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California Seeks Federal Help for Salmon Fishers Facing Ban

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California Seeks Federal Help for Salmon Fishers Facing Ban


California officers need federal catastrophe help for the state’s salmon fishing business, they stated Friday following the closure of leisure and industrial king salmon fishing seasons alongside a lot of the West Coast resulting from near-record low numbers of the enduring fish returning to their spawning grounds.

Dealing a blow to the salmon fishing business, the Pacific Fishery Administration Council unanimously accredited the closure Thursday for fall-run chinook fishing from Cape Falcon in northern Oregon to the California-Mexico border. Restricted leisure salmon fishing shall be allowed off southern Oregon in fall.

A lot of the salmon caught off Oregon originate in California’s Klamath and Sacramento rivers. After hatching in freshwater, they spend a mean of three years maturing within the Pacific, the place many are snagged by industrial fishermen, earlier than migrating again to their spawning grounds, the place circumstances are extra supreme to provide start. After laying eggs, they die.

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“The forecasts for chinook returning to California rivers this yr are close to document lows,” Council Chair Marc Gorelnik stated after the vote in a information launch. “The poor circumstances within the freshwater atmosphere that contributed to those low forecasted returns are sadly not one thing that the council can or has authority to manage.”

Decline follows droughts

Biologists say the chinook inhabitants has declined dramatically after years of drought. Many within the fishing business say a rollback of federal protections for endangered salmon underneath the Trump administration allowed extra water to be diverted from the Sacramento River Basin to agriculture, inflicting much more hurt.

“The actual fact is that simply too many salmon eggs and juvenile salmon died within the rivers in 2020 as a direct results of politically pushed, short-sighted water administration insurance policies, underneath the prior federal administration, to ‘maximize’ irrigation river water deliveries throughout a significant drought,” stated Glen Spain, appearing govt director of the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Associations. “Sadly, this purely politically pushed mistake will value our fishing-dependent coastal communities dearly.”

California fishing business representatives and elected leaders stated federal help should be launched shortly and efforts have to be ramped as much as restore salmon habitat in California rivers with higher water administration and the elimination of dams and different obstacles.

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“Now we have to be sure that the insurance policies and practices and the remainder usually are not such that they’re defying the evolutionary progress of salmon,” U.S. Rep. Nancy Pelosi stated Friday, talking in San Francisco, California, within the rain, surrounded by fishers who spoke of their issues about making ends meet throughout the closure.

The Democratic congresswoman, whose district contains the San Francisco Bay space, pledged to push for the Biden administration to behave shortly on the state’s request to declare the state of affairs a fishery useful resource catastrophe, step one towards a catastrophe help invoice that should be accredited by Congress.

In a letter to U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo in search of the declaration, the California governor’s workplace acknowledged that the projected lack of the 2023 season is greater than $45 million — and that doesn’t embody the total affect to coastal communities and inland salmon fisheries.

‘Loads of worry and panic’

California’s salmon business is valued at $1.4 billion in financial exercise and 23,000 jobs yearly in a standard season and contributes about $700 million to the economic system and helps greater than 10,000 jobs in Oregon, in response to the Golden State Salmon Affiliation.

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“There’s quite a lot of worry and panic all up and down the coast with households making an attempt to determine how they are going to pay the payments this yr,” stated John McManus, the group’s senior coverage director.

Specialists worry native California salmon are in a spiral towards extinction. Already, California’s spring-run chinook are listed as threatened underneath the Endangered Species Act, whereas winter-run chinook are endangered together with the Central California Coast coho salmon, which has been off-limits to California industrial fishers because the Nineties.

Leisure fishing is predicted to be allowed in Oregon just for coho salmon throughout the summer time and for chinook after Sept. 1. Salmon season is predicted to open as standard north of Cape Falcon, together with within the Columbia River and off Washington’s coast.

There’s some hope that the unusually moist winter in California, which has principally freed the state of drought, will carry reduction. An unprecedented sequence of highly effective storms has replenished most of California’s reservoirs, dumping document quantities of rain and snow and busting a extreme three-year drought. However an excessive amount of water operating by means of the rivers may additionally kill eggs and younger hatchlings.



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California

At least 21 wildfires burn in California amid historic heat wave

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At least 21 wildfires burn in California amid historic heat wave


At least 21 wildfires burn in California amid historic heat wave – CBS News

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California is one of the western states dealing with a historic heat wave as at least 21 wildfires burn, forcing evacuations in parts of the state. Multiple heat records were broken over the weekend. Death Valley, one of the hottest places on Earth, hit 129 degrees on Sunday, tying the 2007 record.

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NBA Summer League: Standout players from Day 2 of California Classic

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NBA Summer League: Standout players from Day 2 of California Classic


Kel’el Ware made his presence felt in his second Summer League outing with 26 points and 11 rebounds.

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Day 2 of the 2024 California Classic saw settled nerves and scintillating performances as the early stages of NBA Summer League continued. Here’s a look at the individual showings that impressed in Sunday’s action:


Kel’el Ware, Miami

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Rookie big men who play with full-grown size and strength are not common, but Ware is showing he could be one of them early in Summer League play. The 20-year-old 7-footer took a whopping 21 shot attempts — only three of which came outside the paint — en route to 26-point, 11-rebound double-double in the Heat’s victory over Sacramento.


Cole Swider, Miami

Going undrafted in 2022 hasn’t stopped Swider from keeping a firm toehold in the NBA. He showed part of how he’s done that on Sunday, scoring 21 points on 12 shots while shooting 5-for-10 from 3-point range. The 25-year-old swingman is hoping to be the latest undrafted diamond unearthed by the Miami Heat.


Jordan Ford, Sacramento

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Another undrafted veteran who has landed two-way contracts to keep his NBA dream alive, Ford showed the kind of efficiency on Sunday that all teams would appreciate. The 26-year-old guard dropped 22 points on 8-for-13 shooting, including 4-for-6 from deep while committing just two turnovers in 27 minutes of action.


Ethan Thompson, Golden State

After lighting up the scoreboard in his 27-point debut on Saturday, Thompson showed he’s good for an encore with 22 points and 11 rebounds in 27 minutes in the Warriors’ win over the Lakers on Sunday. The 25-year-old guard exhibited an analytics-friendly game, shooting 2-for-5 from deep and 6-for-10 in the paint with zero midrange attempts.


Bryce McGowens, Charlotte

Second-round picks usually need to simmer before being ready to serve a real role. McGowens may be on his way after showing a valuable skill in Sundays’ win over China: getting to the free throw line. The 21-year-old and former 40th overall pick (2022) earned 14 free throw attempts in just 25 minutes of action. This comes after a sophomore season in which he upped his field goal percentage by more than four percent and cut his turnover rate by a third.

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16,000-acre wildfire in Santa Barbara County prompts evacuations near vineyards, Neverland Ranch

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16,000-acre wildfire in Santa Barbara County prompts evacuations near vineyards, Neverland Ranch


A wildfire in the mountains above Santa Barbara County’s Santa Ynez Valley has exploded to more than 16,000 acres, prompting evacuations near vineyards and Neverland Ranch.

The Lake fire was sparked near Zaca Lake on Friday afternoon just before 4 p.m. and quickly spread through dry grass, brush and timber, officials said. The fire was zero percent contained on Sunday.

The Sheriff’s Department expanded the evacuation area Saturday night along Figueroa Mountain Road near Neverland Ranch, once owned by the pop star Michael Jackson. More ground crews were dispatched to the area.

“Our goal is to keep [the fire] away from all those structures,” said Kenichi Haskett, the public information officer assigned to the firefighting operation. “It’s going to continue to grow.”

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The fire was burning in the mountains above Foxen Canyon Road, where there are more than a dozen vineyards. Several wineries north of Los Olivos were closed Sunday after fire officials cut off access to the road.

But there was no need to evacuate, said Ashley Parker, co-owner of Fess Parker Winery.

Though she could see the glow at night north of the winery, the wind appeared to be taking the fire farther north, away from populated areas, Parker said.

The threat level was low enough that the youngsters were simply entertained by the fire helicopters sucking water from the vineyard reservoir, she said.

“My nieces and their husbands live on the ranch,” Parker said. “All the kids were getting a real thrill out of it. Those helicopter pilots are really amazing. So lucky to have great fire crews.”

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The fire was fueled by low humidity and hot inland temperatures. When the fire started, a red flag warning was in place because of gusty winds. The wind has now calmed down, but temperatures remain high.

“With less wind, they can get aircraft in there to drop retardant,” said Joe Sirard, meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Oxnard. “But it’s life threatening heat for these firefighters.”

He said the humidity was still in single digits in some areas of the fire, especially in the highest elevations. The cause of the fire is unknown.

Amid scorching temperatures, crews continued to battle several wildfires in inland areas across California. The largest is the Basin fire in Fresno County, which started June 26. The fire, which has burned 14,027 acres, was 60% contained on Sunday.

Crews also gained the upper hand on the French fire, which began on the Fourth of July and briefly threatened the town of Mariposa outside Yosemite National Park. The 908-acre fire, which temporarily triggered mandatory evacuations and closed State Route 140 leading into the park, stands at 60% containment.

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The weather service has issued an excessive-heat warning until 9 p.m. on Wednesday for inland valleys from Cuyama in San Luis Obispo County down to the Antelope Valley in Los Angeles County. Forecasters say the highs along this stretch of inland California are expected to range from 106 to 116 degrees.

The relentless heat shattered records in some parts of the state on Saturday. Palmdale tied its all-time record of 115 degrees. Death Valley set a new record for July 6 with a high of 128 degrees.

On Saturday, a cooling trend prompted the weather service to call off excessive-heat advisories and warnings in many of the coastal areas.

In Los Olivos, vineyard managers said they were optimistic the fire would soon be contained. Parker said she expected her winery to reopen Monday.

“I really do believe the firefighters knocked it back and that area is going to be up to speed in a day,” she said. “The last thing I want to do is encourage people not to come. The town of Los Olivos is in good shape. Businesses are open. People are having a good time.”

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Adrian De La Cruz, who works at Petros Winery closer to town, said customers were being seated indoors because of the air quality.

“The smoke is getting really bad today,” he said. “Yesterday it was raining ash.”

He said one fire patrol officer stopped by, but he did not have time to talk to him.

“We were busy,” he said.

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