Urgent Action Alert: Stop the Striped Bass Eradication Plan!

California DFG Threatens to Eradicate Striped Bass 

In an unprecedented move, the California Department of Fish and Game has been forced to propose regulations which will eradicate striped bass from the San Francisco Bay and Delta. A water contractor group known as the Coalition for a Sustainable Delta filed a lawsuit against the DFG alleging that striped bass are one of the primary causes of the loss of endangered salmon. 

The DFG was forced into a settlement on the lawsuit and the Department now has issued draft regulations that will eradicate the striped bass. Fisherman and the fishing industry are livid about the proposal. It will reduce the minimum size a fisherman can keep to 12 inches and it will allow a bag limit of up to 40 stripers in some locations. 

This proposal stinks rotten. The lawsuit was funded by Stewart Resnick, the billionaire farmer and developer who sees this as an opportunity to once again try to blame the fish and fishermen for the problems in the Delta caused by overpumping. 

We see it differently. It is a brazen move to undo the public trust doctrine and the rights of the citizens of California to use and enjoy the water and aquatic resources of the state. We need to fight back with every mechanism at our disposal. 

A massive letter writing campaign to the Fish and Game Commission has the ability to kill the DFG proposal. If the Commission votes for the proposal, it will go into effect. If the commission votes against the proposal, it is dead and the water contractors will have no further recourse. The regulations will then stay as they are today. We are asking every concerned striper, Delta advocate and supporter of the Bay-Delta Estuary to use one or both of the following procedures to send letters and emails to the Commission. 

If you want to write and mail a personal letter, click here to see a couple of sample letters http://water4fish.org/write-letters-to-legislators/index.php/ To use the automated email letter, click “to Continue” below and you will see the email letter to the Commission with copies to Fish and Game. On the email letter please do two things. 

Fill out your name address and email and click on the box that gives fishing group leaders permission to add your name to a mass protest that will be submitted to the Commission. 

Click “Send My Letter”, your email will be immediately sent and you will receive a confirmation. 
We will protect your confidentiality. We will not give, lend, share or sell your email address to anyone except the organization that you list on the form. 

Thank you. With your support, we will win this battle. 

The following organizations support this letter campaign and request your support. California Sportfishing Protection Alliance – Water4Fish — California Striped Bass Association – The Fish Sniffer — USA Fishing – Western Outdoor News. 

Additional Supporting Groups will be forthcoming.