Last week the Save the Striper Coalition launched a letter writing campaign to the Fish and Game Commission in opposition to their approving the water contractor settlement proposal to eradicate striped bass from the Bay and Delta. This is a progress update to those who have signed on and have sent letters.
As of today nearly 900 email letters have been sent to the Commission and to Fish and Game. Thank you for your support. The program is proceeding well.
Two of the most prominent fisheries scientists in the state have weighed in with the Commission. Dr. Peter Moyle and Dr. William Bennett of the UC Davis Watershed Science Center sent the Commission a letter. With reference to this kind of settlement proposal they said, “The Cure is worse than the Disease”. They also told the Commission that this kind of plan is inadvertently playing roulette with the basic ecosystem processes. They conclude by saying, “We stress that attempting to reduce striped bass and other predator populations is unlikely to make a difference is saving endangered fishes, and will serve only to distract attention from some of the real problems.” You can see the scientists full letter to the Commission at http://water4fish.org/res/pdf/StriperScience.pdf
The Commission will take up this issue at their Sacramento meeting on February 1st and 2nd, 2012. To be successful, we need more letters and more people involved. We would like to hit thousands of letters. Our striper future hangs in the balance. If you know others who have not yet signed on, please bring the issue to their attention. You can forward this email or if you would like a flyer to distribute to clubs or organizations email info@water4fish.org and we will send you a flyer pdf you can print. To sign on, supporters can click here: http://www.water4Fish.org/striper
