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The water wars: California’s salmon vs. agribiz interests: Taking re-spawnsibility

Posted by: Maven on March 16, 2010 at 5:47 am

From the Grist, this commentary by

” … there’s something missing in my line-up in recent years, and my customers and I miss it terribly: local, wild salmon. Not long ago, Chinook salmon pulled from our cold, clean offshore waters, constituted up to 50 percent of my business. Today: zilch, nothing. That’s because there hasn’t been a commercial salmon season in California and Oregon for the last two years.

Oh, we still offer some wild salmon … from Alaska and British Columbia. But because we have to compete with Asia and Europe for this very limited resource, the prices are often astronomical. And while these fish are delicious, they’re still not local fish. A salmon caught in near-shore waters on hook-and-line, then promptly iced and sold within 24 hours, is in a league of its own. The freshness, the flavor … there’s nothing comparable.

So for me and Monterey Fish Market’s customers and employees, it’s no small matter when we lose a state salmon season. The same can be said for millions of other people in California — anyone who works in the food or restaurant trades, supports sustainable business, enjoys angling, or simply likes eating fresh, wholesome fish. The loss of our salmon fishery is a catastrophe that cuts across all social strata. … “

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March 16, 2010 · Filed Under Wildlife & Endangered Species

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