Chefs Helping Consumers Get Involved
The
chefs also will be spreading the word
to salmon lovers: the best way to save
wild salmon is to request it from restaurants
and grocers, as increased demand for wild
salmon increases the likelihood government
takes action. Consumers also can sign
a similar petition, order a cookbook,
"Have Your Salmon and Eat it Too"
from Trout Unlimited, and discover actions
they can take to save Pacific salmon at
www.earthjustice.org/salmon.
Lack
of Regulation Squeezing out Wild Salmon
Habitats
While wild salmon populations in the Pacific
Northwest fluctuate annually, the future
for wild salmon appears bleak, and will
dramatically impact price and availability
for consumers and chefs nationwide. Local
salmon is to California and the Pacific
Northwest as lobster is to Maine -- a
powerful economic engine and an immense
source of pride to many towns and fisherman,
who are seeing their boats repossessed
as wild salmon disappear.
But,
wild salmon which has higher health benefits
and flavor than farmed salmon; is not
vanishing because of over fishing. It's
at risk in part because current administration
officials approved the diversion of river
water that as a result damaged coastal
salmon habitats. Last year, officials
declared a 90 percent reduction of commercial
salmon fishing along 700 miles of coast
from California to Oregon. Only a long-term
commitment to protecting and restoring
salmon habitat will ensure that Pacific
wild salmon remains a natural resource
we all can enjoy.
Chefs
Unite in D.C. in Early May
Two-hundred chefs from around the nation
are stepping up to ensure wild salmon's
future in the lower 48 states. They've
signed a letter urging Congress to protect
wild salmon habitat. Several chefs will
convene in D.C. in early May for a week's
worth of lobbying activities, meetings
and events to urge Congress to pass legislation
that protects the declining Columbia and
Klamath fisheries in the Pacific Northwest,
ensuring a healthy habitat for wild salmon.
Earth
Justice
www.earthjustice.org/salmon
