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Doug Obegi: California’s salmon fishermen & Central Valley agribusinesses: What about co-equal goals?

Posted by: Maven on July 2, 2010 at 7:12 am

From Doug Obegi at the NRDC Switchboard blog:

“Today marks the first day in more than two years that commercial fishermen in California and much of Oregon can fish for salmon. The closure of the salmon fishery, the first in California’s history, was devastating for salmon fishermen and fishing communities, resulting in thousands of lost jobs and hundreds of millions of dollars in lost income in 2008 and 2009. 2009 saw zero income from salmon fishing in California.

Agribusinesses in the Central Valley have generated a lot of media coverage over reduced water allocations in 2009. But as the Monterey County Herald noted in a recent editorial (“Sky hasn’t fallen over water allocation reduction”), Fresno County posted $5.4 billion dollars in farm revenue in 2009 (the second highest total ever), despite a 10% water allocation for the Westlands Water District. The Fresno Bee recently quoted one businessman who noted that it was simple “Economics 101” that crop prices increase when supplies are reduced, helping to explain Fresno County’s success in 2009. Farmers also adapted by changing what crops they grow, as my colleague wrote about here. And the LA Times reported earlier this year about how farm jobs actually increased in 2009, despite the low water allocations.

That was 2009. So how will salmon fishermen and agribusinesses do this year? … “

Continue reading Doug Obegi’s post at the NRDC Switchboard blog by clicking here.

July 2, 2010 · Filed Under Wildlife & Endangered Species

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