My $0.02...

Great analysis... very well thought out. The natural environment of this area has been so drastically altered over the past 150 years, that its impossible to put the genie back in the bottle. Mining, Dams, invasive species (largemouth, carp, blugill, stripers), pumping water out of the Delta, agriculture, development (urban sprawl), etc. all have an effect on native species. Making fisherman pay the price for these thorny issues is the "low hanging fruit". Agribusiness, real estate developers, industrial polluters, and big business are difficult targets with deep pockets. These should be the real focus of groups trying to benefit native species.

Example: salmon fishing - its easy for the state to halt fishing for a year and make fisherman pay the price for dammed, diked, diverted, polluted, and degraded waterways. Salmon need current, food, and good spawning habitat to thrive. Instead of attacking the "powers that be" whose policies / practices / livelihoods depend on degrading the environment, fisherman are punished. There may be SOME short term benefit to salmon #s by stopping fishing, but the real issues aren't addressed.

I think its crazy to stop planting rainbow trout in Coyote for all the reasons you stated. The Coyote Creek watershed is so drastically altered by the dam, that this lawsuit is an example of rearranging the deck chairs on the titanic. Why doesn't this group sue to remove the dam? Restoring the flows in the Delta will have a greater effect on steelhead populations than making a change an environment that has been irreversibly altered by humans (dam / largemouth bass).

We must be very careful stating that "they" have an anti-fishing agenda. I think some of these environmental groups are trying to support biodiversity in the best way they know how... unfortunately their lawsuits / experiments affect our passion for fishing.

To paint all environmental groups as somehow "anti-fishing" is much too broad. Multiple environmental groups work tirelessly to stop pollution, restore our watersheds, and support fisheries. I'm a fisherman and environmentalist and I work to elect state officials that recognize the value of the Delta and the water that runs through it.

Three environmental charities that do a tremendous amount of work for the Delta, salmon, and steelhead are
www.earthjustice.org
www.restorethedelta.org
www.sacrivertrust.org

Stripers and largemouth get no respect because they aren't native, but these charities also help striped bass by fighting for more water running through the Delta (as opposed to being diverted / exported). Largemouth bass are so adaptable and strong, that they don't need too much help... unless at Coyote Reservoir where they could use a few more rainbow snacks!!!!

Mike F