Proposed bill to remove limits on striped bass pitting fishermen against farmers

Sturmer White, an 80-year-old fisherman, holds up a 14-pound striped bass he caught on the south side of Little Mandeville Island in the Delta. Proposed legislation could lift regulations on striped bass. (Courtesy photograph)

Proposed bill to remove limits on striped bass pitting fishermen against farmers

By Joelle Milholm
News-Sentinel Staff Writer

Thursday, April 23, 2009 7:11 AM PDT

Comments (5 comment(s))

Striped bass have been swimming in the Delta since they were introduced in California in the 1870s.

They've become a staple in the local fishing economy. Aggressive and weighing up to 60 pounds, they are one of fishermen's favorite catches — not only to reel in, but to eat as well.

But some people don't see striped bass in a favorable light, arguing that they are an invasive non-native fish that preys on native endangered species, like Delta smelt, salmon and steelhead.

Assemblywoman Jean Fuller (R-Bakersfield) has proposed bill 1253, a piece of legislation that would remove regulations on striped bass. It would allow them to be caught in unlimited numbers and also cut any funding that goes to help grow the striped bass population. It would also be illegal to transport striped bass into California. The bill is sponsored by the Modesto Irrigation District.

In 2007 and 2008, water exports from the Delta were decreased in order to protect the smelt and other species and some Central Valley farmers argue that the reduction has made it impossible to produce healthy harvests.

Fuller believes that if striped bass are no longer protected, the native populations of Delta smelt, salmon and steelhead would grow. If their populations are stronger, the Delta — an estuary that delivers water to two-thirds of California — would be healthier and it would allow for more water to be pumped out of the Delta for agricultural and municipal needs.

"This bill is just trying to strike a balance. The state's water system is failing and we are taking all these steps to alleviate the impact on endangered fish, which has a major effect on people up and down the state that don't have enough water," Fuller said. "Instead, let's help protect these endangered fish populations by targeting a non-native predator so the impact on our water supply does not have to be as grave."

Brian Blackwell inspects the pistachios at his farm in Bakersfield. Blackwell supports a proposed bill that would allow more water to be pumped and transported from the Delta for agricultural use. (Courtesy photo)

The bill has many opponents. Striped bass make up a large chunk of California's sport fishing industry and many fisherman don't want to see striped bass regulations lifted or funding cut off. If the bill passes, they believe it will completely wipe out the striped bass population. The bill would get rid of the Striped Bass Stamp, a program that makes an estimated $1.5 million a year from California fishing licenses that goes back to helping protect the striped bass.

And if it passes, the bill would also hurt the livelihoods of many people up and down the Delta, according to its opponents.

"Striped bass anglers comprise a significant portion of the Bay-Delta fishermen and this legislation will put tackle shops, boat manufacturers, boat dealers, marinas, guides, and the myriad of other Bay-Delta businesses that depend on the striped bass fishery out of business," said Dick Pool, leader of Water4Fish. "We need sound science before we put these folks on the unemployment rolls."

Fishermen and groups like the California Striped Bass Association believe that most of the Delta's aquatic life, from striped bass to salmon to smelt, are all down in numbers but not due to the eating habits of striped bass. The bill's opponents say smelt and salmon populations are down because of the increase of water being pumped out of the Delta the past 30 years. They see the bill only as a way of getting more water out of the Delta.

Bill 1253 is scheduled to go before the Assembly Water Parks and Wildlife Committee on April 28.

Assembly Bill 1253

Was introduced on Feb. 27 by Jean Fuller (R-Bakersfield).

Would prohibit any more striped bass from entering the state. It would lift regulations on how many striped bass can be caught, as well as where or how. It would also stop all programs and funding that help boost the striped bass population.

The bill states that striped bass are known to prey upon and consume a variety of native fish species that are protected under the state and federal endangered species acts, including salmon, trout and and Delta smelt.

In order to protect native species populations, the legislation hopes to prevent additional striped bass from entering the state, to discourage promotion of fish, to end all programs that enhance, expand or improve the striped bass populations and their habitat and to eliminate all restrictions on the size or number of fish that can be taken out of the river.

The bill is scheduled to go before the Assembly Water Parks and Wildlife Committee on April 28.

Sources: www.leginfo.ca.gov

Striped Bass 101

Striped bass were introduced to California from New Jersey in the late 1870s.

Striped bass are anadromous, migrating between fresh and salt water.

They are very popular for sport fishing because they can weigh up to 60 pounds and be four feet long. The current California sport record for striped bass is a 67.5-pounder caught in O’Neill Forebay in Merced County in 1992.

Striped bass are valued as an edible catch, but many fishermen catch and release since their numbers are declining.

Since state and federal water projects began pumping water out of the Delta in the 1960s, the striped bass have been on the decline. Their population in the Delta was approximately 3 million in the early 1960s and by the early 1990s it was 775,000. Most recent estimates say around 300,000.

In 1998, after a six-year absence, the striped bass stamp was reinstated in California — assuring that striped bass would be allowed to be stocked. Annually, the striped bass stamp generates close to $1,500,000.

In 2007, George W. Bush signed an executive order that directed federal agencies to ban the sale of striped bass from federal waters (three to 200 miles off U.S. shores), declaring it a game fish in those waters.

Sources: The California Striped Bass Association, the California Department of Fish and Game

Contact reporter Joelle Milholm at joellem@lodinews.com.

Reader Feedback

Cogito wrote on Apr 23, 2009 5:22 PM:

" Sam, local farmers never caused any problems before the canal, and I bet they farm cleaner now than two decades ago. The problem lies in the ability of the delta to flush itself out, in my opinion. "

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sam wrote on Apr 23, 2009 4:54 PM:

" Cog, I agree farmers' chemical runoffs do pollute, but have you checked out Lodi's Waste Water treatment plant? They are big time Delta polluters.

I would say it would best to say MAN is doing one hell of a job polluting our Delta. We all need to wake up.

We also need to quit sending our good water down south. We need to protect and preserve what is ours. Currently we are not doing a good job. "

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Cogito wrote on Apr 23, 2009 9:23 AM:

" Compare fish numbers of before the canal was built to after. There you'll find the wisdom. "

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jramagic wrote on Apr 23, 2009 7:37 AM:

" Great piece!

this Fuller bill is unmasked as yet another thinly-veiled SoCal Delta water grab. Now keep your eyes peeled for the next one- the NeoPeripheral Canal...that proposed 300' WIDE (yes, as wide as a football field is long!)concrete ditch that will divert most of the Sacramento river above Walnut Grove, carry it around and past the Delta and directly into th California Aquaduct pumping station for dispatch to SoCal. The Delta will then become like the salt evaporation ponds in the south Bay. "

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Cogito wrote on Apr 23, 2009 7:16 AM:

" Fish populations are down for two reasons. Toxic chemicals run off of farmland into the rivers, and the flow of these rivers necessary to flush out these toxins has been seriously compromised by pumping. I would be willing to bet that the amount of water pumped out of the delta, and the diminishing fish populations, form the same trend on a graph. The farmers need to keep in mind that fish are food too. "

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