heroes blog

It's the biggest hunting and fishing conservation disaster of the year, and we're even feeling it here in the New York City Field & Stream headquarters. The disappearing salmon on the west coast have many people troubled, and it's definitely a cause that has many Heroes concerned and working hard. What seems to be getting the most press is how it's changing the market for buying salmon. In today's New York Times, there was an op-ed that caught my eye. Well, mainly the image caught my eye (illustrated by Christian Northeast) and then I read it. It's by Taras Grescoe, who wrote a book about eating seafood even though fish numbers are declining across the world. Grescoe has decided to swear off salmon this year in hopes of a recovery. He does make some good points:

Spawning salmon need gravel streambeds and cold, fast-running water to lay their eggs. Giant pumps have been piping water from the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta to towns and farms in California’s Central Valley, degrading river habitat and even sucking up young fish before they reach the sea. Farther north, dams on the Snake River have prevented egg-bearing fish from reaching streambeds inland.

Overfishing is also a factor; too many nets have been scooping up too many fish for too long. What’s more, higher water temperatures brought on by global warming prevent the eggs of spawning females from maturing. It’s not surprising that the only consistently healthy salmon runs left are those in the cold waters of Alaska.

(click here for the full story)