Striped Bass Lawsuit...We want your help....

[Mike McKenzie]

As most people in this bulletin board community know, there has been a lawsuit filed by "The Citizens for a Sustainable Delta" to force the Department of Fish and Game to remove all regulation and control of Striped Bass populations in the San Francisco Bay, the Sacramento/San Joaquin Delta and all its tributary rivers. CSPA, CSBA and the NCC/FFF and a lot of the people here have been at the forefront of this battle. Right now we need to ask a little more of you striper fishers out there.

The lawyers for Department of Fish and Game are the lead team for the Defendant (DFG). They have been doing Yeoman's work thus far in the lawsuit, however we need the angling community to take the time to write (or e-mail, Fax) John McCamman the Director of DFG and "encourage" him to maintain the Department's full support and dedication to winning this thinly veiled attack, by special interests, on our iconic Striped Bass, one of the premier fisheries in California.

Please, each and every one of you that appreciate this Striped Bass fishery, take the time to write the Director and let him know you want to keep our Striped Bass protected.

Here's the contact info:

John McCamman, Director
1416 Ninth Street, 12th Floor
Sacramento, CA 95814
(916) 653-7667
(916) 653-7387 fax
E-mail: Director@dfg.ca.gov

Write, e-mail, Fax get the message to him and each of you get 10 others to do the same.
May the Fish Gods smile on Ya'

Mike

[Darian]

Mike,.... Sent a note today. I'm curious tho. Is there some move afoot to settle the litigation for whatever reasons....

[STEELIES/26c3]

as always... will do.

Thanks for the heads up.

Damn when will this crap ever end?

M

[Phil Synhorst]

Damn when will this crap ever end?

M

Rhetorical question, I know. The very sad answer....never. Water has become a high priced commodity. They will fight to get it at any cost.

[RonOtto]

Done. Thanks for alerting us Mike.




Ron Otto

[Jgoding]

I still don't get what the hell eliminating striper has to do with obtaining more water??? Do striper drink too much or something??? I mean jesus, kill off some predators must means that many more smelt will get sucked into the pumps if there is any water for them left anyways.......

I'll be sending in a letter of support. Is there some place where I can send a letter to the plaintiffs to tell them to pull their heads out from their ass and join the rest of society for a few minutes??

If they win somehow I'm gonna lose it...... And not just because I like striper fishing.... now it's just about the principle of the matter. I already deal with enough bs when out fishing and I can't imagine going out and seeing people just abusing such a great sportfish because some idiots need to irrigate their trees/crops in the desert. I only wonder when we'll finally realize that maybe having so many people around and no end in site for population increase isn't the greatest idea....

[Darian]

Jeff,.... You're preaching to the choir....

Paramount Farms is the principal plaintiff in the group known as the Coalition for a Sustainable Delta. Of course, Paramount ownership is held by Roll International (Stewart Resnick). Since Paramount and a few related companies (e.g. Tejon Ranch) are major growers, developers and water purveyors in SoCal, they have great economic incentive to protect their interests against loss of water rights and will fight to protect them; even to the extent of setting up strawmen (fish in the delta) to enable their meeting that goal. We're talking billions of dollars here....

NorCal interests are similar to theirs with the exception of protection of environmental and recreational activities provided by a healthy delta. Even though we'd like to see ourselves differently, from a politicians point of view we're just another special interest group among many. The trick to succeeding in all of this is to make our cause more important than those of competing interests....

IMHO, litigation is always a lengthy, expensive last resort for problem resolution and carries the risk of loss with it. I'd really like to see a coordinated campaign to gain some political clout at the legislature or congress to get on the offensive but that probably won't happen in the current state of affairs.

[Jgoding]

I hear ya Darian.

I've been thinking maybe I should run for legislature or something at some point but I wouldn't see myself getting too far w/o coming from $$. Then again, maybe people would opt for change, but that's doubtful.

I can understand their side of the picture though.... they need "their" water and it's not their fault there isn't enough left over for the delta because they deserve "their" water. And farmers feed America..... of course they do, but it's not like we're starving over here and no food ever goes to waste.....

At times I almost want to give up and say.... you know what, drop the protection.... drop all protections and see what happens. When tigers, bears, elephants, rhinos, all sportfish etc.. are all gone maybe (big maybe) we'll learn something. And it'll be funny.... the idiots out there keeping everything will be the first a-holes to cry about no striper left and I won't feel bad for punching them in their face so I don't have to hear it....

[Darian]

Hey Jeff,.... I'd vote for you....