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March 28, 2024

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Friday, January 28, 2022

Open Thread – Why Wild Salmon are Worth the Fight

A great video from Parent Earth about why it’s important to stop the Pebble Mine, and genetically modified salmon.

Comments

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Comments
61 Responses to “Open Thread – Why Wild Salmon are Worth the Fight”
  1. Man_from_Unk says:

    Nice pictures of red salmon. I’m going to make a special trip to the Nome area Salmon Lake to see if the 3,000 supposedly escaped reds made it to the lake to spawn. The pressure is on the CDQ program to show positive production from the millions and millions given to them from the Pollock Fishery for the economically deprived Western Alaska Coastal Villages. That Salmon Lake red run went from 80,000 one year after the lake fertilization project to just 3,000 this year. We have incompetent people in charge up here in the Norton Sound. Too bad for the people who’ve depended on this run for hundreds of years. No empathy for them at all from the people in charge of millions and millions of Public dollars. CDQ’s are up for review in 2012! Change needs to happen. Let’s stop giving a handful of men access to millions of dollars without accountability or transparency.

    • Moose Pucky says:

      Here, here. And there are way too many unsustainable hatchery programs going on Alaska and not nearly enough attention to habitat protection for wild fish runs.

  2. CityKid says:

    Seems to me we’re almost at the perfect “Bill Clinton moment.” We should drop to our knees and thank the Democrats for being just like the Republicans (even more so really). Kick the progressives where it hurts because they don’t carry any weight and will cave as ordered. Forget about Ralph Nader – the public has no meaning. This crisis is a “perfect moment” for the corporations. Hell in a hand basket. Hmmmm.

  3. leenie17 says:

    Well, it’s after midnight on the east coast and I assume that means that, thanks to the Republicans, the FAA is officially shut down.

    The agency’s operating authority expired at midnight tonight and, just like the debt ceiling, temporary extensions have been routinely approved 20 times since 2007. However, Republicans, never failing to seize an opportunity to do some damage to the majority of American citizens, have inserted into the bill three provisions. Two would affect the subsidies for small airports and the third makes it more difficult for airline and railroad employees to form a union and overturns a National Mediation Board rule approved last year.

    Rep John Mica of FL authored the bill that cut subsidies and then “tweaked it”, adding in a special provision that targeted three specific airports, that just HAPPEN to be located in the home states of Democratic Senators Reid, Rockefeller and Baucus. Just a big ol’ coincidence, I’m sure!

    According to Transportation Sec’y Ray LaHood, all essential employees, such as air traffic controllers, will continue to work but at least 4,000 others will be indefinitely furloughed. I read in some article today (which I can’t find again) that the inspections and certifications of airplanes and pilots that the FAA performs, but may not after shutdown, may start to impact the industry in about 2 weeks. Gee, it’s a darn good thing all those Republicans fly on their nice little private planes so they won’t have to worry about all those pesky FAA inspections that don’t get done!

    http://travel.usatoday.com/flights/story/2011/07/House-moves-toward-showdown-with-Senate-on-FAA/49567188/1

  4. Moose Pucky says:

    Wild salmon are always worth the fight. Who depends on wild salmon? The forest, the forest creatures from bears to wolves to otters, people for food, people to earn a living, people for traditional lifestyles, eagles and other birds, seals and other sea mammals, the earth itself, the whole ocean.

    • Man_from_Unk says:

      I agree with you 100%. Now, let’s convince the lawmakers and appropriate Commissioners in Juneau that they have to get off their butts and put heavy pressure on Alaska’s representatives on the North Pacific Fisheries Management Council to be a little more stricter on the Salmon ByCatch regulations of the pollock trawl fishery.

      • Moose Pucky says:

        And be more mindful about the hydro-projects they fund. There are plenty of hydro-options in Alaska that are salmon friendly. And plenty that are not. Our legislators do not seem to know the difference.

  5. Blooper says:

    Just a heads up: The Salmon Stock festival is going to be held in Ninilchik, Alaska (an hour north of Homer) on August 5, 6 and 7 at the Kenai Penninsula Fairgrounds. This festival is being held to recognize the importance of sustaining our native salmon populations. The festival will include popular bands from both Alaska and the lower 48, food and craft vendors, exhibitions, and information on how you can help the fight in supporting wild Alaska salmon.

  6. AK Raven says:

    Great video. $arah was watching it too on my computer, from the cover of that book that is advertised on the right of the blog. I hope she gets to see it so many times that she is brainwashed by it. Such a bitter, disapproving look on her face.

  7. Mag the Mick says:

    Interesting posts on this thread today about the Wasilla “pastor” and his twisted views of sexual assault. I just read in the Anchorage Daily News that a member of the Anchorage Public Safety Commission was arrested today on suspicion of rape. I was heartened to see the outraged responses both in the Daily News and the Frontiersman to the pastor’s letter, and hope that it sparks new awareness of how prevalent this crime can be.

  8. LoveMyDogs says:

    I watched a great DVD last night called “Desert Flower”. Not the greatest acting but pretty amazing story. It relates, in a round about way, to the thinking of the nutjob Wasilla pastor. Sometimes I wonder if they can see Africa from Wasilla…. I highly recommend it.

  9. Lacy Lady says:

    Lost video found (1945)

    http://vimeo.com/5645171

  10. Marnie says:

    When salmon go up stream, spawn and die they bring a bountiful gift from the sea, nutrient rich, biomass loaded salmon.

    For the entire length of their up stream travail they die in the millions to predators and of natural causes, feeding animals, and enriching the bottoms and banks of the waterways through which they travel.

    In the high mountain streams their bodies bring desperately needed biomass to glacier and snow melt striped high mountain meadows and forests.
    The animals who eat them carry their nutrient away from the banks of the streams fertilizing the rocky land with their droppings and eventually their bodies.

    The loss of salmon will dramatically change the ecology of the mountain sides from which the salmon rivers flow, and probably will do so very quickly. Erosion and land slides will increase choking rivers and destroying crop lands, forests and possibly towns.

    Everything relates to everything else.

    • ks sunflower says:

      I wish everyone understood this – or even cared about it. Thanks for the reminder, beautifully written.

    • Man_from_Unk says:

      Yes, salmon is very important to the ecosystem. That’s why we have to save them from being killed and wasted by the pollock trawlers in the Bering Sea and the Gulf of Alaska before they return to the rivers to spawn.

  11. Zyxomma says:

    Aha! It’s open thread:

    http://groups.yahoo.com/group/weasel/attachments/folder/1166608738/item/961152779/view

    Wish I could find it funny.

  12. Baker's Dozen says:

    What miserable weather. Overcast and 60.

    I keep fanning away with my little folding fan, trying to move some of our high cloud cover east, but to no avail. I’ve now worn out both of my arms trying to cool off Buff and Leenie.

    • Zyxomma says:

      and Zyxomma, also too? It’s 100+ degrees in the city, even higher heat index, and my A/C died. It goes on for 1/2 an hour, then off for 1-1/4 hours. I keep making organic jasmine tea, refrigerating it, and making both ice cubes and tea cubes. I’m buying a new A/C as soon as the heat wave breaks. I’m hoping to finish my work (big job), then take the train up to the bf. He’s got 3 A/C units, all working.

      • ks sunflower says:

        We have three window units struggling away as well.Wish we could share the cool with you.

        Good luck finding ACs still in stores. We looked last week in case one of our older ones conked out. Hardly any left. Certainly none to meet our needs or budgets. Will be sending you good wishes.

        • merrycricket says:

          We still had six of them at our store last night.

        • Zyxomma says:

          No worries. There’s a store a few blocks away from me that has plenty, and, should all else fail I can buy one from my landlord. He sells appliances (not to retail customers, generally, but to other landlords). I’d rather buy from a store, if that’s possible. I also need it delivered; I can’t carry it up my four flights of stairs. I believe I can handle the installation myself.

      • Baker's Dozen says:

        Fanning away! Can you feel it?

    • leenie17 says:

      {{Baker’s Dozen}} Thank you! 🙂

      (Just think…with all that fanning, your arms will look as good as the First Lady’s!)

      It’s finally dropped to 79 tonight (yayyy…first time below 80 in 2 days!) although the humidity still pretty high so it feels hotter. The latest local weather report says we might get a break in the heat early next week and I’m keeping my fingers crossed for some good soaking rain. We had so much rain this spring that the poor farmers couldn’t get their crops planted until very late (tractors were getting stuck in the mud) and now the farmers are watching their fields dry up and their crops die. Many of the small farms don’t have irrigation so they have to depend on the rain. It’s going to be an even tougher year than usual for many of the farmers of western NY.

      I did have to laugh yesterday when I looked out the window and saw a squirrel lying lengthwise on the top of my chain link fence. He looked very hot and had his tummy on the pipe with all four legs hanging over the edge. All this heat must be even worse when you’re wearing a full fur coat!

      Stay cool, mudpups!

    • benlomond2 says:

      Don’t fight it BD… I had flannel shirt on this am until about 10 am , when the coastal fog finally burned off here…hotter up on top of the ridge where I work, but SOOO nice down in the valley by the river where I live…. 48 days and counting for trip to Alaska…… two weeks AFTER the Tea Party Cruise,,, hopefully the streets will have been cleaned up by then….

  13. tigerwine says:

    Just heard of the goings on in Oslo. Hope Harry Hole is OK. Think he’ll get pulled in on the investigation?

    • ks sunflower says:

      I just heard about it as well, tigerwine. How awful. I was struck though with the Norwegian response – so opposite of ours: that no one would take away their freedoms or dignity and replace it with fear.

  14. merrycricket says:

    Ahhhh, here we go… I’m going to make ice cubes out of the lemonade and peach flavored water to put in my green tea. Then, I might just spill it on myself.

  15. merrycricket says:

    So I’m back from the grocery store and no frozen treat in tow because it would have thawed on the way home. Bought some fruit flavored water and teas. I’ll make ice cubes out of some of them to make a nice cold drink. Yum. We now have severe storm watches for the area. It’s my day off so I’ll think of something to help me cool off. 😉

  16. tigerwine says:

    Easy does it, Beezer. Anyone with half a brain knows this is right wing dreck. Why the paper prints stuff like this is the question.

    Al Franken made a good point when he questioned what that guy (forget the name) thought “Nuclear Family” meant. Then went on to say he had doubts about the rest of the study if basically the guy didn’t know the meaning of what he was talking about. Me? I wouldn’t trust the Frontiersman in anything they write/print.

    I’m taking a big gulp of iced tea and thinking of you. We can cool down together!!

  17. Beezer says:

    Sorry, in advance, to bring such craziness to the mudflats but I’m just reeling regarding the following link that comes from so called “Christians” out of Wasilla. I just could not contain myself and sent an e-mail response to both the pastor and the Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman. My response is pretty lame but could not bring myself to use the language that I really wanted to shout.
    My response as e-mailed:

    Re: http://www.frontiersman.com/articles/2011/07/20/faith/doc4e25134ce5b39386703783.txt

    No the really sad part of Christianity, sir, is humans with your vision and the fact that the editor of the Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman published such drivel that it is understandable why so many think that Christians are a dying breed.

    May your God have mercy on your soul and all who subscribe to your backward thinking.

    P. S. What is with the water in Wasilla you might want to have the city do some checking.

    Anyway hope I cool down and hope that all of you who are in the wave of heat can enjoy something cool day… like… Crickets idea of some frozen treat!

    • fishingmamma says:

      A response was in the ADN today:

      http://www.adn.com/2011/07/22/1980301/readers-blast-valley-paper-over.html

    • leenie17 says:

      So this guy’s version of a ‘Christian marriage’ is this:

      – Women lie but men don’t.

      – As soon as they are married, women turn possession of their bodies over to their husbands to do with them what they like.

      – Men should be able to have sex whenever, wherever and however they want and their wives have no right to refuse for any reason.

      – No matter the situation, men shouldn’t be accused of spousal rape unless there is at least one witness, preferably two or more.

      Wow…I don’t even know how to respond to the evil of a pastor preaching ‘values’ like that.

      • Beezer says:

        Yep- leenie17 that is how I felt too- kinda scary -thinking a newspaper would have even thought to promote such a platform, much less print it.

      • fishingmamma says:

        Don’t forget – women breaking these rules is the main reason God doesn’t like America.

    • benlomond2 says:

      Yup…. pretty amazing view… First clue was his opening paragraph,,,, where a man could be thrown in jail for spousal rape, and thereby end up putting his wife and family on welfare due to loss of a paycheck.. hmmm never mind the rape bit, folks! He’s bringing home a paycheck, and rather than provide help to the family from this guy, we should just let him rape away…
      and the children see how life is suppose to be – daughters – expect to be raped by your husbands, sons – treat your wife like a slave….
      Just what sort of Christians ARE there up there ??? Does this guy have a megachurch ???

  18. Moose Pucky says:

    Just heard on APRN about that schmuck Anchorage Mayor, Dan Sullivan, wanting to ban “sitting on” or “lying on” sidewalks in Anchorage. He told the homeless guy sitting outside the mayor’s office trying to talk with him that he should “Make himself presentable like a respectable human being” and that he would not meet with him.

    Mayor Sullivan clearly doesn’t believe in “freedom”. And he’s no example of a respectable human being.

    Anchorage needs to have massive sidewalk sit-in, er, sit-on.

    • ks sunflower says:

      What a good idea. Sit-ins once worked magic in getting attention to issues and even changing things for the better. Non-violent, civil and totally news-worthy. It would take a good size group to make an impact, though. Plus, people have to not mind the possibility of getting arrested. Still, when they work, they work well.

    • Man_from_Unk says:

      That’s very disgusting what Anchorage mayor Dan Sullivan said to that homeless guy trying to talk to him. That heartless sounding mayor needs to be replaced at the next election.

  19. merrycricket says:

    That is an amazing picture and would make a.terrific jigsaw puzzle.

    • tigerwine says:

      There’s a mean streak in you, Cricket! This gave me a headache just imagining putting together that picture. Maybe in 25 pieces!

      Keep cool today. It was about 95 here yesterday, and I don’t have AC. I just get up early thirty and get my stuff done and hibernate the rest of the day. Have gotten some reading and quilt piecing done, though!

      • merrycricket says:

        Sorry about that. 🙂 no central ac here either. Haven’t done a lick of work outside all week. The ac at work wasn’t keeping up last night either. I think I’ll toddle off to the grocery store to retrieve a frozen treat for dessert tonight.

      • leenie17 says:

        We hit 98 here in Rochester yesterday, which was a new record. The heat index was 105.

        I was up late last night reading and checked the temps just before I went to bed…86 degrees at 1:30 in the morning! That’s just WRONG!

    • ks sunflower says:

      merrycricket, may your wish come true: at the following site you may similar photos OR you or someone who has a lovely salmon photo can upload it and make it into a puzzle for free (to play with online, of course).

      Found this site in the student newspaper of the high school where my husband teaches. Be forewarned it is addictive. Lots of choices – from photos there, photos to upload and number of puzzle pieces (even lizard-shaped and alphabet shaped pieces).

      http://www.jigzone.com/

      Maybe if someone gets a photo uploaded or spots one there similar to the gorgeous one here, they will come back and share that news with us! (BTW, I’ve not gotten past 48 piece puzzles, but hubby has worked his way up to 97 pieces. I never use the timer either. Just love puzzles, no interest in racing.) Enjoy.

      • merrycricket says:

        That does look like a great site but won’t work on my cell phone. I will have to visit it next time I hook up my phone to my laptop. In the meantime, I did save the picture to my phone and dowloaded a jigsaw puzzle app to my phone. I’m off to bed and a puzzle or two, while I listen to my police scanner app.

    • carol says:

      Yes, what a great idea. Probably would be a good seller for those who commercial fish, those who love those who commercial fish and those who love to eat salmon.

    • marlys says:

      Thank you AK Pi*~~~ I hope that my fellow AKN’s mud pups will be able to attend Salmonstock happening on Aug 5th,6th & 7th sponsored by the Renewable Resources Foundation. This is sure to be a good time, wonderful music and great cause ! Be there or be square like a frankenfish patty~ GMO salmon dyed for you.
      http://www.salmonstock.org

      • Alaska Pi says:

        oh fooey!
        another cool happening we Southeasters can’t come to!
        Maybe a thread on the forum with photos and recap when it happens?
        Please?

      • ugavic says:

        agree on the recap part —please. Some of us LOCAL Bristol Bay fishermen go the whole season so can’t get into Anchorage the first part of August:-))

  20. No video here either . . . The picture is great! (Especially from here on the East coast in the HHH)

  21. GoI3ig says:

    Hmm? No video on my screen. Not sure what’s up. But I do agree with the title. That area of Alaska is awesome. I’ve hunted and fished out there. I can’t imagine a hole the size of Manhattan in that pristine area.