A US Senate commute gave its approval to much awaited bill of restoring the San Joaquin River. The Energy and Natural Resources Committee has passed the bill which is now joins similar legislation approved by a House committee in November. It is informed that the legislation would pay for restoring the once-mighty river, which foamed with spawning salmon until it was dammed in 1942.
Monty Schmitt, project manager and senior scientist for the Natural Resources Defense Council, told that this is good news for West Coast fishermen who are faced with the complete closure this year of the salmon fishery. He added that restoring the San Joaquin and bringing back its salmon will produce tremendous benefits not only for fishermen, but for all Californians.
The legislation, sponsored by Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., and Rep. Jim Costa, D-Hanford (Kings County), would fund one of the most ambitious environmental restoration projects in California history. The San Joaquin once supported both fall and spring runs of chinook. The environmentalists plan to replace the extinct San Joaquin chinook with Sacramento River salmon, which are themselves in trouble.
