David Zeff: Don’t give up on salmon in the San Joaquin

Re “Our View: Salmon belong where they can truly thrive” (Page 11A, Nov. 2): The Modesto and Fresno Bees recently opined it makes no sense to continue with the reintroduction of spring run salmon to the San Joaquin. Let’s be clear, there are already salmon in the San Joaquin. Perhaps the real question is should we balance management decisions to accommodate and support those salmon that are already there?

The Sierras get taller the further south you go. Climate change forecasts predict snowy mountaintops will persist in the southern Sierra for years into the future, longer than in the northern Sierra. The southern Sierras will provide cold runoff that could support salmon runs in the San Joaquin River far into the future if the water is released in balance with other demands. Most Californians would agree with The Bee that the river deserves to be restored, and we’d say for all Californians, since we all own a stake in it. This includes the salmon that once blessed our state. After all, the San Joaquin is California’s second greatest river.

Restoring salmon in the San Joaquin helps make whole our salmon fishery and the many families that rely on it to make a living and put food on the table.

This story was originally published November 9, 2015 at 1:33 PM with the headline "David Zeff: Don’t give up on salmon in the San Joaquin."