Save Our Salmon Act

Floor Speech

Mr. Speaker, I want to commend the author, as the original cosponsor of this important legislation, for trying to provide a balancing act in maintaining the waters for all beneficial uses in California.

This legislation by Congressman Denham that has good bipartisan support, H.R. 4582, is known also as the Save Our Salmon Act. It would amend the Central Valley Project Improvement to exempt striped bass from the law's fish-doubling goals.

One should understand that striped bass is a nonnative fish to California that was introduced in the late 1800s. Unfortunately, for the native salmon, the delta smelt, and other native fisheries, the striped bass is a very aggressive predator fish. The fact is that they eat not only juvenile salmon, but they eat delta smelt, which is part of the food chain for the salmon. As a result of this introduction, the striped bass are thriving, but, unfortunately, the native salmon of California are not.

This measure, H.R. 4582, is the first step in a range of overall policy decisions that we have got to take under consideration. Common sense tells us that we must look at all--all--of the stressors that are impacting the native fisheries of California. This attempts to do that to aid salmon recovery by providing, also, an additional, more reliable water supply for Californians.

Those in the San Joaquin Valley that Congressman Denham, others, and I represent have been devastated by the impact of the drought over the last 4, now going on 5, years. Farms, farm communities, and farmworkers have lost their jobs as a result of a zero--zero--water allocation. We don't even have a program to deal with what the Fish and Wildlife agencies have indicated is one of the greatest impacts of native species, which are predator fish. We don't have a predator control program as we have on the Columbia River. It is about time we do something about it.

While there are many stressors that impact the California salmon populations, thereby impacting the water supply reliability for much of California, this measure attempts to begin to do something about the predator problem.

I want to commend again Congressman Denham for his ongoing efforts, along with all of us, on a bipartisan effort to look at an overall balanced solution.

I support H.R. 4582, and I urge its adoption.

I yield back the balance of my time.

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