Tony Buzolich
12-03-2011, 09:42 AM
Woodman, I have to say that is an interesting read with an incredible amount of detailed information. Bias or otherwise it still touched on two areas of predation that I'm familiar with, that being the pikeminnow (squawfish) and the sea lions.
It seems to me that the greatest mortality to smolt would be throughout the upper river systems where the squawfish flourish and are in mass as they migrate out to sea. On page 85 of that report it shows a 21" squawfish with 34 juvenile salmon in it's belly. That's incredible how much they eat, but what's even more amazing is how many and how large these squawfish get in size. At every marina on the river where there is a cleaning station with a shute the river is solid black with squawfish eating an easy meal. Can you imagine what they are doing to the smolt when they get released into the system? And the size of them is often huge twice the size of the one in the picture. Here's Frank holding a big squawfish that are here by the thousands. Think how many smolt they must eat!
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b320/buzolich/IMGP0023-1.jpg
As for the sea lions, Geez, I've never seen so many as we have recently. The mouth of the Russian River at Jenner is stacked wall to wall with them and with signs saying not to disturb or harass them. How the hell ANY salmon or steelhead makes it through this barrier of animals would also be amazing. I'm sure every river mouth along the entire Pacific coast must have the same kind of problem .Take a look at page 126 of that report.
Interesting too is how the downstream smolt are being re-directed to the south and central parts of the delta rather than out to sea in the bay. Un-natural changes in water flow direction (pumps and gates) directs these smolt into a more toxic enviroment before getting to the bay,,,,,if they do at all.
The one other thing that I'm suprized Vogel DIDN'T touch on is MERGANZERS! They're everywhere there are small fish coming through. On the Feather there are often flocks of them flying to the shallow riffle areas where they gorge on fry and smolt. Rafts of them like patrol boats surrounding schools smolt.
Obviously there are multiple reasons for the decline in the salmon runs but to target striped bass as the main reason is wrong. I have no doubt in my mind that these "NATIVE" predators ( pikeminnows, merganzers, and sea lions) do a whole lot more eating of smolt and adult salmon than we can even imagine. Why isn't something being done to control this NATIVE menace?
Okay, I've ranted enough, but it's a damn shame to see striped bass getting blamed entirely for the sake of other more NATIVE or Federally Protected animals that are doing as much or more damage to reduce salmon stocks in our system.
TONY
It seems to me that the greatest mortality to smolt would be throughout the upper river systems where the squawfish flourish and are in mass as they migrate out to sea. On page 85 of that report it shows a 21" squawfish with 34 juvenile salmon in it's belly. That's incredible how much they eat, but what's even more amazing is how many and how large these squawfish get in size. At every marina on the river where there is a cleaning station with a shute the river is solid black with squawfish eating an easy meal. Can you imagine what they are doing to the smolt when they get released into the system? And the size of them is often huge twice the size of the one in the picture. Here's Frank holding a big squawfish that are here by the thousands. Think how many smolt they must eat!
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b320/buzolich/IMGP0023-1.jpg
As for the sea lions, Geez, I've never seen so many as we have recently. The mouth of the Russian River at Jenner is stacked wall to wall with them and with signs saying not to disturb or harass them. How the hell ANY salmon or steelhead makes it through this barrier of animals would also be amazing. I'm sure every river mouth along the entire Pacific coast must have the same kind of problem .Take a look at page 126 of that report.
Interesting too is how the downstream smolt are being re-directed to the south and central parts of the delta rather than out to sea in the bay. Un-natural changes in water flow direction (pumps and gates) directs these smolt into a more toxic enviroment before getting to the bay,,,,,if they do at all.
The one other thing that I'm suprized Vogel DIDN'T touch on is MERGANZERS! They're everywhere there are small fish coming through. On the Feather there are often flocks of them flying to the shallow riffle areas where they gorge on fry and smolt. Rafts of them like patrol boats surrounding schools smolt.
Obviously there are multiple reasons for the decline in the salmon runs but to target striped bass as the main reason is wrong. I have no doubt in my mind that these "NATIVE" predators ( pikeminnows, merganzers, and sea lions) do a whole lot more eating of smolt and adult salmon than we can even imagine. Why isn't something being done to control this NATIVE menace?
Okay, I've ranted enough, but it's a damn shame to see striped bass getting blamed entirely for the sake of other more NATIVE or Federally Protected animals that are doing as much or more damage to reduce salmon stocks in our system.
TONY