Commercial fishermen, average anglers and all salmon lovers are in for a disappointment this summer, as federal regulators recently banned fishing off the California coast in order to attempt to rehabilitate the chinook salmon population. Across the Internet, salmon lovers and those in the industry laid blame and offered solutions.

“This is mostly about Sacramento River fish, and it’s a good thing, just too late. The migrating salmon fishery has been in decline for over a decade and the unfortunate political pressures have prevented action before now,” wrote “Cruiserdew,” a Sacramento poster to the message board at www.ih8mud.com. “It could take 10 or more years for the situation to stabilize and it will take more than just a fishing ban to reverse the problem. Most important will be [whether to] restrict [or] shut down the CVP pumps during critical times. The fishing ban will have a tiny impact compared to that. Ag run-off and toxins need to be addressed and maybe now there will be sufficient political will to do it.”

Another message board poster, “Fly Rod,” spoke of the fishing troubles in Southern Oregon.

“In our case, the Rogue River, I am afraid it is also too late. Our spring chinook run is screwed beyond recovery. This is typical of the political process,” the blogger wrote. “The issue has been under ‘discussion’ for over 20 years. They don’t want to ‘hurt’ the commercial fishermen so they refuse to do anything. When they are certain that there is no recovery and the commercial guys are screwed anyway, they ban the practices. Way to go!”

Of course, some could not miss a chance to blame the Bush administration for the salmon collapse.

“There are many theories, and scientists are, as yet, unwilling to state that they know the reason. I won’t pretend to have a definitive answer, but I do have an informed opinion,” wrote “Donklephant” at www.politicalbase.com. “It starts with an administration that has an ideological agenda to prioritize political and economic interests over wildlife. Then the administration cooks the science to further their ideological objectives. The resulting removal of “endangered” status for wild salmon runs [and then it] created a regulatory environment that permitted the wholesale diversion of water from the Klamath and Sacramento Delta salmon habitat to agricultural interests.”

Regardless of fault and blame, it is clear it will be a sad summer for fish lovers.

Bloggers Slam Candidate KJ
A few weeks ago, The Sacramento Union bloggers’ column reported on the warm reception Kevin Johnson received online upon his entry into the mayor’s race. That honeymoon has ended.

Some bloggers have noted with criticism the recent revelations about alleged sexual abuse involving the candidate when he played for the Phoenix Suns in Arizona during the eraly 90s. Although Johnson was never charged with a crime, the Eyes of Argus blog (www.eyesofargus.net) took the former NBA star to task and posted an excerpt from the Phoenix police report involving Johnson.

“There is too much information to process at this point, but one thing is for sure, the evidence is clear,” Argus wrote. “The Phoenix police department believed that the nude shower took place and there was enough evidence to file charges. They requested that he be prosecuted (page 62). The DA obviously squashed any attempt at prosecution because he was a popular local NBA star.”

(It should be noted that officers never filed charges against Johnson.)

Liberal blogs also aired online grievances after Johnson declared his support for traditional marriage as reported in the April 10 edition of the Sacramento News & Review.

“That’s lame! I hope he gets grilled about this during his campaign,” wrote a blogger at www.heckasac.blogspot.com. “Sacramento is a gay-friendly town and we need a gay-friendly mayor.”

On the other hand, local blogger Ken Henderson expressed hope Johnson could revitalize downtown.

“Now if you don’t know, I am a Republican and KJ is a Democrat; however, I feel Heather Fargo, our current mayor, has to go,” he declared at kenhenderson.net. “Sacramento’s downtown has deteriorated under her watch. We need some fresh blood with some new ideas to help change the city. Hopefully Kevin will transform downtown Sacramento into something where people want to be.”

Let the Internet campaigns continue.