O B I T U A R Y

Fishermen Mourn Death of Zeke Grader

William F. “Zeke” Grader, Jr., the former executive director of the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Associations(PCFFA) and the Institute for Fisheries Resources (IFR), and a fierce advocate for wild fish and the men and women who harvest them, died on September 7 after a long illness. He was 68.

Zeke was a pivotal figure in the fight to preserve the West Coast’s rivers, estuaries and fisheries, uniting the environmental and commercial fishing communities in common cause. He was a familiar figure in both Sacramento and Washington, and could be confrontational or charming, depending on the situation and audience. “Zeke was a prime example of complete dedication to a cause,” said current PCFFA and IFR executive director Tim Sloane. “Fisheries protection consumed him. His efforts to protect fish and habitat were always guided by his belief that the culture of the fishing community was worth protecting, and he wasn’t afraid of anyone who threatened that culture’s right to exist and thrive.”

Patricia Schifferle, an advisor to PCFFA, and one of Zeke’s long-time friends, described him as “...a great warrior for fishing men and women, salmon, and the ecology of San Francisco Bay and the Sacramento/San Joaquin Delta. What I recall most about Zeke was his ability to cut to the chase and fight against all odds, demanding the water flows essential for the health of our salmon and other species essential to our fishing heritage.” PCFFA President Dave Bitts said, “We have fairly robust fisheries on the West Coast, with mostly owner operated, family-owned boats. This is Zeke’s legacy. That’s how it’s supposed to work, and it’s up to the rest of us to keep it that way.”

IFR President Pietro Parravano said “Zeke was able to explain the connections between the natural world, fishing communities, and society at large in terms that were both eloquent and understandable. He was a true educator and legend.”

Zeke’s roots in the West Coast fishing community were multi-generational. Family members helped his uncle manufacture fertilizer from fish scraps. Zeke’s father, Bill Grader, ultimately founded Grader Fish Company, a seafood broker and processor that specialized in local, high-quality salmon and crab. Zeke worked for the family business through high school, unloading the daily catch on the company’s dock. After graduating from high school, Zeke took his undergraduate degree at Sonoma State University, served in the U.S. Marine Corps, and graduated from the University of San Francisco’s School of Law. He passed the California State Bar in 1975.

In response to concerns about the implications of the Magnuson Act, a group of West Coast fishermen formed the PCFFA and drafted Zeke as executive director. He served in that position until June, 2015.From the beginning, Zeke demonstrated an almost preternatural aptitude for the persuasion, debate, declaiming, arm twisting, and cajoling necessary for dealing with policy makers at both the state and federal levels, says Bill Kier, a Marin-based fisheries consultant and one of Zeke’s best friends.

“One of Zeke’s great talents was his ability to size up each day’s fish habitat and fishing regulation skirmish and figure out how to pluck out a gain for his fishermen-gains the fishermen never could have afforded through normal pay-to-play lobbying,” says Kier. “There’s been a lot said over the years about how Zeke’s boyhood fish dock / Marine Corps-bred fighting skills served the fisheries, but this other side of him, thefisheries warrior, intrigued me the most.”