I lived in Maryland for almost a decade and the Chesapeake continues to be a mystery as well as a hot potato environmental issue. Although my wildlife experience revolves primarily around southwestern species, I was aware of the controversial rules issued about 2001(?) in California for the four salmonids found there. I would agree that efforts to protect West Coast salmonids in general have been less than desirable to all affected parties. Here in New Mexico, we have a Democratic governor who is trying to make a pretense of fighting the Feds over their giving the Rio Grande silvery minnow 70% of the dwindling water supplies in the middle Rio Grande. Until I see different, I would compare the Governor's fight with the Feds to a fight staged by the World Wrestling Federation, a lot of running and grunting but no substance.
There are just too many personal agendas being played out anymore in the ESA arena to expect intelligence to reign. In the end, like an innocent child caught in an ugly divorce, it is the species who are the losers to governmental incompetence and mismanagement. Partisanship, arrogance and incompetence now reign over biology. I can say without a doubt that, if I were an endangered species, I would be very worried if I knew the NMFS or the USFWS held my future.
Ah, but we drift from subject of this thread which is the introduction of Asian mollusks in the Chesapeake.
Muleteam1