Had an unpleasant experience at Middle River Thursday. I prefished Victoria canal and
around. I would eat blackberries from the overhanging bushes. A truck came by on top and sprayed the bushes, blackberry bushes. The guy with a big hood and mask on said the stuff was Roundup, pretty toxic stuff. . He may have been facetious. The next day I prefished again (though it turns out I cannot make the tourney), and all the bushes were brown, curled and dead.The poison did the job in 18 hours. The white stuff went into the water, and it hit me, and I was eating (like hundreds of others,) the blackberries. Not only does the commercial robbery of Delta water (sent South) harm the fish (smelt die-off), the toxic chemicals are poisoning the habitat as well. Getting rid of the hyacinth was just a beginning, and seemed o.k. But now 48 different herbicides are used. Nature is a nuisance, isn't it. So just kill it. I not only want to save the fish, I want to fish in unpolluted waters in a natural habitat. Good luck at Middle River, just don't eat the inviting blackberries. Oh, by the way, I caught a bunch of 2 and 3 pounders Thursday before the spray down, but didn't get a single bite Friday. Probably a coincidence. The red-winged blackbirds that inhabited the bushes were gone.
Rocky

> I want to fish in unpolluted waters in a natural habitat.

The words "unpolluted" and "natural" are mutually exclusive when used in conjunction with "Delta."

Rocky, you are with the majority of fishermen. We want a natural environment in which to recreate. The Delta has been treated as a plumbing fixture and moving trash receptacle by the state's corporate agribusinesses for the past 100+ years. It is now time to take it back from the corporations. Let's put the people back in charge of this public resource.

The industrial agriculture practices (pesticides, herbicides, chemical fertilizers) have put us in our current situation. Many of the Delta farmers are using these tactics.

Roundup is a problem across the entire country. Monsanto (corporage agribusiness giant) sells Roundup and "Roundup Ready" genetically engineered seeds for TOP DOLLAR to farmers every year and won't allow farmers to use previous year's seeds. This is the confluence of industrial agriculture and genetic engineering.

Organic farming doesn't use chemical fertilizers, pesticides or herbicides. Chemical fertilizers (amonium nitrate) are made from petroleum and load the water with nitrogen, choking off the oxygen; this contributes to algae blooms and dead spots in the Delta / Ocean.

Organic farming uses compost for fertilizer, uses natural pest control, aligns the crops with their best enviornment, and produces more nutricious food. Organic SHOULD be the standard and SHOULD be less expensive. Why is the "industrial" food, with petroleum and chemical inputs less expensive than organic? Organic SHOULD be less expensive, but the deck is stacked against smaller, organic farmers.

Solutions / Action Items:
Look at yourself first and set the example.
ALWAYS buy orgainc.
Support organic farmers.
NEVER buy genetically engineered food.
Participate in our democracy by calling your state representatives and supporting legislation that limits the power of these giant corporate agribusinesses. Let's move this state towards mandatory organic farming.
Start composting.
Don't drink bottled water (those broken down plastics pollute the environment as much or more than pesticides / herbicides).

Right now the flow issue is the core problem. If the flows aren't restored soon, the entire ecosystem will die. The pollution is a separate and distinct issue that must be addressed. Interestingly enough, the corporate agribusinesses and Delta water exporters are using pollution as an issue to distract the public from the flow issue.

Set the example in your daily life. Vote. Call your state representatives. Make your voice heard!

Mike F