You are emoting over a romantic, idyllic image of your childhood in an area that is most certainly NOT the Central Valley.
There hasn’t been a native salmon south of Merced in 70 years.
And the reason is most certainly habitat destruction at the feet of big farmers. Worse, the vast majority of that production ships out of state, with a majority leaving the country.
Now, you can say that’s OK as ultimately they produce food and bring money back home to their families.
But to deny the destruction of over farming in this valley is delusional.
What I have experience with is the ability of virtue signaling leftist eco-loons to intentionally mischaracterize actual situations and get people such as yourself all worked up. Fingers are pointed in the wrong direction and all sorts of damage is done over nothing.
This is one of the defining characteristics of a country which has 20% more lawyers than doctors. I am sad that you have been taken in and nothing that I say is likely to change your position. This is the same experience as when you interact with global warming/climate change advocates. Your beliefs are being manipulated by those whose agenda is completely different than how it is being presented.