You gotta fight... For your right... To catch stripers!!!

[STEELIES/26c3]

Yes, there are those in high places who seek to use their political prowess and their public agency positions to influence policies toward selling our delta and its fisheries and wildlife literally, DOWN THE RIVER!

And so, NOW, more than ever, it is REALLY important to question their motives, to get informed of the issues and to speak out and be heard before there is no cause and no fisheries to defend...

And THAT, is why I support organizations like; Golden Gate Salmon Association, California Striped Bass Association, Nor Cal Guides and Sportsmen's Association, Restore the Delta and other transparent organizations with no ulterior motive... just a desire to perpetuate a healthy Sacramento/San Joaquin Delta Ecosystem and its fish and wildlife populations for current and future generations.

And that is why I drove to Downtown Sacramento, paid $15.00 to park my Dodge in a parking garage and sat 4-1/2 hours in front of a panel of politicians to afford myself 3 minutes to speak my mind about why striped bass deserve management policies which protect them rather than management decisions which erroneously blame them for the demise of salmon, delta smelt and other fish species whose numbers have greatly diminished in the last 26 years.

This is an ongoing shit-show funded by billionaire farmers, Stewart and Lynda Resnick who, in some years, use more water than all of the residents of Los Angeles and San Francisco combined!! growing mostly aggro-thirsty almonds and pistachios (not to feed California or America as they claim...) but for export to China.

Not satisfied with their "Paramount Farms" and "Wonderful" Companies controlling as much as 70% of the CVP water, which travels the concrete aqueduct along Highway 5 to their Kern County properties... they formed... (WAIT FOR IT...)

The 'Coalition for a Sustainable Delta' as a means to convince politicians and government regulatory agencies that THEY as corporate farmers and water brokers, rather than biologists and fish and wildlife conservation groups and agencies... know what is best for the ecological health and viability of our Sacramento/San Joaquin River Delta.

These scumbags have a notorious and long-standing record of paying politicians off to exert their influence on land use management decisions and policies which will serve to help them better exploit and profit handsomely from our PUBLIC-TRUST-RESOURCES.

They filed a lawsuit against the California Department of Fish and Game (back in 2008 before CDFG opted for its, softer, more politically-correct title of California Department of Fish and Wildlife...

Unfortunately, the CDFG Commission didn't fight back. Instead they refused to admit guilt but agreed to make concessions which is why they AGAIN had to put the proposal on the table for removing striped bass from gamefish protection status IN 2011.

So off we went to Rio Vista to stand up for stripers on a week night of course... and the turnout was AMAZING! A packed house with standing room only and I could count on one hand (finger?) the number of speaker/s who were there to push an anti-striper agenda.

Round 3 came in August, 2016, when the Coalition for a DRAINABLE Delta pushed for another CDFW proposal meeting in Folsom this time to push not only for the reduction of striped bass but also all forms of black bass (largemouth, smallmouth, spotted, etc...) in the delta and its tributaries.

The petition for that meeting was mysteriously withdrawn. I believe the withdrawal had to do with the overwhelming support from the fishing community. The 'drainable delta' people thought they were upping their game by including black bass in their fight to control OUR water... Did they forget that the bass tourney circuit is a multi-billion dollar a year industry? OOPS!

This August 7, 2019 meeting was the 4th installment of the seemingly-perpetual-proposal to screw us and the fish. There was a significant turnout for sure but maybe 100 and not the 500-600 I had hoped to see.

Dan Bacher was of course there and despite my hate for his employer (The Fish Sniffer) I do respect the man for committing his life to protection of our natural resources and our rights as sportsmen/women.

I also saw Joseph Green aka, MR. HAMMERDOWN, (Another movement I'm not all that fond of...) but Joe is a good guy and he shows up and helps a lot of good causes so thanks bro~

Nick Smith the Informative fisherman and local fly fishing guide, Maury Hatch were also in attendance.

Early on, we found out that no decision would be made that day and that the proposal meeting would reconvene on December 11, 2019.

Roger Mammon, President of the West Delta Chapter of the California Striped Bass Association and Board Member of Restore the Delta, Dr. David Ostrach, Science Adviser for the Allied Fishing Groups and Nor-Cal Guides & Sportsmen’s Association delivered more conclusive presentations summarizing the peer-reviewed science and the politics surrounding this proposal which make it refutable.

I sat there listening to the speakers and watching the reactions of the commission members. I knew soon I would have my chance to speak and that my 3 minute speech would have to be delivered in 1 minute.

I was nervous. I've done a lot of public speaking but I didn't want to regurgitate all the same info which has been voiced ad nauseam, over the years... that stripers and salmonids have coexisted for 125+ years, that it's water diversion rather than predation which has caused fish species to decline, etc... No, I wanted to cut right to the source and call out the CDFG commission members themselves and put to task their credentials for making fishery management decisions.

I had one minute to do so. I introduced myself as a long time fisherman in the area and voiced my concern for the future of our delta its fisheries. I next, expressed my respect and appreciation for the California Dept of Fish and Wildlife FIELD personnel (biologists, hatchery workers, game wardens) but that I questioned the motives and qualifications of the Commission.

For those who don't know... the 5 members of the California Fish and Game Commission are appointed by the Governor. They set the policies and make the management and regulatory decisions and hand them down to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Back in the day.... these commission members were hired based on their merit, based on their background, education, knowledge and experience in making fish and wildlife-management decisions and policies which upheld a balance between recreation, hunting, fishing and conservation of public lands and waters and the natural resources therein.

Unfortunately, politics and money have tainted the process and so today commission members are nothing more than lobbyists who are appointed based on how well they can promote an agenda. I'll spell this out later in a future article which will leave absolutely NO doubt in any rational mind that the CDFG Commission is corrupt AF!

Back to the podium in the auditorium of the California Natural Resources Agency... I next read excerpts from the bio's of each of the 5 panel members,

"President Sklar, a wine-grape grower from Napa, CEO of "Burrito Brothers" a restaurant chain he founded, City Council, Politics, Poly-Sci, Economics, Business Admin.... HOW IS THAT relative to fishery and wildlife decisions?"

Vice President, Jacque Hostler-Carmesin, from Humboldt County where she was a director of transportation and land-use planning on Native American lands. Before that, she was an adviser for CalTrans and her longest stint was working administrative positions for a large mining company which dredged and sold rock, gravel and sand from the Mad River in Arcata and Blue Lake, CA. among other places...

Next up, we have Commissioner, Russell Burns, of Napa, appointed to the Commission in May 2016. As a third-generation heavy-equipment operator, Burns grew up in the construction industry and successfully operated cranes on bridges, refineries, high-rises. Burns has held several state and transportation positions, including an appointment by Assembly member Karen Bass to the California High-Speed Rail Authority Board in 2009, a commitment he fulfilled until 2012."

I was of course abruptly interrupted and told my time was up. I took my seat shaking my head.

It's no surprise that Governor Brown, so desperately trying to push for the completion of his Twin Tunnels and California Bullet Train, appointed these cronies who know as much about fish and wildlife as I do about make-up and horse-shit.

All the political smoke, mirrors and bullshit made me crazy that day so there was only one thing to cure my insanity... a trip to the river.

I got 10 reminders of why the fight is worth the effort. Here's a few of 'em.