Fish, Flows and Marijuana Grows’: Live-Blogging Senator McGuire’s Hearing Examining Impacts of Marijuana Grows on State’s Fisheries

Note: Live-blogging to begin at 10 a.m. or thereabouts – right here on this post! In the meantime, background and details below.

Fishing boats at Mendocino County's Point Arena. By Jennifer Savage.

"In our fourth year of this historic drought, we have to find ways to protect our fisheries from the impacts of the driest years on record, and the devastating impacts of rogue marijuana grows. The combination of the drought and rogue grows have resulted in unprecedented damage to our state's watersheds, they have put endangered species on the brink and are hammering away at our coastal and port economy." – North Coast Senator Mike McGuire 

With that in mind, Senator McGuire, chairman of the Joint Committee on Fisheries and Aquaculture, hosts today's "Fish, Flows and Marijuana Grows" hearing to examine the impacts of the historic drought and marijuana grows on the state's fisheries and natural resources.

The hearing begins at 10 a.m. in Room 2040 at the State Capitol in Sacramento. You can watch and listen to the livestream via the Senate's website, but for those who can't spend the workday glued to televised government, Your Week in Ocean columnist (and Northcoast Environmental Center Coastal Programs Director) yours truly has braved the 108-degree heat in order to live-blog the hearing highlights for all those interested in the subject matter. 

The hearing brings together fishery experts, state agency leaders, commercial and recreational fishing representatives, river advocates and cannabis industry proponents:

John Laird – Secretary, Natural Resources Agency

Charlton Bonham – Director, California Department of Fish and Wildlife

Thomas Howard – Executive Director, State Water Resources Control Board

John McManus – Executive Director, Golden Gate Salmon Association

Tim Sloane – Director of Programs, Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen's Association

DeWayne Little – Lieutenant, California Department of Fish and Wildlife

Scott Greacen – Executive Director, Friends of the Eel River

Tom Allman – Sheriff, Mendocino County

Lawrence Dwight – Rancher, California Cattlemen's Association

Hezekiah Allen – Executive Director, Emerald Growers Association

Sitting on the Joint Committee on Fisheries and Aquaculture with Chair McGuire are: Vice Chair Assemblymember Jim Wood, Senator Jerry Hill, Senator Jim Nielsen, Senator Fran Pavley, Assemblymember Katcho Achadjian, Assemblymember Philip Ting and Assemblymember Das Williams.

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Source: Fish, Flows and Marijuana Grows': Live-Blogging Senator McGuire's Hearing Examining Impacts of Marijuana Grows on State's Fisheries