More News

A guest editorial on the striped bass issue

This is where we divide the sheep from the wolves folks!!!  

July 8. 2008. Water contractors and ag interests are directly attacking our sport. Let's write some letters and make some phone calls...We should make as big a stink out of this as possible....These are the forces that seek to destroy the delta organizing and pointing the finger directly at us and saying it is the DFG and the whims of anglers that have caused the declines in the delta....

The forces of evil are on the march and the future of one of our most beloved sportfish, the striped bass, is in their crosshairs.....

For me this case represents a defining moment and there are only two types of people...there are those that are with us (anglers that understand that the not so slow death of the delta is due to excessive water exports engineered by water contractors and big ag) and those that are against us (the faction that puts on their blinders,  or worse yet, outright lies in the face of the facts and continues to promote the weak argument that the devastating delta declines we've seen over the past 5 years are not due to record water exports)

Folks that are on the fence need to ask themselves a simple question. Which side of this issue does your conscience dictate that you support?

Are you on the side of reduced water exports, a healthy delta and a sustainable fishery for the next generation or are you willing to stand with the forces that seek to destroy the delta and the legacy of  future generations so that big ag interests, special interests and water contractors can pad their wallets through big water exports today at the expense of our fisheries and the environment?


Give 'em hell Mr. Jackson!!!!!!!

Cal Kellogg
Editor, Fish Sniffer Magazine
(Originally published on-line at the Fish Sniffer Issues Forum)

CSPA Webmaster's response,

Cal, the best way to get off the fence is for the reader to reach into their back pocket, pull out their wallet, get out their credit card and log onto the PayPal page of the CSPA website. Once there they need to figure out just how much the striper is worth to them and then donate that amount to its defense.

Mike Jackson, the attorney representing CSPA, the Northern California Council of the Federation of Fly Fishers, and the California Striped Bass Association, is not rich. He has a wife, family and small home to support and spends most of his time on conservation issues where compensation is meager. He's been fighting the good fight for over 20 years. Fresno is a long way from his home. Room and board alone will be expensive, not to mention court costs including the testimony of expert witnesses. He cannot afford nor should we expect him to fight this fight on a pro bono basis. 

It's not Mike Jackson's fight, it's OUR fight. CSPA has received critical donations from the NCCFFF and the CSBA, but this is not nearly enough funding to fight a full scale battle though the courts. The costs will have to be borne by CSPA and our plaintiff groups, all organizations with very small bank accounts. Even if CSPA wins, there will be no compensation awarded by the court. Any long term legal effort will require financial support from anglers who care about the future of the fishery.

Anglers cannot afford to be ostriches anymore. By sticking their heads in the sand and their lack of involvement, they are inadvertently aiding the enemies of the striped bass and the delta. As you say in your editorial, "Folks that are on the fence need to ask themselves a simple question. Which side of this issue does your conscience dictate that you support?" 

On line donations: http://www.calsport.org/paypal.htm

Membership form for snail mail: http://www.calsport.org/membership.htm