47th Annual Golden State Fisheries Forum will be held this Thursday, hearing will highlight top threat to state’s endangered fish
As Chair of the Joint Committee on Fisheries and Aquaculture, North Coast Senator Mike McGuire is hosting a critical hearing this Thursday on the current state of California’s ocean and fresh water fisheries.
One of the most impactful panels will be focused on the Trump Administration’s dangerous new rules that would allow more water to be diverted from the state’s rivers, bringing endangered chinook salmon and steelhead trout to the threat of extinction.
“President Trump’s decision to upend a decades old agreement that balanced the water needs of Central Valley farmers while protecting our state’s most endangered fish species will have a disastrous impact. Thankfully, Governor Newsom and the State of California won’t stand for this and we’re advancing a hard-charging lawsuit to block the Administration’s move which, if implemented, will certainly bring forward an extinction event on the Sacramento River. At our hearing this week, fisheries experts and environmental advocates are coming together to uncover just how dangerous these new water rules would be and to discuss solutions going forward,” Senator Mike McGuire said.
The Annual Golden State Fish Forum, held this Thursday, March 12 at the State Capitol in Sacramento, will include the state’s top fisheries and aquaculture experts, including Wade Crowfoot, Secretary of the California Natural Resources Agency, Chuck Bonham, Director of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, and representatives from the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen, the Natural Resources Defense Council and representatives from various fishing industries.
“The new Trump Administration Delta water diversion rules ignore science and the law. If not blocked, they could result in extinctions, lost salmon jobs and increased outbreaks of toxic algae in the Delta. We thank Governor Newsom and Attorney General Becerra for taking the first step – suing to block these clearly illegal federal rules, and to Senator McGuire for bringing attention to this significant issue,” said John McManus, President of the Golden State Salmon Association. “The next step is for the State Water Board and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife to step up and tighten state water diversion rules so they protect salmon. The state needs to tell the federal Central Valley Project to obey those state rules. The 23,000 jobs in the salmon fishing industry are depending on Governor Newsom for leadership in this fight.”
The Forum will also include presentations and discussion focusing on reducing the risk of whale entanglements, offshore wind energy and avoiding impacts to state fishing grounds, along with aquaculture and crab industry updates. The agenda features presentations by state agency leaders, commercial and recreational fishing representatives, and aquaculture producers.
“We have to protect and preserve California’s fisheries and we remain concerned about the future,” McGuire said. “This week’s hearing will be focused on the current state of California’s diverse fisheries and aquaculture industry, along with a look to the future and how we can work together to ensure its historic success.”
The hearing begins at noon this Thursday and will be held in Room 113 of the Capitol. The public is welcome to attend the hearing.
The hearing will be live-streamed via the Senate web site: http://senate.ca.gov/. For more information about the Fisheries Forum visit the Committee web site at: http://fisheries.legislature.ca.gov/.