Desperate fishermen calls for major change sin water policy at the historic ‘Salmon Summit’, which they say will save both the environment and their jobs. The summit is said was the most significant one held in the last 18 years. Fishermen came from all over the state carrying signs and anxious about their future.
Zeke Grader, a fisherman advocate, said that it is very important to restore some water to these fish so that we can bring this population back and so the jobs. The control for the water of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta was at stake during this historic summit. Water rights have pitted fishermen and environmentalists against Central and Southern California farmers who rely on water pumped from the delta for irrigation.
David Bitts, a commercial fisherman, said that people are going to farm in the San Joauquin Vally but there is a limit to how much water you can suck out of that system without killing the system. Promising to fight central valley interests, Congressman George Miller drew loud applause as he pledged federal support to restore the fisheries.
According to Miller for the past two years, the commercial salmon fishing season has been called off leaving many to lose their primary source of income. He further adds that this is just start of the long struggle to right what is wrong in our water system in this state of California, to right what is wrong in terms of Delta Protections and to make sure that all of you can continue to rely on a livelihood.
