SHIFTING TIDES

A battle is brewing in Northern California between man and beast.  Sea lions and fishermen are vying for a dwindling food source: salmon.

What’s causing the salmon population to plummet?

Photojournalist and filmmaker Barbara Pyle travels to California to try to piece together the puzzle. She talks with fishermen who blame the sea lions for the loss in fish stock, insisting the animas’ booming population is putting an already endangered salmon species at greater risk.  Some fisherman are so fed up, they’re shooting sea lions that try to steal their catch.

Natural resource planner Dave Hope believes humans are the problem. He claims the demands of a growing human population, deforestation and dams are really to blame for the drop in salmon stocks.


Meanwhile, other players in this drama are struggling to help the starving and injured sea lions.  Pyle accompanies animal rights advocate Chip Will on a sea lion rescue and rehabilitation mission.

Finally, Pyle meets a woman with the most challenging task of all -- Vicki Nichols, Executive Director of Save Our Shores.  She is bringing both environmentalists and fishermen to the table to work on a lasting solution. Vicki says “Again the only way we’re going to work through this... is to try to understand the various perspectives of the problems and try to do something about it.”

 

 

Click here to view episode transcript