Who looks bad???
Posted by David Dempsey on 2011-11-04 02:33:16
in reply to Re: Public Invited to Discuss Proposed Regulation Changes for Striped Bass posted by Marty Gingras on 2011-11-02 22:51:56
|There is something so disingenous about Mr. Gingras' response...|
I think I can speak for a growing number of anglers who are not necessarily angry about the state of many of our fisheries--which are indeed in dire shape.
We are angry because we have been repeatedly sold a bill of goods: Promises of mitigation and enhancements; limits to how much water could be sent south and once upon a time we were sold on hatcheries as the answer to all our problems when all we ever really needed was cold clean water to flow in our streams. Now we are being sold on a canal that APPARENTLY will have no restrictions on how much water can be sent south--with hints at dual conveyance--and department personnel act surprised that some of us might be justifiably upset???
We are angry because we see the same old soft shoe shuffle over and over and over.
We are angry because the DFG has NOT taken a more forceful and aggressive stance in dealing with the decline--statewide--of so many of our resources; the causes of which are generally well known. The department has yet to address the root causes in most cases of these marked declines and instead struggles to mitigate or somehow bolster sagging populations of many many fish...
Hyperbole? Some of the comments posted here cite some of most respected fisheries biologists in the country AND some of the most current studies on the topic of predation and collapse of our fisheries in the Delta.
We are angry because we are tired of the behind the scenes political pressures--which granted, DFG cannot generally address.
We are angry because we are tired of "business as usual".
We are angry because the department has clearly failed in it's duties as de facto guardian of a public trust resource.
As Mr Sellers points out--and given the current political climate and the growing strength of the Occupy movements, it was, at best, foolish to broach the topic of reducing protections for the striped bass at this time--although delaying would have been every bit as dishonest but with less of a firestorm of protest.
I'm sure it sounds like hyperbole and rude and sarcastic but right now DFG doesn't have a lot of credibility. The DFG--not us--needs to do some house cleaning and restore both a measure of public confidence in your ability to get things done as well as polish the departments image.
Just in the last few years, the angling public has witnessed the bungling and tremendous loss of fish when a Delta island that had been flooded was drained. We read on a daily basis about the astounding numbers of fish being killed--although it is euphemistically referred to as "salvaged" by the Delta pumps. Stewart Resnick, Westside and Westlands and another story about their too cozy relationship with several elected officials are in the news almost monthly; and I personally participated in a fish rescue effort in the Sierra (Caples Lake--or was it Silver Lake?) that the department had initially refused to have any part of. While there, I also saw the volunteers who were--in general--far more knowledgeable about finding fish than the departments own biologists. Is --or was tthat an isolated incident? I'm not sure: I called a to remain nameless DFG regional office with questions about a very colorful trout I had caught in the Sacramento River. In the course of the conversation, the biologist very matter of factly told me that trout were not spawning in the river. I found that odd--since I have personally seen so many trout sitting on redds. "In general"--as I am sure there are some very talented people at DFG but I did not get to meet them that weekend.
I think it would be safe to say that I personally am incredibly disappointed in this latest iteration of the DFG and to a lesser degree, the FGC; and I applaud those people on Dan's board that are now speaking up.
Are we angry and fed up? Absolutely.
Meanwhile my license fees go up--and up and up--and I seem to get less and less and less for that money.
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