Fish Sniffer On Demand Digital Edition Issue 3711 May 11-25 2018 | Page 7

May 11 - 22, 2018 VOL.37 • ISS. 11 Hey Dan! — Letters To The Editor COVER STORY 7 Established 1982 What’s on your mind? Do you have something you’d like to share with us and our readers? A picture... a story... a question to ask, or an answer to another? Let’s hear your compliments, or your gripes! Whatever it is, send it to: HEY, DAN!, c/o Fish Sniffer Publications, The Fish Sniffer - P.O. Box 776, Colfax, CA 95713, or you can now e-mail it at danielbacher@fishsniffer.com. Please enclose a self-addressed, stamped envelope for the return of pictures or text. Thanks! Lead Fishing Weight Ban Bill Amended Hey Dan! April 25, 2018 (Sacramento, CA): The leading advocate for California’s recreational anglers announced today that Assembly Bill 2787, authored by Assemblyman Bill Quirk, passed out of the Assembly Committee on Environmental Safety and Toxic Substances, but not before being amended from an outright ban of fishing weights/sinkers 50 grams or less, to a bill that will “study” the potential impacts of lead on California wildlife. AB 2787 passed 6-1, mostly along party lines. Assemblywoman Melissa Melendez, of the Inland Empire, was the only Republican to vote for the bill. “While we appreciate the author’s will- ingness to amend the bill and work with the angling community, the bill has not earned our support – not yet,” said Marko Mlikotin, Ex- ecutive Director of the California Sportfishing League. “The study, as defined by the author, is overly broad and could be contracted out to an anti-fishing organization, instead of an objective government agency. “ A significant coalition group of industries and organizations representing sportfishing, boaters, marina operators, retailers, tourism and hospitality demanded greater analysis be- fore passing legislation that could have lasting impacts on fishing participation rates and jobs dependent on outdoor tourism. The way the bill was amended, it would allow any non-gov- ernmental organization to conduct a study, and not an objective government agency. “Anglers can claim a big victory here, but there is no question that we need to continue to communicate to legislators the importance of protecting recreational fishing’s future,” said Mlikotin. “Proponents of banning lead fishing tackle will not give up, even if there is no science to justify it.” Over 5,500 California anglers signed the “Stop the Fishing Tackle Ban” petition, urging legislators to oppose the bill as originally drafted. VOTES: Assembly Committee on Environ- mental Science and Toxic Substances Yes - Chair Quirk, author of AB 2787 (D-Hayward) Yes - Vice-Chair Melendez (R-Lake El- sinore) Yes - Arambula (D-Fresno) Yes - Bloom (D-Santa Monica) No - Brough (R-Dana Point) Yes - Holden (D-Pasadena) Yes - Muratsuchi (D-Torrance) Opposition Coalition: American Sportfish- ing Association, California Association of Harbor Masters and Port Captains, California Association for Recreational Fishing, Cali- fornia Aquaculture Association, California Chamber of Commerce, California Parks Com- pany, California Parks Hospitality Association, California Sportfishing League, California Yacht Brokers Association, California Yacht Marinas, Coastal Conservation Association, Coastside Fishing Club, Congressional Sports- men’s Foundation, Coyote Bait and Tackle, Dana Wharf Sportfishing & Whale Watching, Douglas Elliot, Los Angeles County Business Federation (BizFED), Los Angeles Rod and Reel Club, Marina Recreation Association, National Federation of Independent Business, National Marine Manufacturers Association, Nor-Cal Guides and Sportsmen’s Association, Oceanside Senior Anglers, Inc., Paradise Bass Club, Safe Harbor Marinas, San Diego County Wildlife Federation, United Pier and Shore Anglers of California, Visit Mammoth Lakes, Western Boaters Safety Group. The California Sportfishing League (CSL) is a nonprofit coalition of recreational anglers, and small business owners devoted to protect- ing access to recreational fishing. Recreational fishing contributes over $4.6 billion annually to California’s economy, a major contributor to outdoor tourism and jobs. To learn more visit www.savefishing.com or Twitter @CASportfishing ~ Marko Mlikotin, California Sportfishing League CALIFORNIA-NEVADA EDITION “The No.1 Newspaper Dedicated Entirely To Northern California Sportsmen!” Published By NORTHERN CALIFORNIA ANGLER PUBLICATIONS, INC. The Fish Sniffer P.O. Box 776, Colfax, CA 95713 Toll-Free (833)-347-4661 www.fishsniffer.com CAL KELLOGG’S E-MAIL: calkellogg@.fishsniffer.com EDITORIAL E-MAIL: danielbacher@.fishsniffer.com Hey Marko! That’s great news! I appreciate all of the hard work of your organization in opposing this legislation. I agree with you that anglers can claim a big victory here, but there is no question that we need to continue to communi- cate to legislators the importance of protecting recreational fishing’s future in California. ~Dan Restore the Delta Points to Misapplication of “Best Available Science” by Delta Stewardship Council Hey Dan! On April 23, Restore the Delta submitted a comment letter to the Delta Stewardship Council (DSC) criticizing three synthesis papers seeking to support eventual amendments to a Delta Plan chapter addressing eco system restoration. Spe- cifically, the letter identifies gaps in the DSC’s attempt to apply “best available science” to ecological stressors in the Delta, climate change affecting the Delta, and ecosystem and habitat restoration efforts in the Delta. The DSC has indicated that this amendment process will conclude sometime in 2019. Author of the letter and Restore the Delta’s policy analyst, Tim Stroshane writes, “We find the synthesis papers less than synthetic. We identified gaps in their papers concerning interactions between contaminants like selenium and mercury and invasive and other species, the growing deficit of sediment for wetlands trapped behind upstream reservoirs (which affects whether restoration projects can survive sea level rise), and other omissions from adaptive management.” Executive director of Restore the Delta, Bar- bara Barrigan-Parrilla commented, “To date, the DSC has spent $200 million in plans and administrative decrees that are made up of recommendations to other agencies. The DSC claims that its legislative mandate limits its powers and thus cannot engage in needed enforcements for the protection and restoration of the estuary. The Independent Science Panel, which does the most important work, sadly has its work misapplied by DSC staff because the Council’s political mandate for management of the Delta is to serve water exporters only. The broad suite of science that examines water quali- ty and quantity needs for the health of the estuary and its people is broadly ignored, social science and economic data analysis is virtually ignored, and the Delta Stewardship Council refuses to make recommendations that protect the Human Right to Water for Delta environmental justice communities and to enforce state anti-discrimina- tion laws within its planning processes. “For $200 million, we could have expanded staffing at the Delta Protection Commission, an agency that enforces state mandates while work- ing in a professional manner with Delta commu- nities. We could have built fish weirs, contributed funding toward rescreening the existing water pumps at Clifton Court Forebay, completed Delta interim projects agreed to by Restore the Delta and Westlands Water District as needing completion, and the DSC could have completed a needed water availability analysis to examine if the proposed Delta tunnels would have enough access to water flows to be a truly viable project. There are better ways to spend hundreds of mil- lions of dollars to improve the Delta than on the Delta Stewardship Council.” ~ Nora Kovaleski, Restore the Delta Wes Wise landed these huge striped bass while fishing the West Del- ta with Captain Hayden Mullins of Dragon Sportfishing this spring. As of press time, spring striper action was raging all the way from Suisun Bay to Chico. Most of the fish being caught go 3 to 6 pounds, but mon- sters that range up to and beyond 50 pounds are being hooked. Plugging, trolling and bait fishing are all pro- ducing results, but it’s pluggers that are rounding up the biggest fish in recent days. Photo courtesy of HAYDEN MULLINS, Drag- on Sportfishing. The Fish Sniffer has a NEW PHONE NUMBER! Contact us Toll Free at 1-833-347-4661 ADDRESS CHANGE FORM MOVING OR MOVED? Send us your new address so we can get your FISH SNIFFER publications coming to your proper address... ON TIME, EVERY TIME! Name__________________________________ OLD Address____________________________ NEW Address____________________________ It appears that the “best available science” used to justify the construction of the environ- mentally destructive Delta Tunnels is in reality politically manipulated junk science similar to that used under the privately funded Marine Life Protection Act (MLPA) Initiative to create faux “marine protected areas” in California. In both cases, powerful corporate interests and corrupt government officials oversaw the suppression of actual science to promote a predetermined outcome. ~Dan ADMINISTRATION Paul Kneeland....................................Publisher Daniel Bacher.....Editor/Conservation Director Cal Kellogg...........Editor/Media Development ADVERTISING/MARKETING Paul Kneeland.................Advertising Director Sheldon Bright.............Advertising/Marketing Ernie Marlan.........................Advertising Sales Kit McNear...........................Advertising Sales PRODUCTION Cal Kellogg...................Director of Production Wes Ward........................................Webmaster GENERAL OFFICE Brooke Cyphers..........Administrative Director Daniel Bacher...Conservation, Special Features Paulette Kenyon............................Food Editor City, State, ZIP___________________________ Hey Nora! FOUNDERS Harold A. (Hal) Bonslett (1937-2000) Winnie A. 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