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CSPA asks Congress to support NOAA/NMFS Salmon BiOp

by Jerry Neuburger

July 21, 2009 -- The recent NOAA/NMFS Salmon BiOp has become the scapegoat of the attacks on delta fisheries. Some of the wealthiest and worlds largest water districts have taken the BiOp to task in the belief that if they can force National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the National Marine Fisheries Service to cave in to political pressure, they will be the beneficiaries of the small amount of water that the BiOp has set aside for the health of the valley's salmon fisheries.

In a counter move, CSPA has written the members of the California Congressional Delegation, exposing the falsehoods these districts are spreading in the mainstream press. The letter supports NOAA/NMFS and the BiOp and highlights the losses to the commercial and recreational salmon fisheries while also pointing out the list of falsehoods spread by these unscrupulous districts, greedy for water at any cost to the environment.

These districts and the agribusinesses within them have conducted a campaign of falsehoods and misinformation designed to portray California's drought the fault of a "three inch minnow" and have framed the issue as one of, "people vs. fish". The campaign is being orchestrated by a multinational ad agency whose past accomplishments included efforts to suppress the disaster at Three Mile Island and to smooth over the Union Carbide disaster in India. They have enlisted Paul Rodriguez, a Hollywood comedian who is also a valley ranch owner, to represent that it is a case of fish taking away farm labor jobs in an already depressed economy. They have tried to cloud the issue by accusing the striped bass as the cause for the salmon decline through excessive predation even though the two fisheries existed over 120 years in harmony. And, they are seeking an "alternate conveyance" the width and length of the Panama Canal to carry water around the delta so that they can increase pumping volume without fear of saltwater contamination.

Congressman Devin Nunes of Fresno attempted to stop the implementation of the BiOp by introducing an amendment to cut off its funding. Due to some quick lobbying by CSPA and other fisheries groups and the common sense of the majority of the House of Representatives, his amendment was defeated.

Their current plan is more insidious, a constant barrage of misinformation, falsehoods and just plain lies delivered in canned statements to the general press designed to have the public pressure their state and federal politicians to force NOAA/NMFS to allow the Department of Water Resources to increase pumping flows.

This string of falsehoods needs to be exposed for what it is, pure propaganda designed to, in their words, "Turn on the pumps" for their own profit and gain even though it will destroy the lives of thousands of commercial salmon fishermen, deprive half a million recreational anglers of the ability to catch salmon, cause the collapse of many businesses dedicated to both commercial and recreational fishing and shut down the suppliers and manufacturing industries that are based on them. Worst of all, their greed will destroy a fishery that has existed for over 10,000 years as an abundant source of protein for, first, California's native peoples, and now, a food source for the entire nation.

In the next few  days, Bill Jennings, CSPA's Executive Director will ask you, the readers of CSPA's website and ALL CSPA members to write a brief letter to congress, letting them know of your support for the Salmon BiOp.

Please watch for the request and when asked, do your part to support NOAA and the NMFS in their effort to restore California's beleaguered Salmon fisheries.

CSPA's letter to the Congressional Delegation