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U. S. Fish & Wildlife Service to consider Delta’s long fin smelt for protection under the Endangered Species Act

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on May 6, 2008 at 4:58 pm

From the Sacramento Bee:

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced Tuesday that it will consider the Delta’s longfin smelt population for protection under the Endangered Species Act.

The longfin in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta last year hit a historic population low, mirroring the decline of other species, including the Delta smelt, which is already protected. The native longfin has a similar life cycle, but generally lives for two to three years, unlike the Delta smelt, which lives for only one year. The longfin also transits a larger range of fresh and salt water conditions.

A petition to list the species was filed with the service in August by the Bay Institute, the Center for Biological Diversity, and the Natural Resources Defense Council. In February, in response to another petition, the state Fish and Game Commission listed the longfin as a candidate for protection under the state Endangered Species Act.

Read the rest of this story from the Sacramento Bee by clicking here.

The Center for Biological Diversity issued this press release:

“Unfortunately, longfin smelt is just the latest victim of federal and state mismanagement of California’s largest and most important estuary,” said Dr. Tina Swanson, senior scientist with the Bay Institute. “But maybe this decision, following close on the heels of the collapse of the state’s salmon fishery and court-ordered changes in water export operations to protect Delta smelt, will serve as a reality check for those who still think our rivers and the Delta can supply ever-increasing amounts of water without devastating environmental and economic consequences.”

The Bay Institute, Center for Biological Diversity, and Natural Resources Defense Council petitioned for federal protection of the San Francisco Bay-Delta longfin smelt population in August of 2007. The Fish and Wildlife Service must now conduct a status review of this population and make a final listing determination, which is legally due in August of 2008.

“Unsustainable water diversions have crippled Central Valley salmon runs and driven the Delta smelt, and now the longfin smelt — once an extremely abundant species and a critical link in the food chain — to the brink of extinction,” said Jeff Miller, conservation advocate with the Center for Biological Diversity. “Sea changes are needed in the management of the Delta to prevent further unraveling of the estuarine food web and the loss of commercially important species.”

“Longfin smelt and many other fish in the Bay-Delta are suffering from a lack of sufficient fresh water to keep them alive,” said Kate Poole, an attorney with NRDC. “Yet, water managers’ response to these environmental alarm bells is to propose a massive new peripheral canal that would take even more water out of the Delta, worsening the crash of our fishing industry and making Delta water more toxic. It’s time for the agencies to take a serious look at fixing the hub of California’s water system.”

Read the full text of the press release from the Center for Biological Diversity by clicking here.

May 6, 2008 · Filed Under Delta Issues, Longfin Smelt