Connect with us

Business

California’s salmon fishermen are making their living from whale watchers and sea burials because the fishery is closed for a 2nd year

Published

on



William Smith has long fished the California coast for salmon, taking avid anglers out on his boat in hopes they’ll get to wrestle with and reel in the prized catch.

But not anymore.

Smith, known as “Capt. Smitty,” now spends time on the seas with aspiring whale watchers, or scattering the ashes of the deceased — whatever it takes to stay afloat since salmon fishing was barred in California two years ago due to dwindling stocks. Smith said a rise in the Bay Area’s Hindu and Buddhist communities has made sea burials more popular, and he now does more than 200 a year — and that’s helping him pay off his $250,000 boat engine.

“The bills keep going, whether I’ve got a fishery or not,” said Smith, who runs Riptide Sportfishing in Half Moon Bay, California. “There’s no season on when people die.”

California’s sport and commercial fishermen have been walloped by two years of salmon closures and are bracing for a potential third, which they blame on a years-earlier drought and state and federal water management policies they say have made it tough for the species to thrive. The closures have taken a toll on people’s livelihoods in coastal communities where salmon, fishermen say, is a special fish.

Salmon must swim upstream to lay their eggs, and young fish make their way out to the ocean through California’s waterways — something done more easily when cool water flows are abundant. The fishery has long been strained and the Pacific Fishery Management Council, which manages West Coast fisheries, said there will be very limited salmon fishing this year in California, if at all. A decision is due in April.

The dim outlook comes as President Donald Trump has ordered officials to find ways to put “people over fish” and route more water to farmers in California’s crop-rich Central Valley and residents of its densely-populated cities. Trump has professed his love for farmers and contends too much heed is paid to the tiny delta smelt, a federally-threatened species seen as an indicator of the health of California’s Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta.

But salmon depend on this same water system for their survival. And some in the fishing community are wondering if fishermen aren’t people, too.

“We are people that are hardworking and it’s our jobs on the line,” said Sarah Bates, a commercial fishing captain in San Francisco. She said local markets have been devastated by the salmon closures and Bay Area restaurants aren’t snapping up halibut or other catch as they did salmon.

The history of commercial salmon fishing in California dates back more than a century, and in the 1970s and 1980s the fishery thrived off the state’s coast. Over time, salmon fishing has declined with swings in stocks amid volatile weather patterns in a drought-prone state and water management decisions about when surface water, and how much of it, should flow to farms, burgeoning cities and the ecologically-sensitive bay delta.

California’s salmon fishing industry includes commercial fleets and charters that take anglers out for recreation.

Jamie O’Neill, owner of Seattle-based Dock Street Brokers, said many of California’s commercial salmon fishermen are getting out of the business, selling their permits or simply letting them expire. Permits now sell for a fraction of what they used to, and there are fewer than 900 permits compared to 1,200 in 2010, he said.

Charter operators, meanwhile, have branched out to host boat tours and party cruises, especially since short trips require little fuel and can help offset the cost of boat maintenance.

While fishermen can still catch halibut, cod and striped bass along the extensive Pacific coastline, they say without the all-popular King Salmon, anglers just aren’t coming like before. Each fish requires a different bait and technique, and a fast-swimming salmon is a fighter that anglers aspire to catch.

“One is hamburger, and one is filet mignon,” said Andy Guiliano, whose sportfishing boat the Pacific Pearl in Emeryville has expanded its historic tour offerings since the closure. “It makes the cash register ring.”

This story was originally featured on Fortune.com



Source link

Continue Reading

Business

Exclusive: Superlawyer David Boies expected to hit Boeing with wrongful death suit spurred by suicide of whistleblower John Barnett

Published

on



© 2025 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.



Source link

Continue Reading

Business

Proposed Trump policy could force thousands of citizens applying for social security benefits to verify their identities in person

Published

on



Trump’s Social Security Administration proposed a major change that could force thousands of people every week to show up at a shrinking list of field offices before they can receive benefits.

In an effort to combat fraud, the SSA has suggested that citizens applying for social security or disability benefits over the phone would also need to, for the first time, verify their identities using an online program called “internet ID proofing,” according to an internal memo viewed by the Washington Post.

If they can’t verify their identity online, they will have to file paperwork at their nearest field office, according to the memo sent last week by Acting Deputy Commissioner for Operations Doris Diaz to Acting Social Security Commissioner Leland Dudek.

The memo acknowledged the potential change could force an estimated 75,000 to 85,000 people per week to seek out field offices to confirm their identities and could lead to “increased challenges for vulnerable populations,” “longer wait times and processing time,” and “increased demand for office appointments,” the memo read, according to the Post

The change would disproportionately affect older populations who may not be internet savvy, and those with disabilities. Claimants seeking a field office will also have fewer to choose from, as more than 40 of 1,200 are estimated to close, the New York Times reported, citing advocacy group Social Security Works. The list of offices slated to close is based on an unreliable list released by DOGE, according to Social Security Works. Elon Musk’s DOGE has also said it will cut 7,000 of the SSA’s 57,000 employees. 

The White House and the Social Security Administration did not immediately respond to Fortune‘s request for comment.

The SSA previously considered scrapping telephone service for claims, the Post reported, but backtracked after a report by the outlet. Regardless, the SSA said claimants looking to change their bank account information will now need to do so either online or in-person and could no longer do so over the phone.

Almost every transaction at a field office requires an appointment that already takes months to realize, according to the Post. 

The White House has repeatedly said it will not cut Social Security, Medicare, or Medicare benefits, and has said any changes are to cut back on fraud. A July 2024 report from the Social Security Administration’s inspector general estimated that between fiscal 2015 and fiscal 2022, the SSA sent out $8.6 trillion in disbursements. Fewer than 1% of the disbursements, or $71.8 billion worth were improper payments, according to the report.

Acting Social Security Commissioner Dudek said for phone calls, the agency is “exploring ways to implement AI — in a safe, governed manner in accordance with” guidance from the Office of Management and Budget “to streamline and improve call resolution,” according to a Tuesday memo obtained by NBC News.

Dudek mentioned in the memo that the agency has been frequently mentioned in the media, which has been stressing out employees.

“Over the past month, this agency has seen an unprecedented level of media coverage, some of it true and deserved, while some has not been factual and painted the agency in a very negative light,” he wrote. “I know this has been stressful for you and has caused disruption in your life. Personally, I have made some mistakes, which makes me human like you. I promise you this, I will continue to make mistakes, but I will learn from them. My decisions will always be with the best intentions for this agency, the people we serve, and you.”

This story was originally featured on Fortune.com



Source link

Continue Reading

Business

4 health benefits of rosemary, including a hidden compound scientists could potentially use to fight Alzheimer’s

Published

on



As you place sprigs of rosemary on a pan to roast alongside chicken or in a garlicky loaf of bread, you may not be thinking about the potential health properties this common herb is wielding.

It turns out, rosemary is a well-studied herb with myriad benefits—from boosting hair growth to potentially helping fight cancer.

Here’s how to take advantage of this natural health powerhouse.

Stimulate hair growth

While there are countless hair-growth supplements and hacks that circulate social media, rosemary oil, extracted from rosemary plants, is a tried-and-true tool to boost hair growth, backed by science.

In one study comparing the effectiveness of rosemary oil compared to minoxidil—a common medication used to stimulate hair growth in men and women—participants saw significant hair growth from both products after six months, with no difference between the two treatments’ effectiveness.

A comprehensive review of studies on the hair loss condition alopecia demonstrated that rosemary oil is an effective treatment due to its ability to improve scalp blood flow and enhance the regeneration of the hair follicles.

Improve skin health

Rosemary also has the potential to help heal the skin, according to a 2023 review of studies. Oxidative stress to the skin, caused by things like ultraviolet (UV) light, environmental pollution and chronic psychological stress, can damage the skin and lead to further skin aging and may play a role in skin cancer, according to researchers.

But thanks to its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, rosemary could help treat some skin diseases either when ingested or applied to the skin.

Anticancer properties

Rosemary’s anticancer potential is more than skin deep: Ingesting rosemary was found to help stop the activation of carcinogens, increase antioxidant enzyme activities, reduce tumor-stimulating inflammation, decrease cell growth (which can lead to the production of cancerous cells), stimulate programmed cell death, and suppress tumor growth and invasion, according to a 2020 study.

Brain health and Alzheimer’s treatment

The benefits of rosemary extend to your nervous system, according to a 2020 review of studies. Rosemary extract showed anti-spasm, pain-relieving, anti-inflammatory, anti-anxiety and memory-boosting properties.

The study concluded that components of rosemary show promise in the treatment of anxiety, depression, Alzheimer’s disease, epilepsy, Parkinson’s disease, and withdrawal syndrome, researchers found.

For Alzheimer’s in particular, a January 2025 study in mice linked a compound found in rosemary to boosts in memory, more neuron synapses, reduced inflammation, and greater removal of toxic proteins that are linked to Alzheimer’s. It was administered to mice three times a week for three months, with no observable toxic effects. 

How to use rosemary for your health

All of the studies on rosemary have limitations: The use different a dose as well as different methods of extracting and administering rosemary, making it difficult to put the findings into clinical practice. In the anticancer study, authors also raised concerns about chronic use of rosemary extract becoming toxic.

While the Food and Drug Administration designates rosemary extract as generally recognized as safe (GRaS), there is no recommended daily allowance. Talk to your doctor before taking any supplement to make sure it’s safe for you.

The most common forms of rosemary are the herb or as an essential oil. You should not ingest the essential oil as it is highly concentrated and can be toxic when ingested, according to Poison Control. If you want to apply it to your skin, they recommend diluting it with a carrier oil like jojoba or argan oil. Rosemary essential oil is generally safe when inhaled through an aroma diffuser.

To reap the benefits of rosemary, you can steep the herb in boiling water and drink it as a tea, or make it a regular part of your cooking.

Mount Sinai Hospital advises, however, that pregnant and nursing women avoid taking rosemary as a supplement, as higher doses can potentially cause miscarriage—but, it is still safe to consume as an herb in food. Additionally, people with high blood pressure, ulcers, Crohn’s disease, or ulcerative colitis should not take rosemary.

For more on supplements:

This story was originally featured on Fortune.com



Source link

Continue Reading

Trending

Copyright © Miami Select.