Two Key California Fish Restoration Bills Pass Assembly Committee

"The state has never mitigated for indirect losses and the federal pumps only mitigated for direct losses for a few years," said Pool. "The federal pumps have never mitigated for indirect losses. Many biologists believe that indirect losses are far greater than direct."

The Allied Fishing Groups, California Sportfishing Protection Alliance and Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen's Associations (PCFFA) are also supporting the bill. The Desert Water Agency, Valley Ag Water Coalition, Association of California Water Agencies, State Water Contractors Association, Metropolitan Water District of Southern California and other agricultural districts that take water from the Delta are opposing the legislation.

The Central Valley Flood Control Association and the Resource Landowners Coalition indicated they would likely be removing their previous opposition to AB 1806 in the committee hearing yesterday, based on the amendments that were taken.

Wolk's AB 2502 also passed easily through the Committee today without a single no vote, though 3 Republican Assemblymen abstained. This bill will create a Delta Ecological Restoration and Recreation Area that will allow increased angling, hunting and other recreational access while providing needed fish and wildlife habitat.

"This bill is an excellent opportunity to accomplish ecosystem restoration in the Delta while enhancing the local economy by creating greater opportunities for recreation such as hunting and fishing, and other outdoor activities," said Wolk. "These islands have been neglected and poorly managed, as was shown by the devastating fish kill that occurred on Prospect Island this past December. Its time for a new approach and someone to take charge."

Ducks Unlimited, the California Sportfishing Protection Alliance, the Recreational Fishing Alliance, California State Parks Foundation, and Trust for Public Land are supporting the bill. The CA. Central Valley Flood Control Association is opposing the bill.

Wolk proposed for the state to buy Prospect Island and Little Holland Tract from the federal government and Liberty Island from the Trust for Public Lands and turn them into a state recreation area. However, a Trust for Public Lands spokesman said at the hearing that they plan to donate their land for the creation of the recreation area!

Thanks to everyone who attended the hearing or wrote a letter in support of these two badly needed bills. We need to let everyone know we won round one and that round two will be more difficult. We will need many more letters of support if we are to get these two bills out of the Assembly in the coming weeks!

Go to http://www.calsport.org for updates on these bills.

Dan Bacher is an editor of The Fish Sniffer , described as "The #1 Newspaper in the World Dedicated Entirely to Fishermen"