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Friday’s top of the scroll: NAS report backs biological opinions but still needs further study; also finds other ‘stressors’ have hurt delta fish

Posted by: Maven on March 19, 2010 at 7:37 am

From the Fresno Bee:

“Controversial cuts in water for San Joaquin Valley farms appear to be scientifically justified but still need further study, scientists have concluded in a highly anticipated report to be issued today.

The National Research Council determined two federal agencies had a “sound conceptual basis” for their actions protecting Chinook salmon, delta smelt and other endangered fish. The conclusion undercuts a common farmer criticism.

But the 65-page report — the first of two the council is expected to produce — also may give some ammunition to those skeptical of pumping restrictions imposed by the Fish and Wildlife Service and National Marine Fisheries Service.

Notably, the scientists determined that predators, pollution and other “stressors” accounted for some of the fish lost in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. That supports a complaint from farmers who say they’ve been held solely responsible for the fish losses, costing them water.

“Based on the evidence the committee has reviewed, the committee agreed that the adverse effects of all the other stressors on the [protected] fishes are potentially large,” the study’s summary conclusion states. … “

Continue reading from the Fresno Bee by clicking here.

From Mike Taugher at the Contra Costa County Times:

” … The National Research Council’s review was prompted by Sen. Dianne Feinstein, who in September asked for it at the request of San Joaquin Valley farmers hurt by three dry years and the effect of new rules to prevent fish from going extinct.

The report, which was obtained by Bay Area News Group late Thursday, appears unlikely to do immediately what farmers were hoping for — ease regulatory restrictions and increase water supplies.

However, it does allow that factors other than water pumping could be having a large effect on dwindling fish populations, and the panel plans to look more thoroughly at those factors in a second report next year.

Of the new requirements, most were determined to be sound and justified, at least in concept. But the rationale behind some of the specifics in the regulations should be developed more thoroughly, the report says.

The report does not support assertions that the new regulations are not working because fish populations have not rebounded since they were put in place.

“The committee concludes that reversing or even slowing the declines of the listed species cannot be accomplished immediately. … “

Continue reading this story at the Contra Costa Times by clicking here.

From the Los Angeles Times:

” … The protections, imposed under the federal Endangered Species Act, have recently grown stricter, compounding water shortages stemming from the state’s three-year drought.

Central Valley farm interests, some politicians and the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, which imports water from the delta, have sharply criticized the curbs as overly strict and unfounded.

But in its 64-page report, a committee of more than a dozen experts from around the U.S. found otherwise.

The panel acknowledged that the pumps that draw huge amounts of water from the delta and send it south are not the only factors hurting the delta environment. They called for more monitoring and studies and emphasized that “reversing or even slowing the declines of the listed species cannot be accomplished immediately.”

The committee also conceded that there was “substantial uncertainty” about where to set a key trigger for the pumping limits, which change according to delta flows, the location of the fish and other conditions.

But the experts repeatedly said that despite such reservations, the federal actions were “scientifically justified.” … “

Read more from the Los Angeles Times by clicking here.

March 19, 2010 · Filed Under Delta Issues

Comments

2 Responses to “Friday’s top of the scroll: NAS report backs biological opinions but still needs further study; also finds other ‘stressors’ have hurt delta fish”

  1. Stop press: Fish need water | Chance of Rain on March 19th, 2010 9:57 am

    [...] reported last night by McClatchy Newspapers, and today by everyone, a scientific panel appointed by the National Academy of Sciences to review federal protections for [...]

  2. Dan Brekke on March 19th, 2010 10:15 am

    I find it a little surprising that folks are emphasizing that “other stressors” besides Delta pumping may be affecting fish in their habitats as if that’s something the agencies have left unmentioned. The biological opinions actually to address those issues and prescribe or suggest a wide range of measures to address them. Pumping happens to be a step that can be taken much more readily than most of the other actions prescribed or suggested in the opinions– for instance, ending erosion along rivers and streams,controlling pollution, or improving fish passage at the Red Bluff Diversion Dam or re-establishing salmon above Lake Shasta.

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