235 



ENVIRONMENTAJ. 

 OEFENS8 FUND 



July 20, 1995 



Editor 



San Francisco Chronicle 



901 Mission Street 



San Francisco, CA 94103-2988 



California Offke 

 Rockiid^ Market Hall 

 S65S College Ave. 

 Oaklai«l,CA94618 

 (510)658-8008 

 rax; 5I0-65S-0630 



To the Editor: 



This year's big salmon catch is truly cause for celebration ("Fishery Strategies Paying OflT, 

 July 19, 1995). However, the bountifiil harvest shouldn't lull us into a false sense of security about 

 the health of our wild salmon or the health of the Bay-Delta and Central Valley ecosystems upon 

 which they - and we -- depend. 



In recent years, California's rich salmon fishery has been based primarily on hatchery-raised 

 fall run chlnook, paid for by the highly succe-ssful salmon stamp program. The wild salmon that once 

 mn pkntifiilly in the spring, the fall, the late fall, and the winter used the natural ecosystems of the 

 Bay-Delta and Central Valley year-round. This provided crucial insurance against the effects of 

 periodic droughts, reduced ocean productivit)-, and other natural environmental changes. However, 

 dams, water diversions, pollution, and other factors have combined to destroy the habitats of our wild 

 salmon mns, severely reducing the effectiveness of nature's insurance policy and leaving California's 

 salmon fishery priiiiarily dependent on hatchery-ieared stocks. 



For the last three years. West Coast salmon have suffered from a lack of food in the ocean, a 

 result of unusually low ocean productivity associated with a string of El Ninos. Improved ocean 

 productivity off California's coast may explain, in part, the tremendous harvest of hatchery raised 

 salmon this year. But the fact that fish raised in California hatcheries are very abundant in this year of 

 good oceiin productivity while wild fish are not tells us that the natural ecosystems that support wild 

 salmon — spawning stieams, rivers, wetlands, shallow waters, and the estuary — arc still in poor shape. 

 The roioration of these natural ecosystems, in combination with the wise use of hatcheries and 

 appropriate harvest management measures, is the key to a healthy salmon fishery over the long run 

 and to the restoration of our region's noble wild salmon. 



Sincerely, 



Rodney M. Fujita, Ph.D ~ Seniw Scientist 



Satioruil Htadijuaners 



237 Psrt Av«aue South 

 N«* YoHc.NY lOOlO 

 (212)505-1100 



1875 Conntciicut .Vc. N W. 

 WishinpoB. DC 20009 

 (202) 387-3500 



1405 AnpaJioe Ave. 

 Boulder. CO S0302 

 (303)440-4901 



128 &st Hargen Si. 

 Riileigh.NC 27601 

 (919)821-7793 



ISOOCiudalupe 

 Au<(in. TX 78701 

 (512)478-5161 



