Editorial: Little fish, big bad idea: Smelt hatcheries would just be a waste

From the Sacramento Bee, this editorial that questions the wisdom of building smelt hatcheries:

Florez, who represents the farm region of Kern County, wants the state to build up to three hatcheries for Delta smelt, including one by 2010. Costs are unknown, but taxpayers would pick up the tab for construction. Water users would pay the ongoing costs of propagating smelt – getting mitigation credit for continuing to kill fish in the pumps.

This idea is nutty. Even if these hatcheries helped water users dodge a bullet in court, they’d do nothing for other troubled Delta species – including longfin smelt and shad.

It also probably would do little to help the Delta smelt. “Trying to keep Delta smelt going by raising them in hatcheries and releasing them is like trying to raise sheep in a drought-seared pasture surrounded by a forest full of wolves,” wrote Peter Moyle, one of the state’s leading fish biologists, in an analysis of the bill.

Despite such warnings, the Assembly Water, Parks and Wildlife Committee approved Florez’s legislation Tuesday and now Senate Bill 994 is headed to the appropriations committee. It shouldn’t go further than that. During a budget meltdown, lawmakers shouldn’t be wasting their time and our money on smelt factories. Fishy business, indeed.

Read the full text of this editorial from the Sacramento Bee by clicking here.

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