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NORTH COAST, Calif. – Sen. Mike McGuire, chairman of the Joint Committee on Fisheries and Aquaculture, and Congressman Jared Huffman will convene a special hearing on Tuesday, Oct. 4, at the Bodega Marine Laboratory to take an in-depth look at the aquaculture industry in California, as well as receive an update on the outlook for the upcoming Dungeness and rock crab seasons.
This hearing will be the first time that the Joint Committee has focused primarily on aquaculture, which can be thought of as “farming in water.”
The farmed fish, oysters and seaweed industry is larger than ever and panelists will explore finfish, shellfish, inland production and perspectives from state agencies. The public is encouraged to attend.
“A major turning point in history was reached in 2014. That was the first year humans consumed more farmed fish than wild,” Sen. Mike McGuire said. “World per capita fish supply reached a new record high due to vigorous consumer demand and growth in aquaculture, which now provides half of all fish for human consumption worldwide. This development highlights a new era, indicating that aquaculture will increasingly be a main driver of change in the fisheries sector.”
Unfortunately, 91 percent of the seafood we eat (by value) originates abroad, half of which is from aquaculture, creating a seafood trade deficit of over $11.2 billion annually.
The hearing, “Crab Season Outlook for 2016-17 and Modern Aquaculture in California,” will feature testimony and updates on the upcoming crab season and current and anticipated domoic acid levels from representatives with the Department of Fish and Wildlife, California Department of Public Health and top ocean scientists.
The hearing will include testimony on how the aquaculture industry will change with modern techniques and what challenges and hurdles the industry faces.
The hearing will be held from 1 to 4 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 4 at the Bodega Marine Laboratory in Bodega Bay. The hearing will be streamed live at www.senate.ca.gov . The public is welcome to attend.
For more information about the Fisheries and Aquaculture Hearing visit the Committee Web site at http://fisheries.legislature.ca.gov/ .
A full hearing agenda will be released on Friday of this week.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The 26th annual Konocti Challenge cycling event is set to occur this Saturday, Oct. 1.
This event, produced by the Rotary Club of Lakeport, brings in hundreds of cyclists and their guests to participate in this very unique and fun event.
“This is an amazing event for our community and we are excited to bring all of these folks to our beautiful area,” said Konocti Challenge Ride Director and Lakeport Rotarian Jennifer Strong. “This is a great opportunity for us to show off the incredible assets we have and to encourage these cyclists to come back other times during the year.”
The ride is stage from the Skylark Shores Resort in Lakeport with the festivities beginning on Friday afternoon with a wine tasting and rider packet pickup from 4 to 7 p.m.
The ride takes off from the Skylark on Saturday at 7 a.m. with cyclists traveling around the lake with four different routes to choose from.
The 20-mile and 40-mile routes travel through Scotts Valley and to Kelseyville.
The 65- and 100-mile routes circle Clear Lake with the 100 mile route traveling to Middletown and up and over Cobb Mountain.
The ride route maps can be found at www.konoctichallenge.com .
The ride brings in hundreds of thousands of dollars to the Lake County community with hotels filled, restaurants filled and the shops and wineries seeing many visitors.
The ride is highly regarded as one of the best in the state as was apparent with their recent Cycle CA! Magazine Awards for the Best Metric Century of 2014 and the 2015 Excellence in Service Award.
There's still time for interested riders to register to participate.
Go to www.konoctichallenge.com or register at the event on Friday afternoon or Saturday morning.
There are also still volunteer opportunities available. Send a message to
KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – U.S. Rep. Mike Thompson (CA-05) will hold a town hall meeting for servicemembers, veterans and their families on Wednesday, Oct. 5.
The town hall will take place from 6 to 8 p.m. at Kelseyville High School, 5480 Main St.
At the town hall, there will be an open discussion on the issues facing veterans and military families today, and attendees will have the opportunity to ask a panel of experts questions on any veteran-related issue.
Thompson is himself a veteran, having served during the Vietnam War.
To RSVP, or if you have any additional questions, please call Thompson’s district office at 707-226-9898 or email
Thompson represents California’s Fifth Congressional District, which includes all or part of Contra Costa, Lake, Napa, Solano and Sonoma counties.
NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – Firefighters made more significant progress on the Sawmill fire in Sonoma County on Tuesday.
The 1,500-acre fire, burning since Sunday morning 10 miles east of Cloverdale, reached the 75-percent containment mark as of Tuesday evening, according to Cal Fire.
Cal Fire said firefighters on Tuesday continued to mop up and patrol the fire perimeter.
At the same time, Cal Fire began to demobilize and reassign resources, reducing the ranks of firefighters by about 300 personnel.
Total resources assigned on Tuesday night included 717 firefighting personnel, 55 fire engines, 22 fire crews, eight water tenders, four helicopters and four dozers.
There is still no word of the fire's cause, which Cal Fire said remains under investigation.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
Marc Edward Bersie, 61, born Oct. 4, 1954, passed away quietly in San Francisco, Calif., on Aug. 16, 2016, from pancreatic cancer. He was a longtime resident of Lower Lake, Calif.
Growing up in Marin County, Calif., Marc graduated from Sir Francis Drake High School in 1973.
He had a natural gift to bring any motorized vehicle to life, either gifted to him in a box or found in a barn. He had such a talent he was able to restore a 1958 jaguar sport coupe to its natural beauty, a gift from his father, Louis E. Bersie when Marc was only 18 years old. Marc was also preceded in death by his mother, Beatrice L. Bersie, and brother Michael J. Pereira.
Molly, his cocker spaniel, his beloved dog is missing from the aftermath of the Clayton fire. We can only hope that she may have found peace together with Marc, and with him as he promised her as her "forever home.”
Marc passed as the Clayton fire inferno charred many of his close neighbors' and friends' homes, and hope some of his belongings will help aid with their recovery.
Marc's free spirit brought him many wonderful travels. He loved living in Hawaii, he enjoyed free riding to Canada, but most of all he has a great group of friends and friendships that he relished. Marc will be missed by many.
Marc is survived by his sister, Louan (Bersie) Homer; nieces, Joanna Homer and Angela (Homer) Riley; grand-nieces; sister, Nanci (Pereira) Gaffney; nephew Jon Gaffney; sister, Linda (Pereira-Griffith) Pillow; nephew, Tom Griffith; nieces, Michele (Pillow) Harrison and Kelly (Pillow) Dobbins; and nephew Jesse Pereira.
A celebration of life for family and close friends will be in October. Gifts to support pancreatic cancer study and/or animal shelters would be desired.
FORT BRAGG, Calif. – The Mendocino Unit of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or Cal Fire, is preparing for the fall season at Jackson Demonstration State Forest by announcing scheduled closures of seasonal campgrounds, trails and firewood areas.
Campground closure: The seasonal closure of Jackson Demonstration State Forest, or JDSF, Camp One, Dunlap and Horse Camp campgrounds are scheduled for Monday, Oct. 3. Big River campground will remain open until which time it is deemed necessary to close.
Trail closure: Beginning Oct. 15, the “Trestle Trail” between Camp 8 and JDSF Road 1070 will be closed to mushroom gathering and other recreational activities. This trail is closed (October to May) as a precautionary measure in an attempt to slow the spread of Phytophthora ramorum, the invasive pathogen that causes sudden oak death.
Firewood area closure: The designated areas for firewood cutting will also close on Monday, Oct. 3, or prior to the first significant rain, whichever occurs first. After the closure, all firewood cutting on the Forest is prohibited until otherwise noticed.
Information regarding camping and other recreational activities such as mushroom gathering on JDSF is available at the Cal Fire Fort Bragg office located at 802 North Main St. or by calling 707-964-5674 during the following hours: Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to noon and 1 to 5 p.m.
Visit the forest's Web site at http://calfire.ca.gov/resource_mgt/resource_mgt_stateforests_jackson.php .