The rise and surprisingly rapid fall of fly fishing on the Russian and other northern California rivers is told in a new documentary film, Rivers of a Lost Coast.

As a boy, Justin Coupe, co-director of Rivers of a Lost Coast, was taught fly fishing by his father, a lifelong angler.   So after finishing college, with an eye toward making a film about that subculture, he returned to the Russian and other northern California rivers to reacquaint himself with his subject. Doing so, he says, reaffirmed his determination to capture this slice of regional history while the first-person participants were still on hand to talk about it.

One of the unexpected stories within Rivers of A Lost Coast involves the long and bitter rivalry between two of the region's most accomplished fishermen, Bill Schaadt left) and Tom Linden.

 See the trailer for Rivers of a Lost Coast:

 

The Sonoma County Water Agency is taking a close look at the energy-producing potential of wave power off the Sonoma County coast.

The first step in the process of determining the potential for wave power energy off the Sonoma County coast is conducting a series of baseline studies of the possible locations for such facilities. That, explains Cordell Stillman, SCWA's Capital Projects Manager, is what these federal permits will enable.

The "sea snake" seen at left  is one type of wave power generator already installed and operating off the northern coast of Portugal. Several others are also in development, including the "aquabouy" shown below.

Preliminary estimates suggest that wave power off the Sonoma coast could generate as much as 200 megawatts of electricity. Stillman says that represents a sizable portion of the county's current energy consumption.

 You can post comments regarding the study permits for each of the three locations shown above at the website of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.

Eco-tourism may draw some visitors to the North Bay, but some forward-looking groups are betting that even more travelers can be enticed through the broader approach called Geo-tourism.

 Anyone wanting a broader understanding of Geotourism in general or the North Coast initiative specifically can find a wealth of background information here.

You can click here to access the online nomination form for places and other resources to be included in the region's geotourism map. Multiple nominations are encouraged.

Coastwalk is among the local and regional groups who are submitting their activities  to be included in the interactive geotourism map.  Click here to see what they've got planned  in the coming months, including the annual trek along the Mendocino County "lost coast" seen below.

From courts to consumers, mercury levels in tuna and other seafood remains a hotly debated subject.

Jane M. Hightower, M.D., author of Diagnosis Mercury,  is a board certified internal medicine physician in San Francisco, California. She published a landmark study that brought the issue of mercury in seafood to national attention. She continues to publish scientific papers and give lectures on the subject.

Research on the risks and safe exposure levels for mercury is fragmentary and inconsistent, as are the recommended tolerances from different governmental watchdog bodies. You can see a comparison chart here. For a history of mercury and fish, click here.

 Of course, not all kinds of tuna carry the same levels of mercury and associated risk, nor are those concerns limited to tuna, as Hightower explains.

All of these concerns are dismissed by the Center for Consumer Freedom, an industry-funded advocacy group which has created an extensive website to debunk claims that mercury in fish is harmful to human health. You can access their fish/mercury safety calculator here.

David Martosko, the Center's Research Director, contends the question of warning labels on tuna cans should have been settled by the outcome of the original court case back in 2006.

Established with funding from tobacco giant Phillip Morris, the Center for Consumer Freedom has regularly unleashed broad attacks on a wide range of public advocacy groups, including the federal Centers for Disease Control, Mothers Against Drunk Driving, and People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. A lengthy expose from ConsumerDeception.com is posted here. The Center for Media and Democracy has posted its analysis here , and the Center for Science in the Public Interest details its own battles with CCF here.