 March
article in the South Africa Independent. Polyphenolics have antioxidant
properties and may help protect against cancer and heart disease. The
organic produce also had more ascorbic acid, which the human body
converts to vitamin C. The study, conducted by researchers at the
University of California/Davis, was recently published in the Journal of
Agricultural & Food Chemistry. For more, go to:
http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?click_id=143&art_id=qw104710986292
4S000&set_id=1.
7:16/06 OREGON BEGINS ENFORCING FEDERAL LAW
REQUIRING FARMED SALMON TO CARRY WARNING LABEL
ON PRESENCE OF ARTIFICIAL COLORING: With California now
enforcing its Proposition 65 in grocery stores and restaurants requiring
warning notices on fish with high levels of mercury (see Sublegals,
7:15/10; 7:14/07; 7:06/06), the State of Oregon has begun enforcing
federal laws requiring seafood retailers and processors to label farmed
salmon as "color-added," "artificial color added," or "artificial color,"
since this aquaculture product is dyed to get its red color. The labeling
requirements for food colorants are found in Title 21 of the Code of
Federal Regulations (21 CFR). Farmed salmon are grown with feeds
containing the colorants astaxanthin or canthaxanthin. 21 CFR 101.22 &
101.100(a)(2) of the U.S. Food, Drug & Cosmetic Act requires the
labeling of fish fed foods containing these chemical colorants as named
in sections 73.35 & 73.75 (the CFR is online at:
http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr).
The Act requires fish containing these colorants to be labeled with
signage that is at least one-quarter inch in height and conspicuously
displayed (see Sublegals, 7:07/05). The chemical canthaxanthin has
been found to damage vision in humans and in January the E.U. issued a
directive to reduce the amount of this colorant used in foods sold in
Europe (see Sublegals, 7:05/06). In December, the Oregon Department
of Agriculture sent notices to retailers that it would begin enforcing the
label requirements as part of routine inspections. It is not known
whether Washington, California and other states will begin similar
enforcement actions, although such labeling is mandated under the
federal law. For more information, e-mail Anne Mosness at:
eatwildfish@aol.com. For more information on mercury labeling, see the
San Francisco Chronicle article at:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2003/0
4/16/FD292999.DTL.
7:16/07. DEADLINE FOR COMMENT ON FISH & GAME'S
AQUACULTURE PROGRAM: The deadline for comments on the
California Department of Fish & Game's (CDFG) "Draft Program
Environmental Impact Report for Coastal Aquaculture" is 21 April,
unless an extension is granted. The document is "dubious, flawed and
would streamline a process for highly questionable operations in the
coastal zone." PCFFA is requesting a 30-day extension for comments.
To download a copy of the 131-page report, go to:
http://www.dfg.ca.gov/aquaeir/marine-draft-peir.pdf.
7:16/08. DOI REFUSES TO APPEAL TRINITY DECISION, SMUD
PULLS OUT OF LITIGATION, PCFFA SUIT AGAINST NMFS AND
BOR SET FOR 29 APRIL: Friday 11 April was the deadline for the
U.S. Department of Interior (DOI) to petition the Ninth Circuit Court of
Appeals for a stay of U.S. District Court Judge Oliver W. Wanger's
decision to keep flows on the imperiled Trinity River limited to dry year
levels (see Sublegals 6:24/01). DOI was the defendant in the case
brought by Westlands challenging the flows in the Record of Decision
(ROD) for the Trinity River. Interior said it would defend the ROD, but
at the first opportunity to do so, has failed to do so. The Hupa Tribe,
however, has intervened and appealed to the Ninth Circuit to stay
Wanger's order. Absent a stay on appeal, flows will be left at reduced
levels even until the Ninth Circuit makes a final ruling, which is not
likely until next summer. In that time the Trinity, one of a few Klamath
Basin watersheds to have received average rainfall this year, will play a
crucial role in the functioning of the overall Klamath Basin as it recovers
from last fall's catastrophic fish kill (see Sublegals 6:18/01; 6:18/02;
6:18/03; 6:17/06; 6:16/01; 6:15/01; 6:14/01; 6:13/01; 6:12/07; 6:02/09;
5:23/08; 5:21/03; 5:20/09; 5:18/01; 5:17/02). For more see the Eureka
Times-Standard article at:
http://www.times-standard.com/Stories/0,1413,127%257E2896%257E1
327063,00.html.
Under a relentless barrage of complaints from conservation and
fishing groups and their own rate- payers, the Sacramento Municipal
Utility District (SMUD) board voted unanimously on 3 April to
withdraw as a litigant challenging the higher flows (to 48 percent of
historic levels) called for in the Trinity ROD. SMUD had claimed it
stands to loose 40 megawatts of electricity if the ROD is implemented in
its current form, but after receiving considerable criticism for aligning
itself with Westlands Water District, challenging the ROD, the utility
district appeared to finally heed the calls for a return to the ideals of its
mission to provide electricity in "an environmentally responsible
manner." For more, see the Eureka Times-Standard article at:
http://www.times-standard.com/Stories/0,1413,127%257E2896%257E1
301090,00.html, and the Sacramento Bee at:
http://www.sacbee.com/content/news/environment/story/6401379p-7353
865c.html.
On the Klamath side, the lawsuit challenging the National Marine
Fisheries Service (NMFS) Biological Opinion (BiOp) approving BOR's
plan for operations of the Klamath will be heard in U.S. District Court in
Oakland, California on 29 April at 1300 HRS (see Sublegals, 7:15/07;
7:13/02; 7:09/03). PCFFA is the lead plaintiff in this litigation (PCFFA
et al. v. NMFS et al). The plaintiffs are represented by Earthjustice.
7:16/09. SAN JOAQUIN RIVER RESTORATION SETTLEMENT
COLLAPSES AFTER WATER USERS REJECT MEDIATOR'S
SETTLEMENT PROPOSAL: Four years of mediated settlement
negotiations between the Friant Water Users Authority (Friant) and a
coalition of 15 conservation and fishing groups (including PCFFA),
intended to restore flows to the dry San Joaquin (California's second
longest river) from Friant Dam to the confluence of the Merced River
(see Sublegals, 2:20/04; 2:06/04), ended 17 April when Friant rejected a
compromise settlement proposal made by the Chief Mediator of the U.S.
Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. Friant's decision means the fate of the
river, its water and its salmon will be decided in court. Friant water
users have lost repeated rulings in the 15-year court battle.
The dispute centers on whether the federally owned Friant Dam (part
of the Central Valley Project) near Fresno is subject to the same laws
that require all other dams in California to release water to sustain fish.
Unlike other major dams, Friant releases no water for fish, causing parts
of a 150-mile stretch of the San Joaquin to completely dry up. Before the
dam was built in the 1940s, the river supported hundreds of thousands of
spawning salmon every year, the southernmost chinook salmon run in
North America (including a large population of spring-run chinook).
After Judge Lawrence Karlton of the U.S. District Court in Sacramento
invalidated the water districts' federal water contracts in 1997, the parties
then began a four-year settlement process, during which they
commissioned several joint studies of how the river could be restored in
a balanced manner that would meet the water supply needs of current
users. The failed settlement would have provided a plan for restoring the
river and its salmon. PCFFA was one of the plaintiff members in the
settlement negotiations; plaintiffs are represented by the Natural
Resources Defense Council (NRDC). For information, contact Jared
Huffman at (415) 777-0220, or to: nrdcinfo@nrdc.org. Also see the
Fresno Bee article at:
http://fresnobee.com/local/story/6575231p-7515565c.html.
7:16/10 COST OVERRUNS THREATEN REMOVAL OF BATTLE
CREEK DAMS: The proposed removal of antiquated hydro-electric
dams on Battle Creek, a Sacramento River tributary that flows from the
Sierras into the mainstem Sacramento just below Shasta Dam, may be
jeopardized with cost over-runs now exceeding 135 percent of the cost
of the removal/renovation project anticipated when a memorandum of
understanding (MOU) was signed between state and federal agencies and
Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E), the dam's owner, in 1998. The dam
removal on Battle Creek was spearheaded by Nat Bingham, Marc
Reisner and Jason Peltier along with the Central Valley Project Water
Association, the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California and
the Battle Creek Conservancy to, among other things, create a "home
stream" for the endangered winter-run chinook salmon (the natal streams
of the winter-run were blocked-off in the 1940's with the construction of
Shasta Dam).
Battle Creek contains good flows of cold water needed by winter-run,
which spawn mid-summer. The cost over-runs are not for the removal of
the five dams, but to pay for the utility's making the remaining dams
environmentally compliant when they come before the Federal Energy
Regulatory Commission (FERC) for relicensing. PCFFA, a member of
the Battle Creek Working Group, proposed at a meeting of CALFED's
Ecosystem Restoration Subcommittee on 9 April, that government
agencies party to the MOU and the funders revisit the 1998 MOU and
consider buying the Battle Creek unit from PG&E outright and remove
all but two dams at the top of the watershed, instead of the costly efforts
to make the dams environmentally compliant. This, PCFFA said, would
be less expensive and more effective for restoring fish populations.
7:16/11. LATEST REISNER BOOK HIGHLIGHTS THE WEST'S
PRECARIOUS SOURCES OF WATER: A DANGEROUS PLACE -
California's Unsettling Fate is the title of the recently released book by
the late Marc Reisner. Reisner, who died in July 2000 (see Sublegals
2:03/01) is best known for his authoritative and award winning work on
water in the American west, Cadillac Desert. In the late 1990's Reisner
worked with PCFFA and the late Nat Bingham identifying dams for
removal to restore rivers and fish runs (see Sublegals, 1:23/14) including
those on Butte and Battle Creeks in the upper Sacramento River
watershed. Reisner wrote about dam removal in a special Earth Day
"Saving the Earth" Time magazine issue in 2000, titled "Unleash the
Rivers" (pp. 66-71). Both he and Bingham had looked at the intricate
waterway of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, where more than 15
million Californian's get their water, and talked of what will happen
when a major earthquake hits that area and destroys the levees, and with
them the massive state and federal water projects. This posthumous
publication examines California's perilous situation, particularly its
water supply when a major earthquake occurs in the Delta. Reisner's
warnings, however, continue to go unheeded by both CALFED and
California political leaders pushing for more dams and pumping from
the Delta to meet increased demand, instead of more localized water
systems such as desalination.
This book should be required reading for California water planners,
as well as the salmon fishermen who rely on the chinook of the
Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers. A Dangerous Place is published by
Pantheon Books and is available in most bookstores or from
Amazon.com for $22.00 (US). For more information, go to:
www.pantheonbooks.com. Also see the 23 March Glen Martin article.
"Environmental writer Marc Reisner's fervent, articulate brand of
activism will be sorely missed" at:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2003/03/23/
CM247937.DTL.
7:16/12: WHILE US CONTINUES PUSHING ANTIQUATED
DAMS AND DIVERSIONS, JAPANESE DEVELOP HIGH TECH,
ENERGY EFFICIENT DESAL TECHNOLOGY: As the century old
Bureau of Reclamation (BOR), the United States' major water developer,
continues to push for new dam construction and diverting more water
from rivers - the same as it did in 1902 - the Japanese have developed a
technology for creating both energy and potable water from the oceans.
The New York Times reported 23 March a number of Western Pacific
island nations are looking at this technology "that can both desalinate
seawater for drinking and produce electricity by exploiting the difference
in temperatures between the surface of the sea and the depths of the
ocean." The Times article explained that as "the water is heated by the
surrounding warm surface water, it releases ammonia gas, which then
drives the system's power generator........Meanwhile, the heated water
would be transferred to a separate low-pressure chamber where it boils at
a lower temperature, producing steam, which would be condensed and
collected as fresh water for human consumption, leaving salt crystals
behind."
The first of these Japanese plants is planned for Palau, and would
produce enough drinking water for 20,000 residents at a cost of around
$1.00 (US) or less for 250 gallons - approximately the same cost as tap
water from traditional sources. Along the U.S. west coast, desalination
plans and plants are moving ahead in Southern California (see Sublegals,
7:02/04; 6:26/02; 6:19/09), Marin County and the Monterey Peninsula
(to replace water from the Carmel River). To see the 23 March New
York Times article, go to: http://www.nytimes.com/2003/03/23/
international/asia/23WATE.html?ex=1050120000&en=821cbe1d737ffc
e7&ei=5070.
7:16/13. PFMC MAKES MORE GROUNDFISH CUTBACKS,
REALLOCATES SARDINE CATCH TO NORTHWEST: The Pacific
Fishery Management Council (PFMC), at its 7-11 April meeting in
Vancouver, Washington (see Sublegals, 7:15/01) voted to adopt
emergency limits for the groundfish trawl fishery, cutting even deeper
into the catches for that fleet. The restrictions followed on evidence that
bycatch by groundfish trawlers was four times higher than previously
estimated. The Northwest-dominated Council also voted to adopt Option
3 for the sardine fishery, allocating more of that resource to Oregon and
Washington at the expense of California's traditional sardine fishery. For
more information on the PFMC meeting, go to the council's website at:
http://www.pcouncil.org/decisions/0403decisions.html.
7:16/14. SAN FRANCISCO BAY RESTORATION RFP
RELEASED: The Institute for Fisheries Resources (IFR) is inviting
proposals for community-based fisheries habitat restoration projects
focused on the San Francisco Bay. This is the first year of a three-year
partnership with the Community-based Restoration Program (CRP)
within the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
The partnership encourages local efforts to accomplish meaningful
on-the ground restoration or reestablishment of marine, estuarine and/or
riparian habitats benefiting native species of fish and wildlife in the San
Francisco Bay. Proposals are due 15 May. To download this RFP, go to
www.ifrfish.org.
Paying Attention? Cost overruns may jeopardize plans to remove dams
on Battle Creek to restore fish habitat and create a "home-stream" for
winter-run chinook. What is the primary cause of the overruns?:
A) The U.S. EPA will not allow the use of uranium-enriched explosives
to take out the dams.
B) The modifications proposed for remaining dams to make them
environmentally compliant.
C) The demand by Bureau of Reclamation employees with an emotional
attachment to dams for "pain and suffering" payments if they have to
assist in the removal effort.
D) PG& E's insistence on compensation from the State for the emotional
distress caused its executives after the Governor accused utilities of price
gouging during the energy crisis.
E-Mail your answer to "Editor" at: sublegals@ifrfish.org.
And the Winner is.........DAVID RAHN, who correctly answered last
week's question of what one of the problems were for fish in the
House-Senate Energy Bill with "C) The House version eliminates key
fish protections in its hydropower title." He receives an "Order of the
Fringehead" certificate and a handsome gray shire with the cuddly
Sarcastic Fringehead Sublegals logo.
NEWS, COMMENTS, CORRECTIONS: Submit your news items,
comments or any corrections to Sara Randall, 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).
##########################################################
"Sublegals" are a weekly fisheries news bulletin service of Fishlink news
service. To find out more about Fishlink, list information can be viewed
and you can subscribe yourself automatically at:
http://straylight.primelogic.com/mailman/listinfo/fishlink
If you have any trouble subscribing or unsubscribing, contact
PCFFA/IFR directly at: <fish1ifr@aol.com>.
##########################################################
"Fishlink" and "Sublegals" are registered trademarks of the Institute for
Fisheries Resources. All rights to the use of these trademarks are
reserved to IFR. This publication, however, may be freely reproduced
and circulated without copyright restriction. If you are receiving this
as a subscriber, please feel free to pass this on to your colleagues.
Subscribers who wish to post or circulate hard copy of Sublegals or
have no access to the Internet may receive fax subscriptions by faxing
their request, with their fax number to: (415) 561-5464. Thanks!
##########################################################
MADE YOUR PLEDGE? GOT YOUR SARCASTIC FRINGEHEAD
SHIRT? GO TO: www.ifrfish.org
##########################################################
--part1_a7.30f3117c.2bd23a16_boundary
Content-Type: text/html; charset="US-ASCII"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
<HTML><FONT FACE=3Darial,helvetica><FONT SIZE=3D2 FAMILY=3D"SANSSERIF" FACE=
=3D"Arial" LANG=3D"0">######################################################=
####<BR>
&nbs=
p; &n=
bsp; ~~>SUBLEGALS 18Apr03<~~<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>
&nbs=
p; &n=
bsp; =
ASSOCIATIONS<BR>
<BR>
VOL. 07, NO. 16 =
&nbs=
p; &n=
bsp; =
18 APRIL 2003<BR>
##########################################################<BR>
"Never separate the lives you live from the words you speak."<BR>
......................... Paul Wellstone <BR>
##########################################################<BR>
IN THIS ISSUE.......<BR>
<BR>
"Wild About Salmon" Campaign Proves Conservation <BR>
Has Never Tasted Better. 7:16/01<BR>
<BR>
San Francisco To Take Lead Pushing Sustainable Seafood? 7:16/03<BR>
<BR>
Oregon Begins Enforcing National Law Requiring Warning <BR>
Label on Farmed Salmon. 7:16/06 <BR>
<BR>
DOI Refuses To Appeal Trinity Decision, PCFFA Suit <BR>
Over Klamath Flows Set For 29 April. 7:16/08<BR>
<BR>
San Joaquin Restoration Settlement Collapses After <BR>
Water Users Reject Mediator's Proposal. 7:16/09<BR>
<BR>
AND MORE.......<BR>
########################################################## <BR>
<BR>
7:16/01. "WILD ABOUT SALMON," A NATIONWIDE<BR>
PROMOTION OF WILD SALMON BY CHEFS,<BR>
CONSERVATIONISTS AND FISHERMEN, SET TO KICK-OFF IN<BR>
MAY: With the Alaska Department of Fish & Game (ADFG) predicting<BR>
another banner year for that state's salmon fishery (see Sublegals,<BR>
7:09/07) and the Pacific Fishery Management Council (PFMC)<BR>
recommending the best ocean season in 15 years (see Sublegals,<BR>
7:15/01), a nationwide promotion of wild Pacific salmon is set to begin<BR>
in May. Seafood Choices Alliance, the national organization "bringing<=
BR>
ocean conservation to the table," along with many of the nation's finest<BR>
chefs are marking the start of the wild salmon season with "Wild About<BR>
Salmon." The nationwide promotion of wild West Coast and Alaska<BR>
salmon will feature cooking demonstrations "to encourage appreciation<BR>
of this seasonal fish. Wild salmon - abundant, well-managed and<BR>
delicious - is a good environmental choice for people who love seafood."<BR>
Dozens of top restaurant chefs who subscribe to the Alliance will be<BR>
celebrating the wild salmon season this spring and summer in their<BR>
restaurants and at select Bloomingdale's throughout the U.S. The chefs=
<BR>
will be showing off their salmon savvy in the stores' demonstration<BR>
kitchens beginning in May. Moreover, Seafood Choices subscriber chefs<BR>
will be serving wild salmon recipes in their restaurants throughout the<BR>
salmon season. <BR>
<BR>
"'Wild About Salmon' is intended to raise consumer=20=
awareness of the<BR>
importance of making smart seafood choices. Best environmental<BR>
choices like wild salmon are not only good for the environment but taste<BR>
good, too," according to the Seafood Choices Alliance's Susan Boa.<BR>
"Why choose wild Alaska and West Coast salmon?" asks the Seafood<BR>
Choices Alliance, answering, "There are many reasons, but here's just<BR>
one: wild salmon is ocean-friendly. The wild Alaskan salmon fishery<BR>
was the first U.S. fishery to be certified as well-managed, abundant, and<BR=
>
sustainable by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC). Recently, the<BR>
California Salmon Council applied to the MSC to certify as sustainable<BR>
the California chinook salmon troll fishery. Many other conservation<BR>
organizations (such as Environmental Defense, the Monterey Bay<BR>
Aquarium, and the Wildlife Conservation Society) also list wild Alaskan<BR>
and West Coast salmon as an excellent environmental choice. Wild<BR>
salmon is undoubtedly a best choice in seafood. Choosing ocean-friendly<BR>
seafood like wild salmon is a winning proposition for everyone - chefs,<BR>
fishermen, and consumers - because it rewards best management<BR>
practices and ensures a lasting and diverse supply of seafood." <BR>
<BR>
In addition to a number of fine restaurants in San=20=
Francisco and<BR>
Seattle, a nationwide sampling of Seafood Choices Alliance chefs and<BR>
restaurants involved in "Wild About Salmon" includes: PETER<BR>
HOFFMAN - Chef/Owner, Savoy (New York, NY); JAY SHAFFER -<BR>
Chef/Owner, Shaffer City Oyster Bar & Grill (New York, NY); ED<BR>
BROWN - Executive Chef, The Sea Grill (New York, NY); CHRIS<BR>
DOUGLASS - Chef/Owner, Icarus (Boston, MA); CARY NEFF -<BR>
Owner, Sansom Street Oyster House (Philadelphia, PA); JIM<BR>
SWENSON - Executive Chef, National Press Club (Washington, DC);<BR>
JOHN COLETTA - Executive Chef, Carlucci (Rosemont, IL); JASON<BR>
GIRARD - Executive Chef, Buddy Guy's Legends (Chicago, IL);<BR>
SUSAN SPICER - Chef/Owner, Bayona and Herbsaint (New Orleans,<BR>
LA); DAN THIESSEN - Executive Chef, Chandler's Crabhouse<BR>
(Seattle, WA).<BR>
<BR>
For more information about the "Wild About Salmon" campai=
gn,<BR>
contact Stephanie Crane at (914) 793-9400 or by e-mail at:<BR>
scrane@seafoodchoices.com. <BR>
<BR>
7:16/02. ENVIRONMENTALLY SOUND SCOTTISH-STYLE<BR>
SMOKED SALMON: Orvis, the upscale sporting goods manufacturer,<BR>
has for some time carried a line of foods including smoked salmon. But=
<BR>
in 1999, it made the decision to pull smoked Atlantic salmon from its<BR>
catalogs and retail stores (see Sublegals, 1:24/07). "The reason was,"<BR>
according to Orvis, "our salmon was farm-raised, and research has<BR>
shown that farm-raised fish are contributing to the depletion of wild<BR>
Atlantic salmon stocks." The alternative now being offered by Orvis "is<BR>
a great-tasting wild fish from Togiak, Alaska, that has proved extremely<BR>
popular for its flavor and purity." <BR>
<BR>
Orvis said the offering reflects its "commitm=
ent to salmon<BR>
conservation and the well-managed native fisheries that harvest wild<BR>
fish." This year Orvis is offering "wild sockeye salmon cured by one o=
f<BR>
Britain's oldest and foremost salmon smokers: H. Forman & Son. They<BR>
are the only salmon smokers in the 'Academy of Culinary Arts' - the<BR>
world's leading academy of chefs. Forman supplies many of the leading<BR>
London chefs and top hotels, not to mention Buckingham Palace. Their<BR>
cure is a mild 'London cure,' which enhances the natural and succulent<BR>
flavor of the salmon. Dry-salted by hand, the salmon is then cold smoked<BR>
lightly and slowly over smoldering oak chips. The result is truly the most<B=
R>
delicious smoked salmon we have ever offered." For more information<BR=
>
see the Orvis press release at:<BR>
http://www.orvis.com/detail.asp?subject=3D36&index=3D7&dir_id=3D&=
;cat_id<BR>
=3D&group_id=3D<BR>
<BR>
7:16/03. SAN FRANCISCO TO TAKE LEAD PUSHING<BR>
SUSTAINABLE SEAFOOD?: The City of San Francisco has long been<BR>
known as one of the top three cities in the U.S. for high quality<BR>
restaurants (along with New York and New Orleans). Now the City may<BR>
be taking the lead by promoting sustainably harvested fish in its myriad<BR>
of fine seafood restaurants. Supervisor Gerardo Sandoval is the author=
<BR>
of a resolution "encouraging the consumption of locally-caught seafood<BR>
and fish harvested in a sustainable way and encouraging restaurants and<BR>
market featuring seafood to give preference to local seafood<BR>
and.......urging seafood markets and restaurants to provide consumer<BR>
labeling or information to inform customers as to the species or species<BR>
group of fish or shellfish, the gear or fishing method used to harvest the<B=
R>
fish, and where the seafood was caught or grown, and the known health<BR>
benefits or risks associated with the consumption of that fish or<BR>
shellfish." Sandoval's resolution, prepared in consultation with<BR>
consumer, conservation and fishing groups and restaurateurs, is to be<BR>
heard by the San Francisco Board of Supervisors' City Services<BR>
Committee on 24 April and, if approved, will be heard by the full Board<BR>
in early May. For more information, e-mail:<BR>
Gerardo.Sandoval@sfgov.org. <BR>
<BR>
7:16/04. GROUP PUSHS FOR SUPPORT OF LOCAL FOOD<BR>
PRODUCTION: The Society for Ecology & Culture (ISEC) has<BR>
produced a web-based "Local Food Toolkit" aimed at educating<BR>
consumers "about the positive international effect on environments,<BR>
communities and local economies that can be achieved by supporting<BR>
local food production." In the San Francisco Bay Area, for example<BR>
(ISEC is located in Berkeley, California) most restaurants feature local<BR>
produce and wines, but then overlook locally produced seafood and its<BR>
seasons in favor of imports for cheap prices, pre-portioned servings and<BR>
year-around availability (see the 16 April San Francisco Chronicle article<B=
R>
by Bill Daley at: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=3D/<BR>
chronicle/archive/2003/04/16/FD169679.DTL). The Local Food Toolkit<BR>
documents how many of society's crises are linked to food production<BR>
"globalizing" and makes a case for the benefits of local food systems. <BR>
The Toolkit includes a slide show, poster display, and a range of<BR>
handouts and books, including Bringing the Food Economy Home:<BR>
Local Alternatives to Global Agribusiness. For more information, go to:<BR>
www.isec.org.uk/ustoolkit.html.<BR>
<BR>
7:16/05. PRESIDENT SIGNS LEGISLATION AUTHORIZING<BR=
>
WILD FISH TO BE ELIGIBLE FOR ORGANIC LABEL: On 16 April,<BR>
U.S. President George W. Bush signed the "Wartime Supplemental<BR>
Appropriations Bill" containing language inserted by U.S. Senator Ted<BR>
Stevens (R-AK) to make wild fish eligible for organic labeling (see<BR>
Sublegals, 7:15/03). The bill amends Section 2107 of the Organic Foods=
<BR>
Production Act of 1990, 7 U.S.C. 6503, adding language on wild<BR>
seafood as follows: "Notwithstanding the requirement of section 2107<BR>
(a)(1)(A) requiring products be produced only on certified organic farms,<BR=
>
the Secretary [of Agriculture] shall allow, through regulations<BR>
promulgated after public notice and opportunity for comment, wild<BR>
seafood to be certified as organic." The Stevens language now sets the<BR>
stage for the U.S. Department of Agriculture to begin holding hearings<BR>
to develop standards for organic labeling of wild fish. For more<BR>
information, see the 16 April Anchorage Daily News article, "Spending<BR>
bill helps Alaska salmon" at:<BR>
http://www.adn.com/business/story/2948122p-2982750c.html and the<BR>
15 April San Francisco Chronicle at:<BR>
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=3D/chronicle/archive/2003/04/<BR=
>
15/MN174559.DTL.<BR>
Wild fish, or at least wild salmon, may be a good f=
it with other<BR>
organic foods. Wild salmon, along with certain other oily fish, are<BR=
>
known to be high in beneficial omega 3 fatty acids, which reduce the<BR>
incidence of heart disease and the formation of certain tumors. Now<BR=
>
comes news that organic foods, which are grown without pesticides, are<BR>
better for humans than chemical-dependent crops. Tests of pesticide-free<BR>
strawberries, blackberries, and corn found that they contain up to 58<BR>
percent more polyphenolics, or health-boosting compounds than<BR>
conventional crops grown on neighboring plots, according to an 8 March<BR>
article in the South Africa Independent. Polyphenolics have antioxidan=
t<BR>
properties and may help protect against cancer and heart disease. The<=
BR>
organic produce also had more ascorbic acid, which the human body<BR>
converts to vitamin C. The study, conducted by researchers at the<BR>
University of California/Davis, was recently published in the Journal of<BR>
Agricultural & Food Chemistry. For more, go to:<BR>
http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?click_id=3D143&art_id=3Dqw104710986292<BR=
>
4S000&set_id=3D1. <BR>
<BR>
7:16/06 OREGON BEGINS ENFORCING FEDERAL LAW<BR>
REQUIRING FARMED SALMON TO CARRY WARNING LABEL<BR>
ON PRESENCE OF ARTIFICIAL COLORING: With California now<BR>
enforcing its Proposition 65 in grocery stores and restaurants requiring<BR>
warning notices on fish with high levels of mercury (see Sublegals,<BR>
7:15/10; 7:14/07; 7:06/06), the State of Oregon has begun enforcing<BR>
federal laws requiring seafood retailers and processors to label farmed<BR>
salmon as "color-added," "artificial color added," or "artificial color,"<BR=
>
since this aquaculture product is dyed to get its red color. The label=
ing<BR>
requirements for food colorants are found in Title 21 of the Code of<BR>
Federal Regulations (21 CFR). Farmed salmon are grown with feeds<BR>
containing the colorants astaxanthin or canthaxanthin. 21 CFR 101.22 &=
amp;<BR>
101.100(a)(2) of the U.S. Food, Drug & Cosmetic Act requires the<BR>
labeling of fish fed foods containing these chemical colorants as named<BR>
in sections 73.35 & 73.75 (the CFR is online at:<BR>
http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr). <BR>
<BR>
The Act requires fish containing these colorants to=
be labeled with<BR>
signage that is at least one-quarter inch in height and conspicuously<BR>
displayed (see Sublegals, 7:07/05). The chemical canthaxanthin has<BR>
been found to damage vision in humans and in January the E.U. issued a<BR>
directive to reduce the amount of this colorant used in foods sold in<BR>
Europe (see Sublegals, 7:05/06). In December, the Oregon Department<BR=
>
of Agriculture sent notices to retailers that it would begin enforcing the<B=
R>
label requirements as part of routine inspections. It is not known<BR>
whether Washington, California and other states will begin similar<BR>
enforcement actions, although such labeling is mandated under the<BR>
federal law. For more information, e-mail Anne Mosness at:<BR>
eatwildfish@aol.com. For more information on mercury labeling, see the<BR>
San Francisco Chronicle article at:<BR>
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=3D/chronicle/archive/2003/0<B=
R>
4/16/FD292999.DTL.<BR>
<BR>
7:16/07. DEADLINE FOR COMMENT ON FISH & GAME'S<=
BR>
AQUACULTURE PROGRAM: The deadline for comments on the<BR>
California Department of Fish & Game's (CDFG) "Draft Program<BR>
Environmental Impact Report for Coastal Aquaculture" is 21 April,<BR>
unless an extension is granted. The document is "dubious, flawed and<BR>
would streamline a process for highly questionable operations in the<BR>
coastal zone." PCFFA is requesting a 30-day extension for comments.<BR>
To download a copy of the 131-page report, go to:<BR>
http://www.dfg.ca.gov/aquaeir/marine-draft-peir.pdf. =
&nbs=
p; &n=
bsp; <BR>
<BR>
7:16/08. DOI REFUSES TO APPEAL TRINITY DECISION, SM=
UD<BR>
PULLS OUT OF LITIGATION, PCFFA SUIT AGAINST NMFS AND<BR>
BOR SET FOR 29 APRIL: Friday 11 April was the deadline for the<BR>
U.S. Department of Interior (DOI) to petition the Ninth Circuit Court of<BR>
Appeals for a stay of U.S. District Court Judge Oliver W. Wanger's<BR>
decision to keep flows on the imperiled Trinity River limited to dry year<BR=
>
levels (see Sublegals 6:24/01). DOI was the defendant in the case<BR>
brought by Westlands challenging the flows in the Record of Decision<BR>
(ROD) for the Trinity River. Interior said it would defend the ROD, bu=
t<BR>
at the first opportunity to do so, has failed to do so. The Hupa Tribe,<BR>
however, has intervened and appealed to the Ninth Circuit to stay<BR>
Wanger's order. Absent a stay on appeal, flows will be left at reduced<BR>
levels even until the Ninth Circuit makes a final ruling, which is not<BR>
likely until next summer. In that time the Trinity, one of a few Klama=
th<BR>
Basin watersheds to have received average rainfall this year, will play a<BR=
>
crucial role in the functioning of the overall Klamath Basin as it recovers<=
BR>
from last fall's catastrophic fish kill (see Sublegals 6:18/01; 6:18/02;<BR>
6:18/03; 6:17/06; 6:16/01; 6:15/01; 6:14/01; 6:13/01; 6:12/07; 6:02/09;<BR>
5:23/08; 5:21/03; 5:20/09; 5:18/01; 5:17/02). For more see the Eureka<BR>
Times-Standard article at:<BR>
http://www.times-standard.com/Stories/0,1413,127%257E2896%257E1<BR>
327063,00.html.<BR>
<BR>
Under a relentless barrage of complaints from conse=
rvation and<BR>
fishing groups and their own rate- payers, the Sacramento Municipal<BR>
Utility District (SMUD) board voted unanimously on 3 April to<BR>
withdraw as a litigant challenging the higher flows (to 48 percent of<BR>
historic levels) called for in the Trinity ROD. SMUD had claimed it<BR>
stands to loose 40 megawatts of electricity if the ROD is implemented in<BR>
its current form, but after receiving considerable criticism for aligning<BR=
>
itself with Westlands Water District, challenging the ROD, the utility<BR>
district appeared to finally heed the calls for a return to the ideals of it=
s<BR>
mission to provide electricity in "an environmentally responsible<BR>
manner." For more, see the Eureka Times-Standard article at:<BR>
http://www.times-standard.com/Stories/0,1413,127%257E2896%257E1<BR>
301090,00.html, and the Sacramento Bee at:<BR>
http://www.sacbee.com/content/news/environment/story/6401379p-7353<BR>
865c.html.<BR>
<BR>
On the Klamath side, the lawsuit challenging the Na=
tional Marine<BR>
Fisheries Service (NMFS) Biological Opinion (BiOp) approving BOR's<BR>
plan for operations of the Klamath will be heard in U.S. District Court in<B=
R>
Oakland, California on 29 April at 1300 HRS (see Sublegals, 7:15/07;<BR>
7:13/02; 7:09/03). PCFFA is the lead plaintiff in this litigation (PCFFA<BR>
et al. v. NMFS et al). The plaintiffs are represented by Earthjustice.=
<BR>
<BR>
7:16/09. SAN JOAQUIN RIVER RESTORATION SETTLEMENT<B=
R>
COLLAPSES AFTER WATER USERS REJECT MEDIATOR'S<BR>
SETTLEMENT PROPOSAL: Four years of mediated settlement<BR>
negotiations between the Friant Water Users Authority (Friant) and a<BR>
coalition of 15 conservation and fishing groups (including PCFFA),<BR>
intended to restore flows to the dry San Joaquin (California's second<BR>
longest river) from Friant Dam to the confluence of the Merced River<BR>
(see Sublegals, 2:20/04; 2:06/04), ended 17 April when Friant rejected a<BR>
compromise settlement proposal made by the Chief Mediator of the U.S.<BR>
Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. Friant's decision means the fate of th=
e<BR>
river, its water and its salmon will be decided in court. Friant water=
<BR>
users have lost repeated rulings in the 15-year court battle. <BR>
<BR>
The dispute centers on whether the federally owned=20=
Friant Dam (part<BR>
of the Central Valley Project) near Fresno is subject to the same laws<BR>
that require all other dams in California to release water to sustain fish.<=
BR>
Unlike other major dams, Friant releases no water for fish, causing parts<BR=
>
of a 150-mile stretch of the San Joaquin to completely dry up. Before the<BR=
>
dam was built in the 1940s, the river supported hundreds of thousands of<BR>
spawning salmon every year, the southernmost chinook salmon run in<BR>
North America (including a large population of spring-run chinook).<BR>
After Judge Lawrence Karlton of the U.S. District Court in Sacramento<BR>
invalidated the water districts' federal water contracts in 1997, the partie=
s<BR>
then began a four-year settlement process, during which they<BR>
commissioned several joint studies of how the river could be restored in<BR>
a balanced manner that would meet the water supply needs of current<BR>
users. The failed settlement would have provided a plan for restoring=20=
the<BR>
river and its salmon. PCFFA was one of the plaintiff members in the<BR=
>
settlement negotiations; plaintiffs are represented by the Natural<BR>
Resources Defense Council (NRDC). For information, contact Jared<BR>
Huffman at (415) 777-0220, or to: nrdcinfo@nrdc.org. Also see the<BR>
Fresno Bee article at:<BR>
http://fresnobee.com/local/story/6575231p-7515565c.html.<BR>
<BR>
7:16/10 COST OVERRUNS THREATEN REMOVAL OF BATTLE<BR=
>
CREEK DAMS: The proposed removal of antiquated hydro-electric<BR>
dams on Battle Creek, a Sacramento River tributary that flows from the<BR>
Sierras into the mainstem Sacramento just below Shasta Dam, may be<BR>
jeopardized with cost over-runs now exceeding 135 percent of the cost<BR>
of the removal/renovation project anticipated when a memorandum of<BR>
understanding (MOU) was signed between state and federal agencies and<BR>
Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E), the dam's owner, in 1998. The dam<BR>
removal on Battle Creek was spearheaded by Nat Bingham, Marc<BR>
Reisner and Jason Peltier along with the Central Valley Project Water<BR>
Association, the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California and<BR>
the Battle Creek Conservancy to, among other things, create a "home<BR>
stream" for the endangered winter-run chinook salmon (the natal streams<BR>
of the winter-run were blocked-off in the 1940's with the construction of<BR=
>
Shasta Dam). <BR>
<BR>
Battle Creek contains good flows of cold water need=
ed by winter-run,<BR>
which spawn mid-summer. The cost over-runs are not for the removal of<BR>
the five dams, but to pay for the utility's making the remaining dams<BR>
environmentally compliant when they come before the Federal Energy<BR>
Regulatory Commission (FERC) for relicensing. PCFFA, a member of<BR>
the Battle Creek Working Group, proposed at a meeting of CALFED's<BR>
Ecosystem Restoration Subcommittee on 9 April, that government<BR>
agencies party to the MOU and the funders revisit the 1998 MOU and<BR>
consider buying the Battle Creek unit from PG&E outright and remove<BR>
all but two dams at the top of the watershed, instead of the costly efforts<=
BR>
to make the dams environmentally compliant. This, PCFFA said, would<BR>
be less expensive and more effective for restoring fish populations. <BR>
<BR>
7:16/11. LATEST REISNER BOOK HIGHLIGHTS THE WEST'S<=
BR>
PRECARIOUS SOURCES OF WATER: A DANGEROUS PLACE -<BR>
California's Unsettling Fate is the title of the recently released book by<B=
R>
the late Marc Reisner. Reisner, who died in July 2000 (see Sublegals<BR>
2:03/01) is best known for his authoritative and award winning work on<BR>
water in the American west, Cadillac Desert. In the late 1990's Reisne=
r<BR>
worked with PCFFA and the late Nat Bingham identifying dams for<BR>
removal to restore rivers and fish runs (see Sublegals, 1:23/14) including<B=
R>
those on Butte and Battle Creeks in the upper Sacramento River<BR>
watershed. Reisner wrote about dam removal in a special Earth Day<BR>
"Saving the Earth" Time magazine issue in 2000, titled "Unleash the<BR>
Rivers" (pp. 66-71). Both he and Bingham had looked at the intricate<BR>
waterway of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, where more than 15<BR>
million Californian's get their water, and talked of what will happen<BR>
when a major earthquake hits that area and destroys the levees, and with<BR>
them the massive state and federal water projects. This posthumous<BR>
publication examines California's perilous situation, particularly its<BR>
water supply when a major earthquake occurs in the Delta. Reisner's<BR=
>
warnings, however, continue to go unheeded by both CALFED and<BR>
California political leaders pushing for more dams and pumping from<BR>
the Delta to meet increased demand, instead of more localized water<BR>
systems such as desalination.<BR>
<BR>
This book should be required reading for Cali=
fornia water planners,<BR>
as well as the salmon fishermen who rely on the chinook of the<BR>
Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers. A Dangerous Place is published by<B=
R>
Pantheon Books and is available in most bookstores or from<BR>
Amazon.com for $22.00 (US). For more information, go to:<BR>
www.pantheonbooks.com. Also see the 23 March Glen Martin article.<BR>
"Environmental writer Marc Reisner's fervent, articulate brand of<BR>
activism will be sorely missed" at:<BR>
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=3D/c/a/2003/03/23/<BR>
CM247937.DTL. <BR>
<BR>
7:16/12: WHILE US CONTINUES PUSHING ANTIQUATED<BR>
DAMS AND DIVERSIONS, JAPANESE DEVELOP HIGH TECH,<BR>
ENERGY EFFICIENT DESAL TECHNOLOGY: As the century old<BR>
Bureau of Reclamation (BOR), the United States' major water developer,<BR>
continues to push for new dam construction and diverting more water<BR>
from rivers - the same as it did in 1902 - the Japanese have developed a<BR>
technology for creating both energy and potable water from the oceans.<BR>
The New York Times reported 23 March a number of Western Pacific<BR>
island nations are looking at this technology "that can both desalinate<BR>
seawater for drinking and produce electricity by exploiting the difference<B=
R>
in temperatures between the surface of the sea and the depths of the<BR>
ocean." The Times article explained that as "the water is heated by th=
e<BR>
surrounding warm surface water, it releases ammonia gas, which then<BR>
drives the system's power generator........Meanwhile, the heated water<BR>
would be transferred to a separate low-pressure chamber where it boils at<BR=
>
a lower temperature, producing steam, which would be condensed and<BR>
collected as fresh water for human consumption, leaving salt crystals<BR>
behind." <BR>
<BR>
The first of these Japanese plants is planned for P=
alau, and would<BR>
produce enough drinking water for 20,000 residents at a cost of around<BR>
$1.00 (US) or less for 250 gallons - approximately the same cost as tap<BR>
water from traditional sources. Along the U.S. west coast, desalination<BR>
plans and plants are moving ahead in Southern California (see Sublegals,<BR>
7:02/04; 6:26/02; 6:19/09), Marin County and the Monterey Peninsula<BR>
(to replace water from the Carmel River). To see the 23 March New<BR>
York Times article, go to: http://www.nytimes.com/2003/03/23/<BR>
international/asia/23WATE.html?ex=3D1050120000&en=3D821cbe1d737ffc<BR>
e7&ei=3D5070. <BR>
<BR>
7:16/13. PFMC MAKES MORE GROUNDFISH CUTBACKS,<BR>
REALLOCATES SARDINE CATCH TO NORTHWEST: The Pacific<BR>
Fishery Management Council (PFMC), at its 7-11 April meeting in<BR>
Vancouver, Washington (see Sublegals, 7:15/01) voted to adopt<BR>
emergency limits for the groundfish trawl fishery, cutting even deeper<BR>
into the catches for that fleet. The restrictions followed on evidence=
that<BR>
bycatch by groundfish trawlers was four times higher than previously<BR>
estimated. The Northwest-dominated Council also voted to adopt Option<BR>
3 for the sardine fishery, allocating more of that resource to Oregon and<BR=
>
Washington at the expense of California's traditional sardine fishery. For<B=
R>
more information on the PFMC meeting, go to the council's website at:<BR>
http://www.pcouncil.org/decisions/0403decisions.html.<BR>
<BR>
7:16/14. SAN FRANCISCO BAY RESTORATION RFP<BR=
>
RELEASED: The Institute for Fisheries Resources (IFR) is inviting<BR>
proposals for community-based fisheries habitat restoration projects<BR>
focused on the San Francisco Bay. This is the first year of a three-year<BR>
partnership with the Community-based Restoration Program (CRP)<BR>
within the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).<BR>
The partnership encourages local efforts to accomplish meaningful<BR>
on-the ground restoration or reestablishment of marine, estuarine and/or<BR>
riparian habitats benefiting native species of fish and wildlife in the San<=
BR>
Francisco Bay. Proposals are due 15 May. To download this RFP, go to<B=
R>
www.ifrfish.org. <BR>
<BR>
Paying Attention? Cost overruns may jeopardize plans to remove dams<BR=
>
on Battle Creek to restore fish habitat and create a "home-stream" for<BR>
winter-run chinook. What is the primary cause of the overruns?: <BR>
<BR>
A) The U.S. EPA will not allow the use of uranium-enriched explosives<BR>
to take out the dams.<BR>
B) The modifications proposed for remaining dams to make them<BR>
environmentally compliant.<BR>
C) The demand by Bureau of Reclamation employees with an emotional<BR>
attachment to dams for "pain and suffering" payments if they have to<BR>
assist in the removal effort.<BR>
D) PG& E's insistence on compensation from the State for the emotional<B=
R>
distress caused its executives after the Governor accused utilities of price=
<BR>
gouging during the energy crisis. <BR>
<BR>
E-Mail your answer to "Editor" at: sublegals@ifrfish.org. <BR>
<BR>
And the Winner is.........DAVID RAHN, who correctly=
answered last<BR>
week's question of what one of the problems were for fish in the<BR>
House-Senate Energy Bill with "C) The House version eliminates key<BR>
fish protections in its hydropower title." He receives an "Order of the<BR>
Fringehead" certificate and a handsome gray shire with the cuddly<BR>
Sarcastic Fringehead Sublegals logo.<BR>
<BR>
NEWS, COMMENTS, CORRECTIONS: Submit your news items,<BR>
comments or any corrections to Sara Randall, editor at:<BR>
sublegals@ifrfish.org, or call the IFR/PCFFA office with the news and a<BR>
source at either: (415) 561-FISH (Southwest Office) or (541) 689-2000<BR>
(Northwest Office). <BR>
##########################################################<BR>
"Sublegals" are a weekly fisheries news bulletin service of Fishlink news<BR=
>
service. To find out more about Fishlink, list information can be viewed<BR>
and you can subscribe yourself automatically at: <BR>
<BR>
http://straylight.primelogic.com/mailman/listinfo/fishlink <BR>
<BR>
If you have any trouble subscribing or unsubscribing, contact<BR>
PCFFA/IFR directly at: <fish1ifr@aol.com>.<BR>
##########################################################<BR>
"Fishlink" and "Sublegals" are registered trademarks of the Institute for <B=
R>
Fisheries Resources. All rights to the use of these trademarks are <BR>
reserved to IFR. This publication, however, may be freely reproduced <BR>
and circulated without copyright restriction. If you are receiving thi=
s <BR>
as a subscriber, please feel free to pass this on to your colleagues. =20=
<BR>
Subscribers who wish to post or circulate hard copy of Sublegals or <BR>
have no access to the Internet may receive fax subscriptions by faxing <BR>
their request, with their fax number to: (415) 561-5464. Thanks!=
<BR>
##########################################################<BR>
MADE YOUR PLEDGE? GOT YOUR SARCASTIC FRINGEHEAD <BR>
SHIRT? GO TO: www.ifrfish.org <BR>
##########################################################</FONT></HTML>
--part1_a7.30f3117c.2bd23a16_boundary--