Care About Wild Salmon's Future? Grab a
Fork and Eat One!
As Pacific salmon season begins, renowned
Chef Alice Waters leads 200 chefs nationwide
in plea to U.S. Congress to protect wild
salmon habitat
Washington D.C. - May 2, 2007 - As the 2007
Pacific wild salmon season gets underway,
U.S. consumers who cherish the prized fish
are being urged by chefs and environmental
groups to show support for their favorite
fish by eating more of it.
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chef
Alice Waters of Chez Panisse |
A
national campaign, led by renowned chef
Alice Waters of Chez Panisse in San Francisco
and backed by 200 chefs nationwide, calls
on Congress to protect Pacific wild salmon
habitats. A letter signed by the chefs will
be presented to legislators at an event
on May 8 in Washington D.C. in honor of
wild salmon.
While
this year's wild salmon fishing season is
expected to be better than last, the long-term
outlook for the native fish and fishermen
is uncertain.
"Wild
salmon is one of the few wild foods we still
regularly see on the dinner table,"
said Waters. "They have an exquisite,
delicate flavor and eating wild salmon can
connect you in a beautiful way to the sea.
But only a long-term commitment to protecting
and restoring salmon habitat will ensure
that Pacific wild salmon remains a natural
resource."
The
chef's letter to Congress requests that
legislators take steps to protect the declining
Columbia and Klamath fisheries by restoring
healthy habitat for wild salmon. Select
chefs also are promoting the issue in their
local communities by speaking out at gourmet
food events and celebrations of wild salmon.
They are encouraging consumers to show legislators
that this issue is important by creating
increased demand for the fish, frequently
asking for it in restaurants and at markets.
"As a proponent of local, seasonal
and sustainable foods, I view wild salmon
as the canary in our coal mine," said
Greg Higgins, owner of Higgin's Restaurant
and Bar in Portland and recognized among
the city's top chefs. "They portray
our ability to support bio-diversity and
live in harmony with nature. Our communities
and their economic and environmental health
hinge on sustaining the viability of these
amazing creatures."
May
8 Washington D.C. Event
The Tuesday, May 8 event, sponsored by Earthjustice,
Save our Wild Salmon, Trout Unlimited Alaska
Trollers Association and the Pacific Coast
Federation of Fishermen's Associations,
will be held at the Stewart R. Mott House,
122 Maryland Ave. NE, Washington D.C. from
5:30 until 8 p.m. In addition to select
chefs and representatives from the salmon
fishing industry and retail fish markets,
other special guests will include Representatives
Mike Thompson (D-CA), Wayne Gilchrest (R-MD),
Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), Jim McDermott (D-WA)
and Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK).
Why
are Wild Salmon at Risk?
One main reason for uneveness in salmon
populations on the West Coast is the degradation
of wild salmon habitat. For example, the
Klamath River's population of fall chinook
salmon, or king salmon, reached such dangerously
low levels last year that the fishing season
along the coast from Monterey, California
to just south of the mouth of the Columbia
River in Oregon was severely cut. In fact,
a 90 percent reduction of commercial salmon
fishing along 700 miles of coast was declared.
Some
west coast king salmon populations have
been suffering due to a decision by the
current administration in spring 2002 to
continue maximum water withdrawals from
the Klamath River in Oregon to serve Klamath
Basin farmers. This occurred despite already
low water levels in the river resulting
from drought, and warnings from federal
biologists and others. The resulting low
flows and unhealthy conditions of the river
decimated native salmon populations More
recently, federal mismanagement of Columbia
and Snake River salmon stocks had led to
restrictions on salmon fishing off the coast
of Washington.
Consumers
can find wild salmon recipes and urge Congress
members to take action to safeguard salmon
habitat at www.earthjustice.org/salmon,
www.wildsalmon.org
and www.whywild.org.
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