Water mismanagement imperils fish

July 30, 2021 — Drought, climate change, and mismanagement are a recipe for extinction, according to panelists at a recent hearing on the crisis of the state’s salmon fisheries, moderated by Senator Mike McGuire. The Healdsburg Democrat chairs a Committee on Fisheries and Aquaculture, which heard testimony from agency heads, tribal chairs, and environmental groups from across the state this week. Panelists testified about how environmental factors and management decisions that over-allocate water delivery to agricultural interests, have led to a severe decline in native salmonids that grows grimmer every year.