Commercial and recreational fishing for salmon will be banned this year in marine waters off California and most of Oregon due to historically low fall run Chinook salmon returns to the Sacramento and Klamath watersheds last year. On Thursday, the Pacific Fishery Management Council (PFMC) unanimously voted to recommend a full closure of the recreational and commercial fishing season, […]
The leadership of the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Associations, the Golden Gate Fisherman’s Association, and the Northern California Guides and Sportsmen’s Association are calling for an immediate closure of the 2023 salmon season and are requesting that Governor Newsom, the State Legislature, and state agencies seek Federal and State disaster assistance funding for affected ocean […]
The leadership of the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Associations, the Golden Gate Fisherman’s Association, and the Northern California Guides and Sportsmen’s Association are calling for an immediate closure of the 2023 salmon season and are requesting that Governor Newsom, the State Legislature, and state agencies seek Federal and State disaster assistance funding for affected ocean […]
This is the press release from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife reporting on the CDFW’’s Salmon Information Webinar that took place yesterday. Not mentioned in the press release is that the vast majority of participants showed their vocal support for an ocean and river salmon fishing closure like that one in 2008-2009 when salmon stocks declined to […]
As tractors became more sophisticated over the past two decades, the big manufacturers allowed farmers fewer options for repairs. Rather than hiring independent repair shops, farmers have increasingly had to wait for company-authorized dealers to arrive. Getting repairs could take days, often leading to lost time and high costs. Leland Glenna, Penn State The Conversation […]
Over the past 20 years a steady trickle of scientific papers has reported that there are fewer insects than there used to be. Both the combined weight (what scientists call biomass) and diversity of insect species have declined. Some studies were based on sightings by amateur entomologists, while others involved scientists counting the number of […]
New Zealand, where agriculture is one of the largest contributors to climate change, is proposing a tax on cow burps. The reason seems simple enough: Cows release methane, a potent greenhouse gas, and New Zealand has a goal of reaching net-zero emissions by midcentury. Right now, the country’s effects on climate change come roughly equally […]
California officials claim we are in the grip of a major drought, as the Governor issues a flood disaster proclamation requesting presidential aid, while he claims the State is running out of water. Critics are raising questions, “is it because California has gone nuts?” In every major drought, since the turn of the 21st Century, tens-of-thousands of acres […]
It’s final — for the sixth year in a row, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s Fall Midwater Trawl Survey (FMWT) has found zero Delta Smelt in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta. The slender 2 to 3 inch fish that smells like cucumber was once the most abundant fish in the Delta. The smelt, found […]
Maine lobster fishermen received a Christmas gift from Congress at the end of 2022: A six-year delay on new federal regulations designed to protect critically endangered North Atlantic right whales. Blake Earle, Texas A&M University The Conversation The rules would have required lobstermen to create new seasonal nonfishing zones and further reduce their use of […]
In last year’s passage of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), Congress included about $20 billion earmarked for natural climate solutions. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is responsible for deciding how those funds should be allocated to meet the climate goals outlined in the text of the IRA, which include projects that will “reduce, […]
By now, most of us are aware that much of the food we eat, in one way or another, contributes to the climate crisis. From food production and waste, to food consumption and diets – the way we produce, eat, store, discard, source and harvest our food can all play a direct role. By Ximena […]
Christmas Eve is almost here, and among the many treats of the season are chocolate and hot cocoa. While these traditions provide a hefty dose of sugar, there’s a bittersweet side to chocolate’s history, too. By Kelley Fanto Deetz, University of California, Berkeley The Conversation This year, at Stratford Hall Plantation in Westmoreland County, Virginia, […]
If you’re shopping for a live Christmas tree this year, you may have to search harder than in the past. Over the last five years Christmas tree shortages have been reported in many parts of the U.S. Christmas trees at Twin H Tree Farms in Bloomington, Indiana. Indiana University/James Brosher, CC BY-ND By James Robert […]
Citizens’ Climate Lobby applauds the inclusion of the Growing Climate Solutions Act in the omnibus spending bill expected to be passed this week. The legislation would help all farmers and foresters to access carbon credit markets and get paid for using climate-friendly practices that sequester carbon. By Steve Valk Citizens’ Climate Lobby Since it was […]