DAY NINE: Marin County Fair

Fin had quite a day today at the Marin County Fair. We were placed in the ecosperience section of the fair and quickly became the center of attention. We were surrounded by wonderful local environmental groups and were part of a game that kids played in the area where they did different environmental educational activities and were rewarded with prizes.

And then, at noon Fin went live on the CBS weather report in S.F., as KPIX Weather Anchor Roberta Gonzalez delivered today's report with her head sticking out of Fin's mouth. I guess you could call it baiting a reporter! Check it out!




Seriously, the Bay Area is turning out to be an incredible start to this 5-week journey. And we still have ahead of us tomorrow's 4th of July parade and then two days at SF's Aquarium by the Bay.

One person we must thank is Paola Bouley, a Watershed Biologist with SPAWN (The Salmon Protection and Watershed Network). Paola helped set-up our Marin activities, and is part of an exceptional watershed protection group in this area.

Please enjoy this short conversation with Paola. And stay tuned for more action from the roadshow.

DAY EIGHT - Vallejo, CA.

Today's entry is a video blog about the congressional hearing we are attending, so please sit back, watch, and enjoy!

- Jeremy

DAY SEVEN - The Oakland Zoo

Raggs kids' show mascots rub elbows with Fin at Oakland Zoo

What better place to bring our lovely spokesfish on a perfect day in the bay than the Oakland Zoo, an organization dedicated to species preservation? We rolled in bright and early, and were positioned in their educational exhibit space.

We spent the day talking to many families who love serving and eating salmon and were interested to learn about the plight of their favorite food. Many were surprised that we were not against fishing and eating salmon, and we found ourselves explaining again and again how important this aspect of the campaign is to the long term survival of salmon. They are always shocked to learn how many more salmon are taken by the dams every year as compared to commercial, sport and recreational fishing.

At one point in the afternoon Fin was visited by the actors in the hit children's television show Ragg's. The actors, all in their colorful costumes, took turns dancing around Fin, and rubbing their bellies at the thought of eating delicious wild Salmon.

The signatures we have collected for our petition continue to grow by the day, and the word of our tour is spreading as well. We were visited by a large Chinese language newspaper and also got Fin's picture on the front of the Metro section of the Oakland Tribune. We will be sure to get those articles up as soon as we can.

Tomorrow we will be at a Congressional Field hearing on the plight of the local Delta Smelt in Vallejo, CA. So, as always, stay tuned to the blog for exciting developments.

- The Road Show Crew

DAY SIX - Berkeley Farmers Market

Today FIN cozied up to the Hudson Fish stand at the Berkeley Farmer's market. Captain Mike Hudson and his family sell their catch every Saturday at the Farmer's market. Mike lives in Berkeley and fishes off the coast of San Francisco, Marin, and Sonoma. When he has salmon, it goes fast. But, Hudson Fish didn't have salmon this week because the California salmon season was closed during June. Mike was excited to go salmon fishing tomorrow (July 1). If he catches salmon, his customers will be happy next week. This week, he sent the salmon-lovers to see FIN so they could learn about why the fishing seasons here keep getting shorter.

Asked about how she felt being so close to a fisherman, FIN responded:

"As salmon remember a time when the people of the Pacific coast prayed for our safe return from the ocean and celebrated our annual spawning runs. In return, some of us gave their bodies to sustain the people. This was the way of things and it was good.

We know the fishermen and their customers care for us and we appreciate their efforts to protect our spawning grounds. We continue to support them and they continue to support us.

Unfortunately, neither of our communities is as strong today as we have been in the past. We need to get the message to other humans, who don't know about the old agreements, that the rivers and creeks must be protected in order to support salmon so that we can support people."

- The Road Show Crew

Day FIVE - Santa Rosa

On the fifth day of our journey with Fin, we awoke in Santa Rosa, a beautiful wine town about an hour north of San Francisco. We drove in to let the people see Fin, doing a few circuits around their downtown and up and down Main St. We chatted with Rob Dickerson from Trout Unlimited and he wished us well. Rob is the Project Manager for TU’s North Coast Coho Project. Considering that Coho are now extinct on the Snake River and elsewhere, Rob has the noble job of making sure these runs of fish stick around on the Pacific coast. (READ MORE about recent salmon returns in the Columbia & Snake Basin.)

At noon we drove over to Congresswomen Lynn Woolsey's office to meet her staff. We were received very warmly and had a chance to discuss the campaign with them over lunch. It is clear Rep. Woolsey and her staff recognize the cultural and economic importance of salmon recovery up and down the coast by supporting solutions to the Snake River salmon crisis. READ MORE about Congressional activity on behalf of Columbia and Snake River salmon.
Special thanks to Tom, Emmie, Ed, and Jennifer for the hospitality! After taking some pictures with them, we hit the road again, pointing our Salmon south, towards San Francisco.

For us, Santa Rosa marks the end of our first leg of the Road Show (coastal Oregon and northern California), and the milestone gave us a moment to reflect on the experiences and conversations we’ve had so far.
Though Jeremy and I knew that salmon recovery in the Columbia & Snake River Basin impacts hundreds of thousands of people in the Northwest, it is eye-opening to see the connections this issue makes across the spectrum. Just in the first few days we have talked to many different people, all with similar goals.

From coastal fisherman trying to earn a living, to those whose recreation depends on healthy salmon and rivers, to the markets and their customers that choose wild salmon as a healthy food, these fish represent so much to so many people. California fishermen share the same struggles as those who depend on the Columbia & Snake Rivers in Washington and Oregon. The message from all these people is clear: Congress needs to provide leadership and address the salmon crisis in the Northwest. ADD YOUR VOICE

In the coming days we will be in Berkeley at a farmers market, in Oakland at the Zoo, in Vallejo at a congressional field hearing, in Marin for a fair and 4th of July parade, and finally at the Aquarium by the Bay in San Francisco.

Hope we see you somewhere along the road!

- Jeremy, Bobby, Buster and Fin