“The way I look at it, everything I do in the vineyards feeds into San Francisco Bay,” said the 63-year-old vineyard manager. “As a kid growing up in Sonoma Valley, the steelhead would come up a lot of the creeks (that) they’re no longer coming up....

His life-long commitment to healthy agricultural practices has earned him recognition from the Golden Gate Salmon Association (GGSA), which will have its third annual Sonoma dinner on Friday, March 11 at Ramekins Event Center.

“Phil Coturri is well known for his organic and bio-dynamic winegrowing practices and, thusly, for his water-conservation practices,” said Victor Gonella, founder and treasurer of GGSA. “Conserving and wise water policies are needed to keep the iconic salmon and the salmon industry strong, along with California’s water dependent economy. Mr. Coturri understands this.”

But the celebration comes even as prospects for a healthy salmon run in Delta waters remain dim for 2016. “Central Valley fisheries are currently in a depressed state due to bad spawning and rearing conditions,” said John McManus, executive director of the GGSA. While he’s hopeful the commercial salmon season won’t be closed altogether, as it was in 2008 and 2009, he anticipates both commercial and sport ocean salmon fishing “will have restrictions stronger than last year’s.”