Last Thursday, CalTrout and Trout Unlimited hosted the 6th Annual Casting Call on the State Capitol North Lawn. The event was an opportunity to to raise awareness for cold water fisheries and advocate for a balance between the needs of fish and people in California.
A highlight of the day was the friendly casting competition where teams of Assemblymembers, Administrators, and Staff competed on a course that tested fly casting accuracy and distance. The Administration team scored the most points to win and earn bragging rights.
CalTrout Executive Director Curtis Knight and TU’s Brian Johnson met with legislators throughout the day on issues the organizations support such as: allocating appropriate funds from Prop 1 for Klamath Dam Removal, securing funding for wetland and mountain meadows, support of AB2087 (Levine) facilitating regional conservation plans, support of AB 2243 (Wood) to levy a tax on marijuana distributors to fund environmental remediation, and support of SB 1755 (Dodd) to establish a new, publicly accessible water-data platform.
It was a productive day and we thank all who participated and took time to stop by.
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Peter Moyle is the Distinguished Professor Emeritus in the Department of Wildlife, Fish and Conservation Biology and Associate Director of the Center for Watershed Sciences, at UC Davis. He is author or co-author of more than 240 publications, including the definitive Inland Fishes of California (2002). He is co-author of the 2017 book, Floodplains: Processes and Management for Ecosystem Services. His research interests include conservation of aquatic species, habitats, and ecosystems, including salmon; ecology of fishes of the San Francisco Estuary; ecology of California stream fishes; impact of introduced aquatic organisms; and use of floodplains by fish.
Robert Lusardi is the California Trout/UC Davis Wild and Coldwater Fish Researcher focused on establishing the basis for long-term science specific to California Trout’s wild and coldwater fish initiatives. His work bridges the widening gap between academic science and applied conservation policy, ensuring that rapidly developing science informs conservation projects throughout California. Dr. Lusardi resides at the UC Davis Center for Watershed Sciences and works closely with Dr. Peter Moyle on numerous projects to help inform California Trout conservation policy. His recent research interests include Coho salmon on the Shasta River, the ecology of volcanic spring-fed rivers, inland trout conservation and management, and policy implications of trap and haul programs for anadromous fishes in California.
Patrick Samuel is the Conservation Program Coordinator for California Trout, a position he has held for almost two years, where he coordinates special research projects for California Trout, including the State of the Salmonids report. Prior to joining CalTrout, he worked with the Fisheries Leadership & Sustainability Forum, a non-profit that supports the eight federal regional fishery management councils around the country. Patrick got his start in fisheries as an undergraduate intern with NOAA Fisheries Protected Resources Division in Sacramento, and in his first field job as a crew member of the California Department of Fish & Wildlife’s Wild and Heritage Trout Program.