Category Archives: environment

Columbia River to go Barbless for Salmon and Steelhead

Beginning May 1st, 2010, Washington fisheries officials are proposing a single barbless hook restriction for the Columbia River.

Washington fisheries officials are about to deliver a bombshell on Columbia River anglers, proposing single barbless hooks be required for salmon and steelhead angling as far upstream as McNary Dam.

The proposed rules can be downloaded from the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife website. The changes are scheduled for public comment October 8th, with a potential ratification in December.

#11. Hook Rules for Salmon in Marine Areas
Proposal: Require single-point barbless hooks when fishing for salmon from the Columbia River jetty and in Willapa Bay (MA 2-1) and the Westport Boat Basin from August 1 – January 31.

Explanation: This proposal would require single-point barbless hooks for all saltwater salmon fisheries, making saltwater salmon hook rules consistent and easy to follow, while allowing easier release of any salmon not retained

These types of changes are to be expected, in light of the dramatic decline in west coast salmon populations. This comes on the heels of a $7.50 increase in a Washington license (for salmon) – we can all expect to see stiff sanctions in play as the fish dwindle to extinction.

These are the Good Old days ..

Tags: Columbia River salmon, single barbless restriction, salmon, Washington fish and wildlife

Another Singlebarbed Science post, mainly because absolutely no one else has the patience

Me, I can’t help it. Fly fishing is like the stock market and every channel has some nicely powdered fellow telling you what to buy. Most ignore the larger picture in favor of the populist message; get in now, you’re missing it.

Fishing has the same urgency for me, as I’m forced to eat a great deal of bad news and mold it into glib commentary. Which is why I’m fascinated by stream science (in all its many forms) and insist on posting these tasty little nuggets – despite your collective yawn.

It’s mostly about fresh potable water, something that our piddly little sport requires in great abundance and in the pristine variant. With the increasing density of humans and the decline in freshwater quality, most of the streams we hold dear – will be squarely in the crosshairs of plenty of important people, numerous multinational corporations, and all of them will have bigger war chests and more political clout than every conservation group added together.

… but that battle is still decades distant.

Right now, it’s about 20% of the dragonflies and damselflies disappearing in the Mediterranean, due to the scarcity of fresh water.

Dragonflies are generally known for being good indicators of water quality. Major threats for 67 percent of these Mediterranean species are habitat degradation and pollution. The Spotted Darter (Sympetrum depressiusculum), which used to be common in the Mediterranean, is now listed as Vulnerable and is declining due to the intensification of agricultural practices in rice fields.

Pollution and rice fields, sounds mighty familiar.

I tromp through the same chemical brew here in California, fishing for panting trash fish covered in Copepods, knowing that some kindred spirit in Italy is cursing his politicians as violently as I am. His damselflies will go the way of my salmon, one day they’re here and the next … the supermarket freezer has pallid stacks of frozen “color added” …

Then it’ll just be us guys spinning yarns about what used to be in that toxic rivulet the neighbor kid emptied his motor oil into.

… but Science ain’t all bad. I’m forced to wallow through an aggregation of dead, diseased, and dying – to find the occasional scientific nugget to cheer us all.

It may be safe to put them big feet back in the creek, as the sand and sediment stirred by your sliding through the fast water allows the creek to hold its shape.

Sand and siltation has always carried the evil label, as it’s known to cover spawning gravel and terraform a cobble bottom to its liking. UC Berkeley researchers suggest it also plays an important role in cutting off meanders allowing rivers to avoid fragmenting into many smaller rivulets.

The significance of vegetation for slowing erosion and reinforcing banks has been known for a long time, but this is the first time it has been scientifically demonstrated as a critical component in meandering. Sand is an ingredient generally avoided in stream restoration as it is known to disrupt salmon spawning. However, Braudrick and his colleagues have shown that it is indispensable for helping to build point bars and to block off cut-off channels and chutes–tributaries that might start and detract from the flow and health of the stream.

Animal trails and depressions in the landscape can be scoured deeper with Winter’s flows, providing the opportunity for channel formation which splits the river and diminishes flows along both branches. A combination of bank side growth and instream sand forms a “self sealing” repair kit preventing channelization of the riverbed.

Science. I got your reality show right here, babe.

Tags: channelization, meander, UC Berkeley, siltation, sand, bankside vegetation, dragonflies, damselflies, rice, tomatoes, pollution

Hoki, the other White Meat

Two years ago I introduced you to the Fillet O’ Fish sandwich – the Hoki, or Whipfish. The New York Times is reporting that this model sustainable fishery has suddenly become unsustainable compliments of McDonald’s, Long John Silver, and modern fast food.

This is one of those rare moments where anglers can take the Moral High ground – as everyone knows despite our lust to catch fish, most of us would rather have a hamburger.

My theory is you can bread and deep fry a car tire and it’ll make a suitable replacement given the volume of Tartar-saucelike-substance added. As the Hoki lives a half mile down with a lifespan of nearly 100 years – the next great whitemeat has to be Jellyfish..

… no worries, they’ll give it a catchy name.

Tags: McDonald’s Filet O’ Fish sandwich, Hoki, Whipfish, Moral High Ground, Long John Silver

Susan’s Purse Making Caddis, ten toes on the fender

Anglers have always been linked with conservation issues. Often we’re the whistle blowers that link some abusive practice with its effects on riparian habitat.

Invasive species and our part in spreading them was a stiff jolt. We’ve had the luxury of being the “Good Guys” for so many years – finding out we are the cause of some malady is a bit uncomfortable.

Giving up felt soled waders may be martyrdom to some, but as the pristine environments shrink, what else are you willing to part with?

Oh yes, it’s coming to that.

Those that made the pilgrimage to Hat Creek when reopened after its makeover by CalTrout have fond memories of large fish, Green Drakes, and the Powerhouse #2 riffle lined with enormous October caddis cases.

They are all gone now and have been for many years.

We did that. All those thunderous feet chasing large fish managed to squash the October Caddis out of the areas accessible to wading anglers. Siltation from the upstream powerhouse and the occasional canal break were responsible for the demise of the Carbon Bridge Drake hatch – but all our feet in the riffle above certainly added to the silt burden downstream – we just never measured the effect.

… and like most “trophy” water – our passion for bigger fish and wild trout has always put a dent in populations – despite our intentions otherwise. Hook the same fish 34 times a year and eventually he gets his gut squeezed, hits a log when dropped, or no longer has enough integrity in his lower jaw to eat mayflies …

We mean well – we’re not bad people, it’s just a numbers game. Thousands of anglers fishing continuously over a small space alters the landscape just like grazing cattle.

… and cleated rubber soles – they will make it easier to destroy the banks – as the same entree and exit points are used by thousands of anglers season after season.

The next couple of decades are liable to make us give up a lot more than felt soles, we may even be banned from certain watersheds – or no longer permitted to wade at all.

Invasive species come to mind, but I’m thinking of the Endangered Species Act and shock of finding some of the best water denied to the Gore-Tex hordes.

This year two species of underwater insect made the Federal Endangered Species list; the meltwater lednian stonefly (Glacier Park), and Susan’s purse-making caddisfly (central Colorado: Trout Creek Spring and High Park Fen) and may result in federal protection for what small areas still contain them.

This has always been a hot issue among private land owners who are suddenly denied use of their property to protect a salamander or lily – and with our big feet stirring up sediment and squashing insects underfoot, we may have to ante-up as well.

It’s certainly an unwelcome thought, yet fascinating to contemplate.

… and while you glance down at them big feet knowing you’re innocent of all wrongdoing – how your gazelle-like dance through the fast water couldn’t possibly be doing harm. Think again. Many thousands of insect lovers you never knew existed will be gearing up to confront you in the parking lot…

… you’ll have one foot poised over the water when you feel the Taser darts bite through your vest.

Tags: meltwater lednian stonefly, susan’s purse making caddis, insect lovers, taser, hat creek, wild trout, big wading feet, CalTrout, Trophy trout, global warming, Endangered Species Act, cleated wading shoes

The Pebble Mine is a drop in the bucket to what’s coming

With all the attention and outcry focused on the proposed Pebble Mine, what’s sliding under the radar is the Great Alaskan Coal Rush.

With the far East clamoring for coal to fuel the Chinese infrastructure build out, and with Alaska containing one half of the coal reserves of the United States, and the shortest distance to market, we can expect to see a lot of pristine plowed under.

The proposed Chuitna mine and numerous other in-the-works coal projects would launch what some are calling the “Alaska coal rush.” Such an explosion of coal production would bring to the so-called Great Land an extraction industry that has devastated vast portions of the Lower 48. The effects would be many and far-reaching: from clearing out wilderness and infringing on the outback lifestyles of many residents to an acceleration of the epic disintegration of ancient glaciers brought on by warming climates. At stake are not only Alaska’s land and waters but also its allure as the country’s last true frontier.

Much of the proposed activity will be centered around the Cook Inlet near Anchorage. With the Chuitna Mine actually plowing through the riverbed – and the promise that the river will be restored via a man made facsimile after all the goodie is extracted.

The scientists who completed the analyses concluded that PacRim’s plan to strip-mine for coal directly through 11 miles of salmon-bearing streams would significantly damage local wetlands and headwater streams in an area 45 miles west of Anchorage. Restoration of the fragile and valuable wetlands and streams that feed the salmon-rich Chuit River would be virtually impossible, they determined.

More of the now-famous “It’s only one river” ecological standard – which has got us to the teetering point of Pacific Salmon extinction. “Texas investors” and Sarah Palin, “Drill, Drill, Drill” and be damned to you.

In all, eight separate projects are in various stages of review.

Half the coal reserves of the US and 100% of the Salmon reserves – and a lot of folks standing around shrugging their shoulders wondering, “how could this have happened?”

Tags: Alaska Coal Rush, Sierra Club, Chuitna Mine, Sarah Palin, China stockpiling commodities, PacRim coal, pacific salmon extinction, drill drill drill, Cook Inlet, Pebble Mine

The Meek Shall Inherit once the Strong get eaten

The Good News is that Sacramento Pikeminnow can reach upwards of 31 pounds, the Bad News is that they don’t taste like Salmon.

Records released by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service reveal that the salmon counts taken at the Red Bluff Diversion Dam are down to one fourth their averages for this time of year. As of July 25th, 596 Chinook salmon had crossed the dam, while the average for years past was 1,916.

However an alarming fact has also been revealed, the Sacramento Pike Minnow, the Chinook’s main predator, has crossed the dam in record numbers, 905 this year compared to an average of 713.

For us coarse fishers it appears the meek will inherit, once all the gleaming fancy fish have been pounded out of existence. That’ll elevate what is left to gamefish status – and the guides will be plying the same holes for the wily “Golden Salmon.”

… and the Pikeminnow’s mortal foe, the Striped Bass is being litigated against by the southern California water districts; their assertion is the Striper is an invasive species and the root cause of Salmon decline.

They Shall Inherit, The Movie

Once the lawsuit does away with the Stripers and the balance of the Delta is diverted to SoCal compliments of the Governator, we’ll have some odiferous foamy little trickle that San Rafael and Walnut Creek can fight over as to who gets to drink it.

It is singular that despite all the vitriol and law enforcement, despite the millions being spent on habitat restoration, bag limits, gear restrictions, catch and release rhetoric, despite all those countless hardworking folks devoted to the Salmon (including us) – that the Pikeminnow with nothing to protect it are thriving and on the increase …

… and if they tasted like a Twinkie, they too would be extinct.

Tags: Sacramento Pikeminnow, Chinook Salmon, Striped Bass, Governator, coarse fishing, Twinkie, Red Bluff Diversion Dam, water politics, meek shall inherit

Fraser River sockeye run is missing

Anyone seen 9 million missing Sockeye salmon?

It seems that 90% of the Fraser River’s sockeye have vanished in a single season, with locals completely mystified as to the cause.

Salmon farms and their sea lice infestations are among the explanations – but no one suspected an issue until the meager return.

Alexandra Morton, who several years ago correctly predicted a collapse of pink salmon runs in the Broughton Archipelago because of sea lice infestations, in March warned the same thing could happen to Fraser sockeye.

If true, then farming operations will take on the aspect of the Exxon Valdez, sinister – responsible for an ecological disaster of enormous magnitude.

It’s much too soon to point fingers, but an international summit is being called with the US and Canadian governments to hash out issues and identify potential causes (if any).

Tags:Fraser River, salmon farms, sockeye salmon, Exxon Valdez, sea lice infestation, US and Canada summit,

Science reveals who’s eating all the fish, and we’re not surprised

middleclass Irate anglers and the phalanx of ecological shock troops have a clean target to blame for the world’s declining fish stocks, climate change, and extra hammy feet in your riffle …

… it’s the middle class, they done it ALL.

According to a recent study by Wildlife Conservation Society and other organizations, coral reefs next to “middle class” communities in Eastern Africa have the lowest fish levels. In contrast, reefs next to villages of low and high socio-economic levels had higher fish levels.

Us starving authors belong to the lowliest socio-economic strata – we can boast being part of the solution, not practitioners of conspicuous consumerism – who aren’t holding up their end of the economy, and welch on home loans daily, while not surrendering their seat on the bus to old ladies …

You other guys SUCK.

The explanation, said researchers, lies in the interplay between traditional customs and how growth influences the social fabric of communities. In poor communities, many of which rely heavily on marine resources, fishing levels are kept in check by local cultural institutions and taboos and a reliance on traditional, low-tech fishing methods.

Loosely translated if you see a Simm’s, Orvis, Sage, or Winston sticker on clothing or rod, if you see a Starbuck’s container in the interior of their car, or if the rod is made from Bamboo, they’re poachers.

Bamboo fishermen covet your daughter, wife, or Springer Spaniel (not necessarily in that order) – them fellows disregard all the important tenets of a modern industrialized society, acting out their base nature with the rest of us as unwitting victims.

Tags: Orvis, Simm’s, Sage, Winston, Starbuck’s, Bamboo rod, poachers, World Conservation Society, industrialized society, taboo, tradition, consumerism, home loan defaults

Infrastructure bailout pits fish against all comers

Alternative energy is anything other than fossil fuel and with the administration determined to promote the agenda, “Green” may be as perilous to fish as cracking hydrocarbons …

The ability of the nation’s aging hydroelectric dams to produce energy free of the curse of greenhouse gas emissions and Middle Eastern politics has suddenly made them financially attractive — thanks to the new economics of climate change. Armed with the possibility of powerful new cap-and-trade financial bonuses, the National Hydropower Assn. has set a goal of doubling the nation’s hydropower capacity by 2025.

Doubling the nation’s hydropower can be garnered at least three ways; more dams, more energy eked from existing dams, and more energy squeezed from existing flows.

It’ll be up to the engineers to determine whether any of the three can be done with less impacts to fish.

Across the country, there are about 82,600 dams, but only about 3% of them are used to generate electricity. Hydropower produces about 6% of the nation’s electricity, and nearly 75% of all renewable electric power.

Retrofitting dams used for other purposes are the low hanging fruit, and if fish ladders/passages come with the retrofit that could be a boon.

My area is rife with small dams used for flood control and irrigation water, all block passage to migratory fish – destroying the steelhead and the California salmon runs. I’d be willing to roll the dice on a refit that added the possibility of restoring fish to old haunts.

Tags: dam removal, hydropower, California salmon, electricity, fossil fuel, alternative energy, green energy, fish

Hemlock Dam deconstruction via Webcam

A little environmental voyeurism is in order – and no, you won’t be asked for your credit card number.

Enviro-Voyeurism

Webcams abound on the Internet, uniting them as wants to show with them as wants to watch. The University of Washington is playing to the highbrow fetish with the first “Dam Removal Webcam” – front row seats to the dismantling of the Hemlock Dam on Trout Creek, allowing you to cheer each blow of the pickaxe – and each truckload of debris hauled off.

It’s enough to give fisherman the Woods – or at least a lot of Nature.

Bring plenty of Popcorn …

Tags: Hemlock Dam, dam removal, University of Washington, Webcam, environmental fetish