Department of Fish and Game along with Southern California’s Big Ag tied unsuccessfully today to eradicate the stripers population. Department of fish and game made a back door deal with the Big Ag corporations of southern California to increase the limit of stripers to six and lower the size limit to 12″. They also wanted hot spots where there would be no striper limits. This would have wiped out what is left of the stripers.
Big Ag is trying to side skirt the real issues that are causing the decline of all the fisheries. The main issue is the huge flows they are diverting through the delta into the concrete waterway. They are killing millions of fish in the pumps to water areas in the desert that were not meant to be farmed and until recently have never been farmed. Big Ag in turn payed their lawyers to try to divert attention away from the Delta pumps to the stripers as the cause of the salmon and smelt demise. Thus would mean more water could be diverted though the pumps because it was not a pumping issue but a striper problem. Big Ag was also trying to sway public opinion on this issue by focusing the problem to something else.
It was very disappointing to see Fish and Game as pons in this game being played by Big Ag corporations. It just goes to show you that politics and big money go had in hand. Fish and Game is run by the Governor of California. The Governor appoints the Director of Fish and Game and must follow his wishes or find a new job as seen by the previous governor. When big Ag donates money to the Governors pocket book this is what happens. Fish and game should be protecting California’s resources but are handcuffed by the political process.
The Fish and Game Commission was in Sacramento today to decide the faith of the stripers. The commission takes the recommendations of Fish and Game, National Marine Fishery and many other entities along with public input to either pass, reject or research issues that are up for a change in the law.The five commissioners heard testimony from both sides and ultimately voted to reject Fish and Game and Big Ag’s request for the decimation of the striper fishery.
It is going to be interesting to see what Big Ag’s next move is going to be. With the amount of money they paid for their lawyers at this meeting and all the ones leading up to today they could have used it to put better screens around the massive pumps to keep more of the fish in the Delta from being killed.
striper that did not get away
