What can you do about the sad plight of wild salmon?

Sara Randall, Photo by David Bunnell

Along the entire Pacific coast, there has been a shocking drop in the number of salmon swimming from the ocean up the rivers to span.  In 2002, 750,000 adult salmon were counted in the Sacramento River basin.  By 2008, the number was only 90,000.  The 2009 count could come in under 50,000.

A similar drop has occurred in all the major river systems on the Pacific Coast from the Yukon River in Alaska to Baker River in Chili. 

Many of us are familiar with this story and know factors like global warming, excessive dams, pollution, and water diversion are to blame.  The consequences show up in the grocery stores and the restaurants where wild salmon is become rare and increasingly expensive. 

Fishermen and others working in this multi-million dollar industry are obviously the most damaged.  Also affected, however, are people who simply love eating salmon and people who want to live long and healthy lives.   

Besides being one the tastiest fish on the planet, wild salmon is arguably the most nutritional fish you can eat.  It has the highest concentration of omega-3's (fish oil) and is one of the cleanest fish when it comes to mercury and other pollutants. Dozens of studies have concluded eating salmon on a regular basis reduces the risk of heart and circulatory diseases, diabetes, arthritis, depression and dementia. 

Some refer to salmon as brain food and others as the "longevity fish."

So, what can people do? 

According to Sara Randall, the Project Director of the Institute for Fishery Resources, "beyond sending a postcard to the President, people need to be aware of water usage and all its connections."  When we use more water than we need taking showers or excessively watering our lawns, we are "ultimately diverting water from fish and other animals." 

The same goes for energy.  She advises, "turn off the lights and unplug the flat-screen TV." 

You can ask your Assembly Representative, Sara continues, "to oppose Governor Schwarzenegger's wrong-headed notion that water conservation somehow favors fish over people."   

"The fish industry," Randall points out, "is not just the fishermen.  It is a whole infrastructure representing hundreds of millions of dollars."

One more final thing, which may be the "most important," is "don't eat farm raised salmon."

Farm raised salmon is full of hormones and antibiotics and represents a "threat to wild salmon" because some farm raised salmon escape their oceanic pens and spread diseases.  Also, it takes "3 pounds of anchovies to make one pound of salmon" and thus feeding these salmon takes away food supplies from natural fish.

Bill Foss, co-owner of the popular Fish restaurant in Sausalito says the success of some farm raised salmon, which is marketed as being hormone free and "sustainable," represents the "triumph of marketing over truth."  He points out by penning large numbers of salmon in one area, their excrement "goes to the bottom of the ocean in one, concentrated area" where it kills of plankton and krill. 

When asked in particular about Loch Duart farm raised salmon from Scotland, which is now served in some upscale restaurants, he says, "they claim to not use any drugs on their fish.  But when you look at the fine print, it says 'we don't use them unless necessary.'"

"If it is necessary," he continues, "then they have to treat the entire pen, you can't just give antibiotics to one fish."

Foss and his partner, Kenny Belov, have started a campaign to get restaurants to pledge not to serve farm raised salmon.  Besides Fish, 25 other restaurants have signed the pledge, including many noted Bay Area favorites, such as Water Bar, Zazu, Michael Mina, and Nettie's Crab Shack.  You can learn more about this effort by vising the website Fish or Cut Bait.

Sara Randall and Bill Foss were interviewed by the Oakland Examiner during the Salmon Aid Festival held this past weekend at Jack London Square. 

Read more about this event at Salmon Aid Festival at Jack London Square.