Tag Archives: Mike Hudson
Trading Salmon for Almonds
Northern California fishermen have endured an extremely difficult year. Fishery managers closed the entire commercial salmon fishing season for half of June and all of July in much of Northern California, and in general, ocean fishing has been poor the past few years off the California coast. The drought is to blame, along with excessive water diversions from the streams where Chinook salmon spawn. So it’s frustrating for commercial fishermen like Mike Hudson of Berkeley to hear that another part of the state’s food industry—almonds—is expecting a record crop in 2016. Almond farmers draw water from the same river systems in which Chinook salmon lay and fertilize their eggs, and to Hudson—a longtime critic of unsustainable agriculture, including growing thirsty crops like almonds in the dry San Joaquin Valley—it appears as though the farmer’s gain is his loss. Read the story here 18:31
Big Trouble Looms For California Salmon — And For Fishermen
The West Coast’s historic drought has strained many Californians — from farmers who’ve watched their lands dry up, to rural residents forced to drink and cook with bottled water. Now, thanks to a blazing hot summer and unusually warm water, things are looking pretty bad for salmon, too – and for the fishermen whose livelihoods depend on them. Preliminary counts of juvenile winter-run Chinook are at extreme low levels. These are salmon that are born during the summer in California’s Sacramento River and begin to swim downstream in the fall. Read the rest here 11:38
Fishermen and farmers fight over water in California
Farmers are preparing for state-ordered cuts in water use to take effect this week. They are expected to affect agriculture and people in the watershed of the San Joaquin River, which runs from the Sierra Nevada Mountains to San Francisco Bay. It’s a primary source for farms and communities. There are already battles over who’s using too much water. PAUL SOLMAN: California salmon are under siege these days, and not just from bears hungry for heart-healthy fatty acids. MIKE HUDSON, Small Boat Commercial Salmon Fishermen’s Association: Last year, all our wild spawning salmon have died. Video, read the rest here 10:53
Fishermen Divided Over New Lingcod Limit Rules
A recent decision to increase the legal harvest limit of lingcod, a popular West Coast fish species, has sparked debate and some disagreement among fishermen and scientists. The lingcod population is higher than it’s been in several decades, according to the , the Portland-based panel of scientists and fishermen that approved the regulation change in late June. Read more here 04:03
