California’s salmon community lost a great friend and advocate with the recent passing of longtime Golden State Salmon Association board member David Zeff.
David was part of GSSA almost from the beginning. He joined the Board of Directors in the early days of the Golden Gate Salmon Association. He remained an active member as the organization evolved into the Golden State Salmon Association.
David’s commitment to salmon began long before GSSA existed.
Raised in California’s Central Valley, David grew up fishing with his father. Those early experiences gave him both a love for fishing and a firsthand understanding of what California would eventually lose.
His father’s generation witnessed the damming and diversion of the San Joaquin River and the destruction of a once-mighty spring-run Chinook salmon population. For David, the decline of California’s salmon rivers was something he understood through his family, his childhood and his own experiences on the water.
That connection stayed with him throughout his life.
David went on to build a successful career as an attorney, but he continued to make time for salmon, California’s rivers and the environmental causes he cared about. He brought his legal experience to GSSA’s board and spoke plainly about the decisions harming California’s fisheries and his desire to help fix them.
He understood something that remains at the heart of GSSA’s work today: California salmon are the canary in the coal mine, warning of damage to a wide range of natural habitat and the other species that live there.
Healthy salmon runs support commercial fishermen, charter boat operators, recreational anglers, tackle shops, restaurants, coastal towns, tribal communities and thousands of California families. David fought to make sure those people—and the fish they depend on—had a voice.
GSSA Senior Policy Director John McManus worked alongside David for many years and remembers that determination well.
“David truly cared about the salmon fishery in California because he grew up with it. He cared, like those of us who have lived through the good times and into the not-so-good times. He knew that you either fight for what you love or you’re going to lose it when it comes to conservation in California.”
Fellow GSSA board member Adam Messner remembers not only David’s contributions to salmon conservation, but the warmth and optimism he brought to the organization.
“David Zeff was a very important member of the GSSA Board of Directors. He brought light and positivity to everything he touched within GSSA. He was collaborative, insightful, and passionate, and he made high-impact contributions. His good nature, warm smile, and genuine enthusiasm for conservation made him a pleasure to work with. He had a big impact on salmon conservation, and he positively influenced the organization on a personal level as well. He will be deeply missed.”
GSSA board member Randy Repass remembers David as someone always willing to step up and do whatever the organization needed.
“David cared deeply about the health of California salmon. He was a longtime salmon supporter and amazingly dedicated to saving and restoring California salmon.
“Whether it was helping with fundraising, legal analysis, filing tax returns, or providing sage advice, David was there to get it done.
“He is a key reason for the success of GSSA.”
That may be the best way to describe David’s legacy.
He fought so that future generations of Californians might still have the opportunity he had as a boy—to go fishing with their fathers, mothers, grandparents and friends and experience a thriving California salmon fishery for themselves.
For GSSA, David was central to the history of the organization and the community that built it.
We are deeply grateful for the years he gave to this organization, for the knowledge and perspective he brought to our work, and most of all for his unwavering commitment to a slightly more wild California.
Our thoughts are with David’s wife, son, family, and friends.
GSSA has lost a longtime friend.
We miss him.