IFR’s Zeke Grader Discusses the Closure of San Francisco’s Last Commercial Fishery

A herring boat brings in a haul. Image courtesy of the California Department of Fish and Game.

The California Fish and Game Commission voted to close the commercial herring fishery for the first time ever.  The herring catch in the Bay has been steadily declining for years.  Only 506 pounds were landed in 2008, down from a peak of 11,496 in 1996-97.  Read more about the closure and who will be most affected in this article.

NOAA Administrator Jane Lubchenco Visits IFR Offices

Paul Johnson, Zeke Grader, Jane Lubchenco, Pietro Parravano, and Sara Randall gather around freshly grilled sardines.

Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association Dr. Jane Lubchenco visited San Francisco and stopped by the IFR offices for a seafood barbecue.  Paul Johnson of the Moneterey Fish Market generously donated wild and local albacore, squid, and sardines for the festivities.

IFR Exectutive Director Calls Attention to Vanishing Salmon Habitat on Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta

Click to read Zeke Grader’s San Francisco Chronicle editorial

New: Check out this article from edible SAN FRANCISCO magazine about the unique–and uniquely satisfying–process of sourcing your own local, seasonal seafood Fresh Off the Boat.

Then visit IFR’s own Local and Seasonal Seafood page to learn more!

IFR President speaks out on behalf of Somali Fishermen

Click here to read a letter to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton

Watershed Restoration Tours

The group below Cape Horn Dam at the Van Arsdale Fish Station

AmeriCorps Watershed Stewards Project members planned and organized two watershed restoration tours in November of 2008 through a grant from the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission. The first tour, on November 6th, focused on the impact of low flows on the Eel River. The second tour, on November 19th, focused on maintaining private lands while protecting public trusts. More information on both tours can be found on the Watershed Restoration Tour page.

President Bush Praises One of Our Own

President Bush praised Pietro Parravanno, President of the Institute for Fisheries Resources, at the opening ceremony of Sant Ocean Hall in the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History, Washington D.C. on September 26, 2008.

President Bush closed his speech, which related to the U.S. Ocean Action Plan, by praising Pietro’s accomplishments as a fishermen and longtime fisheries and conservation advocate. He thanked Pietro, noting that “[o]nly in America … you can make a difference in your communities; it’s just not all that hard.” The full speech is available on the White House’s website. Congratulations, Pietro!

A Fisherman’s Perspective: Catch Shares

Ben Platt, commercial salmon fisherman based out of Fort Bragg, CA, wrote to the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), a large supporter of “catch shares”, also referred to as Individual Take Quotas (ITQs) or Individual Fishing Quotas (IFQs), providing his own take on them. Visit News & Events to see what he wrote.

Fisherman Ben Platt (left) with fellow fisherman and Sara Randall

The Trouble with Farmed Salmon

IFR has been working diligently since its inception to ensure that California remain free of open ocean aquaculture that is unhealthy to our oceans, our fisheries, and ourselves. Find out more about our Wildfish Coalition.

IFR is pleased to showcase Vancouver, B.C. based Watershed Watch’s animation Wild Salmon in Trouble. The video clarifies why sea lice are a problem for wild salmon and provides an overview of the salmon life cycle so the public can make informed decisions regarding the seafood they purchase. Wild Salmon in Trouble is illustrated from the perspective of migrating wild salmon before and after the advent of salmon farming. It highlights the fact that even low numbers of sea lice on individual farmed salmon can translate to large numbers of sea lice being released into the nursery grounds of wild salmon. The video also emphasizes the fact that although sea lice are a natural part of ocean ecosystems, sea lice from salmon farms are unnatural and may cause serious problems for juvenile wild salmon.

The animation is based on published, peer-reviewed scientific research and foreshadows an unknown future for coastal ecosystems and communities if something isn’t done to protect wild salmon from farm-derived sea lice.

Slow Food Nation 2008

The first Slow Food Nation meeting was held Labor Day weekend (August 29 - September 1) in San Francisco. Over 60,000 people converged on San Francisco to celebrate and consume good, clean, and fair food. The Institute for Fisheries Resources, along with Commercial Fishermen of America, have been working with the Slow Food planning committee to ensure that fishermens’ role in our country’s food system was included in the discussion. The weekend offered many opportunities for learning about food and food systems, which ranged from tasting workshops, educational panels, a marketplace, Victory Garden feasts, tours of different “foodsheds”, a concert, and a huge Taste Pavilion experience.

Read more about IFR’s involvement with Slow Food Nation in News & Events.

People that made the Hayes St. Grill Slow Food dinner possible