Primus’ Les Claypool One of Many Muscians to Perform at SalmonAid in Oakland
By Laura Casey, Contra Costa Times, Walnut Creek, Calif.
May 29–A two-day festival featuring 20 live bands is taking over Jack London Square in Oakland this weekend, all to raise awareness about the plight of wild salmon on the Pacific Coast and energize salmon-lovers to rally to protect the fish.
The free festival, dubbed SalmonAid, will feature children’s music, zydeco beats and bluegrass bands. Bay Area native Les Claypool, best known for his work with the alternative rock band Primus, will also give two free concerts over the weekend.
“The purpose of SalmonAid is to highlight the urgent need to protect river habitats of salmon,” said SalmonAid director and Earthjustice salmon organizer Jim McCarthy. “If the people knew what is going on here they would be outraged and if people were outraged they would demand change.”
SalmonAid is supported by commercial and recreational fisherman, tribal leaders, restaurateurs and conservationists. Over the years, salmon fishing has been restricted or closed in the Pacific Northwest because of declining numbers of spawning salmon in the West’s three most productive rivers. For example, scientists this year have said that they expect less than 60,000 adult Chinook salmon will swim up the Sacramento River this year to spawn.
That’s down from hundreds of thousands of spawning salmon from years before.
“If these fish can’t live in these rivers, that means our rivers are in trouble and that means we are in trouble,” said aquatic ecologist Jon Rosenfield of
Berkeley, who is also working on the SalmonAid festival.
The event, which takes place from noon to 7 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, will also feature salmon barbecue, gourmet foods and information booths. For more details, go to www.salmonaid.org.
Reach writer Laura Casey at 925-952-2697 or e-mail lcasey@bayareanewsgroup.com.
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Copyright (c) 2008, Contra Costa Times, Walnut Creek, Calif.
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