EarthJustice: Top scientists validate restoration plan for California salmon

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on March 20, 2010 at 6:39 am

From Unearthed, the blog of Earth Justice:

“A National Academy of Sciences review panel today announced findings that federal protections for salmon and other fish in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta are scientifically justified. The determination by the panel comes after months of controversy sparked by the plan’s modest restrictions on massive pumps in the Delta. These huge pumps export water to farms and cities south of the Delta, but also cause Delta rivers to run backwards, pulling large numbers of baby salmon and other fish to their deaths.

The new federal plan, won by Earthjustice attorneys, requires the pumps to run below maximum capacity from January to June when baby salmon migrate through the Delta to the sea. Before the plan was put in place, unrestricted pumping not only contributed to the collapse of threatened Central Valley salmon runs, but helped drive the population of non-threatened, commercially-valuable Sacramento River king salmon to such low levels that ocean salmon fishing along one thousand miles of coastline was completely closed for the first time in history during 2008 and 2009. Sacramento king salmon have traditionally formed the backbone of sport and commercial salmon fishing in California and Oregon, and the closure cost thousands of jobs and hundreds of millions of dollars of lost economic activity in both states. … “

Continue reading this post from Unearthed by clicking here.

March 20, 2010 · Filed Under Salmon

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Appetite for extinction: Critics say bill to eliminate striped bass regulations is red herring

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on March 19, 2010 at 6:46 am

From the Sacramento News & Review, this news/commentary by Alistair Bland:

“Sometimes, you’ve got to be cruel to be kind. Take Bakersfield Republican Assemblywoman Jean Fuller. She believes chinook salmon in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta are threatened with extinction mainly because striped bass are eating them. So she’s introduced legislation that would eliminate all regulations, protection and habitat improvement for striped bass, in order to knock the nonnative species into regional extinction and save the salmon.

But critics of Fuller’s legislation, including biologists and fishing groups, note that “stripers” and chinook salmon have thrived side by side for much of the 20th century. They claim the enormous pumps in the Delta that deliver water to farmers in the San Joaquin Valley are the primary cause of the salmon’s decline, and say Assembly Bill 2336 is merely a red herring designed to distract the public from that.

John Beuttler, conservation director with the California Sportfishing Protection Alliance, considers the bill merely a political tactic.

“This attack is simply another way to misdirect the government away from the real impacts associated with the development and export of the Delta water supplies,” Beuttler wrote in a statement dated March 8. … “

Continue reading this article from the Sacramento News & Review by clicking here.

March 19, 2010 · Filed Under Water & Wildlife

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Endangered species dilemma: Protect whales or salmon they eat?

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on March 19, 2010 at 6:38 am

From the Fresno Bee:

“When it comes to dinner, Puget Sound’s killer whales show no respect for international boundaries.

It’s long been known that their favorite meal is Chinook salmon. However, using new genetic tests on the orcas’ feces, and fish tissue and scales taken from the waters near where the whales are feasting, scientists say that as much as 90 percent of the Chinook they eat are from Canada’s Fraser River.

Though the dietary habits of killer whales may not seem like a big deal, the orcas and various salmon species are protected on both sides of the border. Efforts to revive endangered species that share the same ecosystem can become intertwined.

“It is fascinating the whales specialize in a particular species, and the species they focus on is one of the rarer ones and in some case protected,” said Michael Ford, the director of the conservation biology division at the National Marine Fisheries Science Center in Seattle. “Recovery of the whales could be dependent on the recovery of salmon. It is all related.” … “

Continue reading this article from the Fresno Bee by clicking here.

March 19, 2010 · Filed Under Water & Wildlife

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The Biocrat: Some say Phil Detrich was a sellout. Others, a savior. He says he was just doing his job.

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on March 18, 2010 at 7:01 am

From the North Coast Journal:

“Actually, it’s probably safe to say that “Phil Detrich” isn’t one those names bandied about when certain cronies gather around the campfire to talk about the good ol’ days. You know, the heydays of blockading timber roads and sitting in old-growth redwoods to save spotted owls from the cuts of Pacific Lumber. Or the days of climbing hundreds of feet up to haul down treesitters. The days of storming PacifiCorp shareholder meetings in Scotland, or lately Omaha, to urge the demolition of the Klamath dams to save the salmon. Or the days of gathering the red-blooded forces from every Western resource battlefront, past and present, to haul symbolic buckets to Klamath Falls in support of water-starved farmers.

Indeed, Phil Detrich is no Julia Butterfly. Nor is he a Charles Hurwitz. He is a nerdy, good-humored guy with the words “bird” and “fish” in his e-mail address. And he is an agency man. A seasonal wildlife biologist turned full-time bureaucrat — a “biocrat,” as he puts it. Someone who’s had to walk a narrow ledge of law and regulations amid a soupy storm of competing interests, and biological variability, and try to wring some balance out of the mess. And though you might not have heard of Detrich, the 62-year-old’s 30-year career twined intimately through some of our mightiest North Coast battles — including in his recent position, which he just retired from, as Field Supervisor for the Yreka Fish and Wildlife Office, which along with offices in Arcata and Klamath Falls primarily works on fish and wildlife protection and restoration in the Klamath River Basin. … “

What is Phil’s take-away message?

” … “The only thing we can really do about species decline is to reduce consumption of resources on an individual basis,” he said. “It’s choices that society makes that we are trying to compensate for. Recycling has increased. In general we’re driving cars that get better mileage than 30 years ago. But we’re building huge houses, we’re still using a lot of water, at least in this culture. It may well be that in the future the Julia Butterflies of the world will be scaling smokestacks in China. I mean, I guess we all pick battles that are of the scale we can handle personally. But the real need is to carry out our conservation ethic in a much broader scale than just a redwood grove.” “

Phil Dietrich takes a look back at his career and the difficult decisions he had to make in this article from The North Coast Journal – click here.

March 18, 2010 · Filed Under Water & Wildlife

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ESA shows dysfunction of Congress, says commentary

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on March 17, 2010 at 7:52 am

From the Western Farm Press, this commentary by Aaron Kiess, Executive Director, California Alfalfa & Forage Association:

“Several years ago a columnist who knows politics inside and out took California’s congressional delegation to task for being dysfunctional. The column pointed out that California is the largest congressional delegation, yet it lagged behind other state delegations that do a much better job of serving their constituents. The column came to mind recently as the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta water deliveries continued to make the news.

Despite a series of storms and above average snowpack, regulatory agencies did whatever they could to put a lid on water deliveries. Then, on Feb. 11, Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein announced that she planned to attach a water-delivery amendment onto a Senate jobs bill.

Based on the details that were made public, Feinstein appeared to be taking the exact same approach Congressman Devin Nunes offered up last year after the Delta smelt was listed on the Endangered Species Act (ESA). The congressman, whose family farms in Tulare County, called for Congress to suspend the ESA listing while a long-term solution for the Delta was hammered out. … “

Continue reading this commentary by clicking here.

March 17, 2010 · Filed Under Agriculture, Water & Wildlife

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Barry Nelson: About myths, water and California’s salmon industry

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on March 17, 2010 at 7:50 am

From Barry Nelson at the NRDC Switchboard blog:

“Three cheers to the Los Angeles Times for running this column “Deceptive Arguments are Being Made in California’s Water Wars” by Michael Hiltzik about the misleading arguments made by some in the current debate over California water policy and protections for the Bay-Delta ecosystem and its fisheries.

The column points out that unemployment in the Central Valley is a long-term problem, exacerbated mostly by water rights and drought — not fisheries protections. But perhaps the most important point is the often overlooked linkage between the mismanagement of water projects and the collapse of California’s salmon runs – leading to a two-year closure of the salmon fishery, along with the loss of thousands of jobs and hundreds of millions of dollars to commercial and recreational fishing communities. … “

Continue reading this post from Barry Nelson by clicking here.

March 17, 2010 · Filed Under Salmon

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Flow a milestone for thirsty San Joaquin River

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on March 17, 2010 at 7:16 am

From the Stockton Record:

“The San Joaquin River is flowing from Friant Dam near Fresno to the Delta, a symbolic milestone in a process to restore the normally dry stream.

The fact that it’s news that a river runs from the mountains to the sea says something about the history of the San Joaquin.

The last time this happened was 2006, but only because officials were desperately trying to flush swollen Central Valley streams and prevent a flood.

This is the first time in more than a half-century that the river has flowed uninterrupted in a non-flood year, officials said. The river apparently connected with itself late last week at the confluence of the Merced River.

“Dead and buried rivers don’t usually come back to life. This is an important moment,” said Bill Jennings, head of Stockton-based California Sportfishing Protection Alliance. … “

This article is behind the paywall at the Stockton Record. You will need to log in or register to read it. A free registration will give you ten article reads per month.

March 17, 2010 · Filed Under San Joaquin River Restoration, San Joaquin Valley

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Fishing ban? No way, officials say

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on March 17, 2010 at 6:58 am

From the Los Angeles Times:

“Reporting from Washington: Despite Internet reports to the contrary, White House officials say a federal task force will in no way, shape or form suggest that President Obama restrict sportfishing off America’s coasts and in the Great Lakes.

In recent weeks, fishing groups and bloggers across the country have raised concerns that the president’s was set to impose new restrictions, or even an outright ban, on a treasured national pastime.

How did this get started?

The outcry was spawned by an opinion column on ESPNoutdoors.com, since clarified by the site’s editors, which claimed the largely obscure task force was drafting a “federal strategy that could prohibit U.S. citizens from fishing some of the nation’s oceans, coastal areas, Great Lakes, and even inland waters.”

Is that the case?

Administration officials say no. … “

Continue reading this article from the Los Angeles Times by clicking here.

March 17, 2010 · Filed Under Water & Wildlife

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More salmon coming back: Good news for fish and farms?

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on March 16, 2010 at 5:48 am

From Sierra 2 the Sea:

“Who gets the blame for a declining salmon population off the California coast? A blog by fishery advocate Dick Pool a few days ago is typical of a popular view around the Golden State.

“The Sacramento Valley’s fall-run salmon have experienced catastrophic declines over the past eight years, falling from 769,000 returning adult fish in 2002 to 39,000 in 2009. The National Marine Fisheries Service report addresses several factors in this horrendous free fall, but you don’t have to dig very deep into the data to root out the primary culprit: the huge state and federal pumps near Tracy that send water south.”

Ah yes, let’s blame the farmers for the demise of this iconic fish.

But NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) scientists actually have a different take.

“The big decline we saw in Chinook salmon returns in 2007 and 2008 was subject to a major study that called poor ocean conditions the ‘proximate reason’ for the low numbers says Dr Michael O’Farrell Vice Chair of the Salmon Technical Team for the Pacific Fishery Management Council. Dr O’Farrell works for the NMFS in Santa Cruz who released that study about a year ago. He says ocean conditions was the “largest factor” although there were other reasons as well. … “

Continue reading this article from Sierra 2 the Sea by clicking here.

March 16, 2010 · Filed Under Salmon

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The water wars: California’s salmon vs. agribiz interests: Taking re-spawnsibility

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on March 16, 2010 at 5:47 am

From the Grist, this commentary by

” … there’s something missing in my line-up in recent years, and my customers and I miss it terribly: local, wild salmon. Not long ago, Chinook salmon pulled from our cold, clean offshore waters, constituted up to 50 percent of my business. Today: zilch, nothing. That’s because there hasn’t been a commercial salmon season in California and Oregon for the last two years.

Oh, we still offer some wild salmon … from Alaska and British Columbia. But because we have to compete with Asia and Europe for this very limited resource, the prices are often astronomical. And while these fish are delicious, they’re still not local fish. A salmon caught in near-shore waters on hook-and-line, then promptly iced and sold within 24 hours, is in a league of its own. The freshness, the flavor … there’s nothing comparable.

So for me and Monterey Fish Market’s customers and employees, it’s no small matter when we lose a state salmon season. The same can be said for millions of other people in California — anyone who works in the food or restaurant trades, supports sustainable business, enjoys angling, or simply likes eating fresh, wholesome fish. The loss of our salmon fishery is a catastrophe that cuts across all social strata. … “

Continue reading this commentary by clicking here.

March 16, 2010 · Filed Under Salmon

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Commentary: The human cost of the salmon crisis

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on March 13, 2010 at 8:03 am

From the California Progress Report, this commentary by Dick Pool, business owner and a strong advocate of fisheries restoration:

“It’s not exaggerating to say that salmon are my life. As an engineer, I hold numerous patents for salmon tackle. My company, Pro-Troll Products in Concord, specializes in equipment designed especially for salmon angling. I’ve spent the last 30 years fishing for salmon, teaching other people how to fish for salmon, thinking about salmon and volunteering my time and money to organizations dedicated to sustaining these most noble—and delicious — of fish.

I like to think I know quite a bit about salmon, but I admit I’m no biologist. However, I’m familiar enough with the subject to know good fisheries science when I see it. For the last couple of years, I’ve been compiling and analyzing the data included in the National Marine Fisheries Service’s 2009 “biological opinion” for California salmon. This report consists of 800 pages, with 1,500 pages of addenda. Unless you’re a salmon fanatic like me, reading it can be a daunting exercise.

But if eating fresh, local salmon, maintaining a healthy Bay and Delta and supporting the commercial fishermen and small business owners who depend on the salmon fishery are important to you, this report is compelling stuff. It’s by far the best available science on California’s salmon, and it tells us in no uncertain terms what we have to do to save the state’s beleaguered runs. … “

Continue reading this article from the California Progress Report by clicking here.

March 13, 2010 · Filed Under Salmon

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Some salmon fishing likely permitted this year, but fishermen skeptical about 2010 season

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on March 12, 2010 at 5:55 am

Hey check this out. Same story, three different ways of reporting it:

From the San Francisco Chronicle:

“Salmon fishermen can dust off their poles, sponge off their boats and get ready to hook some chinook for the first time in three years. There will be at least limited ocean salmon fishing this year, according to almost all of the options laid out Thursday by the Pacific Fishery Management Council.

The 14-member council meets at this time every year to mull plans for the fishing season, an emotionally fraught process that is highly anticipated by fishing industry workers all along the coasts of California, Oregon and Washington.

Federal biologists predicted that 245,000 fall run chinook salmon will swim up the Sacramento and San Joaquin river systems later this year to spawn, more than six times the number that returned last fall.

“Fishermen should be relieved to have something this year,” said Peter Dygert, a biologist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration fisheries service. “It’s not going to be an economic bonanza, but it will be something.” … “

Continue reading this article from the San Francisco Chronicle by clicking here.

From the Santa Rosa Press Democrat:

“Local commercial fishermen say they’re not optimistic about this year’s salmon prospects, even after a federal panel recommended reopening the fishing season along the California coast, with restrictions.

The Pacific Fishery Management Council approved three options Thursday that outline where West Coast fishermen might be allowed to cast their lines and nets beginning this spring. Oregon and Washington are poised to have better seasons because fish are more bountiful there.

Federal biologists predict a possible return of 245,000 fall-run Chinook, a significant jump from last year’s record low return of 39,500. Last year the federal fishery council predicted a return of 122,000.

That discrepancy worries local fishermen.

“This is the first year where I’ve seen the fishermen are much more conservative than the agencies,” said Zeke Grader, executive director of the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Associations. … “

Continue reading this article from the Santa Rosa Press Democrat by clicking here.

And this from the Associated Press:

“California salmon fishermen may not get much, if any, time on the ocean this year, while their counterparts in Washington and Oregon would fare better because salmon are more abundant there, under recommendations expected Thursday.

The Pacific Fishery Management Council plans to issue three proposals outlining where commercial and recreational fishermen along the West Coast might be allowed to cast lines and nets, and how much salmon they can catch.

More chinook salmon are expected to return to California’s rivers to spawn. But concern about the precipitous decline of salmon in the rivers flowing from California’s Central Valley into San Francisco Bay over the last three years threatens to shut down the fishery along the state’s coastline for a third straight year.

“There’s an option to close everything,” said Chuck Tracy, head of the salmon section for the Portland, Ore.-based management council. “The other two options involve some level of fishing.” … “

Continue reading this article from the Associated Press by clicking here.

March 12, 2010 · Filed Under Salmon, Water & Wildlife

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LA Times editorial: An upstream battle over chinook salmon

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on March 12, 2010 at 5:47 am

From the Los Angeles Times, this editorial:

“Even among those who seek to protect wildlife above all, there are moments of great conflict. One of those moments is playing out near Portland, Ore., as sea lions gorge on endangered chinook salmon that gather at the base of the Bonneville Dam, preparing to make their way up the fish ladders to spawn. Last week and this, wildlife officials have killed six of the most incorrigible of the animals, which have refused to be dissuaded by noise, rubber bullets or other harassing techniques.

As regrettable as the dilemma is, the government made the right choice. The population of California sea lions, the kind mainly responsible for the salmon-fest, has been burgeoning, while chinook salmon have presented policymakers with a persistent conservation problem. Their numbers along the Columbia River and elsewhere have been falling, and several runs of the fish are listed as threatened under the federal Endangered Species Act.

This season’s salmon run is especially important because favorable ocean conditions led to an unusually robust population. More than twice as many fish as last year — close to 500,000 — are expected to swim up the Columbia River. That would be the biggest spring run in 70 years. … “

Continue reading this editorial from the LA Times by clicking here.

March 12, 2010 · Filed Under Salmon, Water & Wildlife

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Zeke Grader: Fair play for California’s salmon and fishermen

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on March 12, 2010 at 5:45 am

From Zeke Grader, Executive Director of the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Associations, at the City Brights blog:

“I grew up in Ft. Bragg, a small fishing town on California’s North Coast. More accurately, Ft. Bragg was a salmon fishing town — the fishermen would bring in Dungeness crab, albacore and rock cod as the seasons and opportunities permitted, but the real business of Ft. Bragg was salmon. And business was good.

Because the salmon were caught close to shore during the summer, we were renowned for the freshness of our fish. The boats would go out, catch salmon and offload daily. “Mild cured” Ft. Bragg salmon was in great demand by fish purveyors in New York, who used it for lox. We sold fresh salmon in the Bay Area, Los Angeles and Sacramento. When the fish were off the coast, up to a thousand commercial boats worked out of Ft. Bragg. Tourists would come in by the hundreds, thronging the recreational charter boats. The docks supported fish processors, chandlers, boat repair shops. The motels were packed, the restaurants were full.

My father ran a fish processing plant, and I worked there – along with a lot of other local kids – preparing salmon for the market. We worked the “slime line,” trimming the fish to go into barrels for shipment. We unloaded the boats, hauled ice – whatever needed to be done. It was hard work, but it was good work, and it put many of us through college. And those of us who didn’t go on to school usually went on the boats, became a permanent part of the town’s fishing community. Salmon were a sustainable resource, and in Ft. Bragg, they supported a sustainable economy. They provided the state and the nation with delicious, high-quality protein.

But this was back in the 1960s and 1970s. … “

Continue reading this post from Zeke Grader at the City Brights blog by clicking here.

March 12, 2010 · Filed Under Salmon

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Salmon, orphans without a home: A historical perspective of the water and landscape modifications to salmon habitat

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on March 12, 2010 at 5:40 am

From UC Berkeley’s California Colloquium on Water:

March 12, 2010 · Filed Under Salmon, Water & Wildlife

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ESA lacks key ingredient, says Capital Press editorial

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on March 12, 2010 at 5:26 am

From the Capital Press, this editorial:

“The most frustrating thing about the Endangered Species Act is that it precludes bureaucrats and judges from taking into account hardships that efforts to protect species can impose on humans.

But don’t take our word for it.

U.S. District Judge Oliver Wanger probably knows as much or more than anyone about the limits the Endangered Species Act places on those charged with enforcing it. It is by his orders upholding biological opinions that water deliveries from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta have been restricted to protect the threatened Delta smelt and endangered salmon.

It would be too easy to label Wanger an extremist jurist who puts the welfare of fish above the welfare of his fellow Californians. That would be wrong. Wanger is a judge who is taking pains to follow the law as written and not to legislate from the bench.

Wanger provided unusual insight into his thoughts about the Endangered Species Act during a recent address at the Madera County Farm Bureau Water Conference. His remarks were extensively reported by Ag Alert, the newspaper of the California Farm Bureau.

In reading that report it becomes obvious that Wanger appreciates the impact his rulings have had on Central Valley farmers, and sympathizes with their position. … “

Continue reading this editorial from the Capital Press by clicking here.

March 12, 2010 · Filed Under Water & Wildlife

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Steve Cameron: Pointing out the obvious: “for our water problems to be solved, there must be compromises”

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on March 11, 2010 at 5:46 am

From the Merced Sun-Star, this column by Steve Cameron:

“Two weeks ago, I wrote about the desperate plight of Valley farmers. Specifically, I suggested they need massive help to alleviate damage — fallow fields, thousands of unemployed workers — created by long-term drought and the reduction of water being pumped into the Valley.

I was criticized in some corners for being overly simplistic, for sounding as though there’s one easy, magic solution to California’s hugely complicated water issues.

OK, let’s set things straight.

I know doggone well how difficult it is to balance all the various problems with water in our state — and particularly the Valley — without causing harm in one area while you’re doing rescue work somewhere else.

Steve Martarano, of the Bay-Delta office of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, explained at length how various agencies — federal, state and local — attempt to juggle ongoing scientific information with realities on the ground to achieve the best possible water use. … “

Continue reading Steve Cameron’s column by clicking here.

March 11, 2010 · Filed Under Water & Wildlife

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California tribes get $1.5 million from feds for conservation

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on March 11, 2010 at 5:31 am

From Capitol Weekly:

“Seven California tribes have been awarded over $1.5 million in federal funds for habitat conservation. The group includes some casino-gaming tribes with at least one matching the federal money with their own funds.

The money from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (FWS) is part of $7 million in awards the agency is distributing nationally as part of an 8-year-old program that pays tribes for removing invasive species, environmental restoration and other projects. FWS does not take the financial resources of a tribe when awarding the grants, but officials with the agency’s Pacific Regional Office say they have been holding workshops to help tribes with fewer resources get access to that money.

“The ranking criteria pretty much looking at the resource benefit,” said David Wooten, a tribal partnerships specialist with FWS’s Habitat Restoration Division. “A lot of tribes, even though they have casino, may not have an environmental program or a program to restore wetlands. It’s way for all tribes to build capacity.” … “

March 11, 2010 · Filed Under Water & Wildlife

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On the Water Front blog: Science and Policymaking: Spin on science an lead to mischief and extinction

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on March 9, 2010 at 9:17 am

From Rod Fujita at the Environmental Defense Fund’s On the Water Front blog:

“On March 15th, the National Research Council (NRC) of the National Academy of Sciences will issue an important report. It will detail the NRC’s evaluation of the science that has been used to determine how much water can safely be pumped out of the Delta for cities and farms while preventing the extinction of endangered salmon and other fish.

This science forms the basis of the Biological Opinions at the heart of a very contentious debate over the role of science in policymaking. If science is to serve policy well here, expectations need to be realistic and the results of the NRC review must be accurately communicated. Otherwise, we may see political mischief – the science may be misinterpreted in ways that justify old ways of doing business in the Delta and serve special interests at the expense of salmon, the fishing community, the natural ecosystem, and the public trust.

Politics spurred a review of the science

The science underlying the Biological Opinions has already been subject to rigorous scientific peer-review, the gold standard of scientific credibility. The science-and common sense-supports the notion that salmon (and other important fisheries) require more protective flows to recover. The tricky part is to figure out how much flow will be needed. At this point, it is impossible to tell whether the recommended flows will prevent extinction of endangered fish species; we are only into the second year of implementation, so they haven’t yet had a chance to work. Hence, it seems clear that this new scientific review by the NRC was not triggered by performance issues. Instead, it is being undertaken at the request of Senator Diane Feinstein following appeals from agricultural interests squeezed by a 3 year drought. … “

Continue reading this post from Rod Fujita at the On the Water Front blog by clicking here.

March 9, 2010 · Filed Under Water & Wildlife

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Spreck Rosekrans: Only a reprieve for the Endangered Species Act

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on March 5, 2010 at 8:33 am

From Spreck Rosekrans at the Environmental Defense Fund’s On the Water Front blog:

“Supporters of the Endangered Species Act breathed a sigh of relief last week when California’s Senior Senator, Dianne Feinstein, withdrew her proposed amendment to suspend protections for salmon, smelt, sturgeon and other fish in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Bay-Delta. But the attack on the ESA is not going away anytime soon.

We are pleased that California’s three-year drought may end this year and that our fisheries, farms and cities will all be better off. But we are disappointed that the Endangered Species Act was granted a reprieve only because we’ve had more precipitation. The ESA, as the law designed to prevent extinction, cannot be implemented only when convenient.

Feinstein decided to withdraw her amendment, only after learning that Central Valley Project “Agricultural Service” contractors are likely to receive at least 40% of their maximum contractual allocations this year. Had she introduced her amendment, it certainly would have set off a contentious discussion in Congress. … “

Continue reading Spreck Rosekrans’ blog post at the On the Water Front blog by clicking here.

March 5, 2010 · Filed Under Water & Wildlife

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PLF’s Liberty Blog: The Endangered Species Act and water uncertainty aren’t going away anytime soon

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on March 4, 2010 at 7:03 am

From the Pacific Legal Foundation’s Liberty Blog:

“Much has been made about the Bureau of Reclamation’s announcement last week that farmers in the western San Joaquin Valley will receive 30% of their contractual water allotments if 2010 is an average water year. As I mentioned earlier this week, that’s a very big “if.”

The San Francisco Chronicle described Reclamation’s announcement as a forecast of “healthy flows to water systems and agricultural districts” and praised the government for bringing “relief for hard-pressed farmers, big-city water districts and fish that need steady flows to survive.” We should not be so naïve. … “

And Brandon Middleton answers the question posed yesterday by the Valley Economy blog as to why the PLF is involved in California water:

” … The Endangered Species Act is a flawed law that offers no consideration of the real-world impact its restrictions have on those who provide the country with food and jobs. It is simply another example of the federal government’s flaunting of the Constitution. The ESA places fish and other species ahead of people, so there needs to be a voice to defend Americans from this well-intentioned law gone wrong. PLF is proud to take up the call.”

Read the full text of this post from the Pacific Legal Foundation by clicking here.

March 4, 2010 · Filed Under Water & Wildlife

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Quickest way to save salmon: Limit their predators, says commentary

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on March 2, 2010 at 7:56 am

From the Modesto Bee, this commentary by Allen Short, general manager of the Modesto Irrigation District:

“”One fish. Two fish…Some are red. And some are blue. Some are old. And some are new. Some are sad. And some are glad. And some are very, very bad.”

These lines from a famous Dr. Seuss book also symbolize the current imbalance of native Chinook salmon to non-native predator fish in the Delta.

Predation by non-native species such as striped bass is a leading threat to our native salmon populations. Radio tracking tags on young salmon released into the San Joaquin River demonstrate that most end up in the stomachs of non-native predators.
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That’s undisputable scientific evidence. Many other factors, some well known, others yet poorly understood, are affecting our native fish populations, too.

This complex web of threats includes ocean conditions, the commercial fishing harvest, ammonia, other water quality problems and a declining food chain. A recent proposal by Sen. Dianne Feinstein to ease the federal protections on salmon is bringing much needed attention to finding a solution to the salmon decline without crippling agriculture. … “

Continue reading this commentary by clicking here.

March 2, 2010 · Filed Under Water & Wildlife

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Tap water contaminant ‘castrates’ frogs

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on March 2, 2010 at 7:18 am

From the USA Today:

“An herbicide that contaminates the tap water consumed by millions of Americans has been found to produce gender-bending effects in male frogs, “chemically castrating” some and turning others into females, a study shows.

Frogs in the experiment were exposed to amounts of the weedkiller atrazine that are comparable to the levels allowed in drinking water by the Environmental Protection Agency, says lead researcher Tyrone Hayes of the University of California-Berkeley.

The study was released Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

In Hayes’ earlier studies, atrazine caused male frogs to begin growing eggs in their testes. In this experiment, 10% of the males exposed to atrazine — one of the most commonly used herbicide in the world — actually changed sex; some were able to breed and lay eggs. Nearly all of the other males had low testosterone and sperm levels, which made them unable to reproduce, Hayes says. … “

Continue reading this story from USA Today by clicking here.

March 2, 2010 · Filed Under Water & Wildlife, Water & the Environment

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Bruce Ross’ blog: Water wars make for unlikely allies

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on March 1, 2010 at 8:07 am

From the blog of Bruce Ross, editorial page editor at Redding’s Record Searchlight:

“The Center for Biological Diversity, an exceptionally litigious environmental group based (if I’m not mistaken) in Arizona, is one of the more prominent private players pushing for stricter enforcement of the Endangered Species Act. Of particular note to north state residents: It’s the group that sued Fish and Game a few years back to halt trout plants in many California waterways. The short version of their argument is that stocking non-native fish has serious negative effects on other species, which, really, is a obvious if you think about it for six minutes.

Well, the CBD is hardly a friend to the San Joaquin Valley irrigators, but that won’t stop the farmers, who’ve been spending a lot of time in court themselves lately, from employing the same arguments. The Bee reports on a lawsuit against Fish and Game’s striped-bass program. I’m not sure whether Fish & Games still stocks stripers — I don’t think so — but the farm group essentially wants all limits removed and other support of the bass, a top predator in the Delta, removed. Interestingly enough, their lawyers have found evidence that even many folks inside DFG agree that stripers are a plague, as much as sport fishermen love to chase them. … “

Continue reading this post from Bruce Ross’ blog by clicking here.

March 1, 2010 · Filed Under Water & Wildlife

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Commentary: Salmon are goners if Feinstein gets her way on water

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on February 28, 2010 at 7:55 am

From the Sacramento Bee, this commentary:

“By calling California’s water shortage “the Central Valley water crisis,” Sen. Dianne Feinstein has attempted to delegitimize most of California, implying that Central Valley farmers have more right to water than the rest of the state.

Why are Central Valley jobs more important than Delta and Northern California jobs? Why are almond farmers more important than fishermen? Because they have more money?

Feinstein wants to “make technical modifications to the biological opinions that restrict Delta pumping.” In plain English, she wants to overrule the conclusions reached by scientists who have spent years studying salmon and the Delta. Feinstein calls ignoring scientific truth “a fair, short-term compromise,” but it will only be short term if the drought is really over, which is unlikely. … “

Continue reading this commentary by clicking here.

February 28, 2010 · Filed Under Salmon

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Spreck Rosekrans: A forecast for endangered species

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on February 27, 2010 at 9:22 am

From Spreck Rosekrans at the Environmental Defense Fund’s On the Water Front blog:

“In perhaps what will be the most anticipated water supply forecast in California history, the Department of the Interior Bureau of Reclamation today released its preliminary water supply forecast for 2010. The Bureau projects that it will be able to deliver full contract amounts to most of its contractors, including senior agricultural users in both the Sacramento and San Joaquin Valleys, as well as contractors along the Stanislaus River and in the Friant Division. Municipal contractors north-of-Delta are also expected to receive 100% while those south-of Delta are forecast to receive a 75% allocation.

Everybody’s attention however, is on the lowest number. The Bureau projects a contract allocation of only 30% to Central Valley Project south-of-Delta “Agricultural Service” contractors, including the politically powerful Westlands Water District. It is essential to understand that this 30% allocation is based on the “most likely” forecast. If the remainder of the winter is exceptionally dry, these contractors could receive only 5% of their contractual maximum. California’s senior senator, Dianne Feinstein, has indicated that she intends to pursue legislation that would suspend provisions of the Endangered Species Act unless the Ag Service Contractors receive 38-40% of their contract entitlement in 2010. Today’s forecast indicates that Ag Service contractors will in fact reach the 40% target with the additional supplies that are expected to be purchased from other sources in the San Joaquin Valley. Senator Feinstein has not specified whether the 40% target must be met solely with Reclamation’s Deliveries from the Delta or whether the additional acquired water will count as well.

No doubt, this is a tough issue. We at EDF are sympathetic to the needs of farms along the west side of the San Joaquin Valley (and throughout California) but we will oppose any efforts to diminish the Endangered Species Act provisions currently in place to protect fisheries in the Bay Delta. We support the Biological Opinions issued pursuant to the ESA that limit the degree to which the lower San Joaquin River is allowed to run backward for the first half of the year in order to protect salmon, sturgeon, Delta smelt and other fish at risk of extinction. And like Congressman George Miller, we do not believe politics should trump science. … “

Continue reading Spreck Rosekrans’ post at the On the Water Front blog by clicking here.

February 27, 2010 · Filed Under Water & Wildlife

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Lawsuit: Striped bass to blame for California’s salmon decline

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on February 27, 2010 at 8:45 am

From the Sacramento Bee:

“Some fish do the eating and others get eaten. That is the nature of nature. But if man helps one voracious eater that doesn’t belong, is that fair?

This is the essential question in a lawsuit over the striped bass, a non-native fish introduced to the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta from the East Coast in 1879 to create a commercial fishery.

Today the striper is caught only for sport – prized by anglers for its tasty flesh and hard fighting on the rod.

But while the California Department of Fish and Game props it up as a sport fish, the striper has become the Delta’s top predator, feasting on Delta smelt, juvenile salmon and steelhead. These are endangered species in California – and the focus of Herculean conservation efforts.

The suit was brought by the Coalition for a Sustainable Delta, a nonprofit made up of San Joaquin Valley water agencies linked to Stewart Resnick, a billionaire with a huge Kern County farming operation. … “

Continue reading this article from the Sacramento Bee by clicking here.

February 27, 2010 · Filed Under Salmon, Water & Wildlife

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Invasive striped bass identified as major threat to salmon

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on February 27, 2010 at 8:43 am

From the Coalition for a Sustainable Delta, this press release:

“The Coalition for a Sustainable Delta and other water users earlier this week filed for summary judgment in their lawsuit against the California Department of Fish and Game related to the management of striped bass, an invasive species that is known to feed upon endangered salmon and delta smelt. The lawsuit was originally filed in late 2008 and is pending in the U.S. District Court in Fresno before Judge Oliver Wanger.

The California Department of Fish and Game’s own experts in the case acknowledged that striped bass predation accounts for the loss of a significant number of protected, native salmon. The Department’s experts estimate the take could be as high as 25-50 percent of both the endangered Sacramento River winter-run and the threatened Central Valley spring-run Chinook salmon. The experts also admitted under oath that:

Striped bass sport-fishing regulations, by protecting the Delta’s striped bass population, increase striped bass predation on the two federally protected salmon species, and

Ending the enforcement of the striped bass sport-fishing regulations would benefit the federally protected species by reducing striped bass predation.

“Clearly striped bass are having a very real and significant impact on endangered salmon and the sustainability of the entire Delta estuary,” said Coalition for a Sustainable Delta spokesman Michael Boccadoro. “In the long run, if we are going to protect salmon and restore the estuary, regulators must do something about predation by striped bass. State regulators can no longer ignore the problem.”

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February 27, 2010 · Filed Under Delta Issues, Salmon

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Fate of Feinstein water plan uncertain as furor over Feinstein proposal continues

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on February 26, 2010 at 8:33 am

From the Hanford Sentinel:

“There has been a lot of talk recently about a plan by U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein to temporarily increase pumping to some San Joaquin Valley farmers to get them through ongoing drought conditions.

But up-to-date information on the proposal is hard to come by. Feinstein’s press office in Washington, D.C. did not return a phone call seeking comment Wednesday.

One thing is known: Feinstein’s emergency water supply amendment was not included in the jobs bill that cleared the Senate Wednesday.

Beyond that, little is known about the plan announced Feb. 12 in a conference call with agricultural water district managers, farmers and other officials. In that call, she suggested that the amendment might be attached to a federal jobs bill.

Few details of the proposal have been made public. Generally, it would increase pumping to about 40 percent of farmers’ contractual amounts, Feinstein said. Last year, growers received 10 percent. … “

Continue reading this article from the Hanford Sentinel by clicking here.

From the Capital Press:

” … The federal Bureau of Reclamation has indicated allocations will likely be minimal this year, owing to species protections as well as drought conditions that persist despite the season’s relatively abundant rainfall.

Feinstein has said she’ll consider dropping her proposal if the Bureau of Reclamation increases deliveries.

“Allowing drought-impacted farmers flexibility within the water system to hire, plant and harvest with 30-40 percent of water allocations is a positive step forward,” board Chairman Al Montna said in the statement. “Addressing California’s water challenge, while balancing ecosystem needs, is vital for our Central Valley communities.”

California Farm Bureau Federation President Paul Wenger also sent a letter, telling the members of two Senate committees that the season’s rainfall should be pumped to farmers.

Feinstein’s proposal has threatened to sink relations between San Joaquin Valley irrigators and environmentalists, who have until now collaborated on Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Bay Delta Conservation Plan, an effort at long-term management of the Delta. … “

Continue reading this article from the Capital Press by clicking here.

February 26, 2010 · Filed Under Water & Wildlife

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Congressman Miller: Feinstein amendment is a water grab

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on February 26, 2010 at 8:27 am

george miller From the San Francisco Chronicle:

“Beware of the latest attempt at an old-fashioned water grab – the last gasp of an outdated approach to California’s complex water problems.

Faced with a changing climate and an increasing number of competing demands on our water, most Californians now recognize that we cannot unilaterally change allocations of our scarce freshwater resources for one group or another without knowing first what the science says about the effects on the rest of the state. But the Westlands Water District of Fresno is old school. It crafted a backroom plan with Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-San Francisco, and Rep. Jim Costa, D-Hanford (Kings County), and Rep. Dennis Cardoza, D-Atwater (Merced County), to accelerate water withdrawals from the Sacramento River and San Francisco Bay-Delta ecosystem to guarantee themselves an increased water supply.

Its plan is overreaching, unjustified and unfair. It could wipe out the remaining Sacramento River salmon runs, permanently eliminating the Pacific Coast fishing industry jobs that were already under assault from drought and the mismanagement of our river systems during the Bush administration.

Its plan would harm Northern California water supplies and water rights. And it would undercut and paralyze recent significant statewide collaborative water efforts. … “

Continue reading Congressman Miller’s commentary by clicking here.

February 26, 2010 · Filed Under Water & Wildlife

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Feinstein deserves support on water, says editorial

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on February 26, 2010 at 8:21 am

From the Capital Press:

“Sen. Dianne Feinstein, the former mayor of San Francisco and California’s senior U.S. senator, is taking a pounding. On Feb. 12 she proposed to legislatively increase the amount of Central Valley Project water delivered south of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta in time of drought.

“Water is jobs in California,” she said last week in a column published by the San Francisco Chronicle. “More than 2,700 growers rely on water from the (federal) Central Valley Project to stay in business.”

With a few notable exceptions, California newspapers that same week came out editorially bashing the Feinstein proposal. Few tried to make the connection between water needed to farm in an arid Central Valley climate and the troubled Delta, where export pumping schedules are managed by a U.S. District Court judge in Fresno as a result of repeated environmental challenges to federal operating plans.

There are assertions the senator puts farms ahead of fish. One coastal commentator even questioned her “commitment to sacred Democratic Party values.”

All of this is going down in the face of a drought-limited water supply. The first seasonal water allocation for the federal Central Valley Project is due Feb. 26, about the time you read this editorial. Last week the senator said her advance information is that agricultural and urban contractors south of the Delta will get just 8 percent of contract-stated water amounts during part of the coming irrigation season. … “

February 26, 2010 · Filed Under Water & Wildlife

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Congressman Miller responds to McEwen: Time for fresh thinking on fresh water

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on February 26, 2010 at 8:19 am

Congressman George Miller responds to this column by Fresno Bee columnist Bill McEwen:

“When it comes to California water wars, a lot has changed.

Regrettably, you wouldn’t know it from Bill McEwen’s column, “It’s easy to blame Valley farmers for Delta’s woes” Feb. 20, which ignored significant progress in untangling the historically polarized battle over ensuring a stable supply of water for all of California’s stakeholders and strengthening our economy.

Erroneously attacking my water credentials might feel good, but it does not solve problems. Fortunately, people across the state now understand that we can no longer unilaterally change water allocations for one group or another without the basis of sound science. But that is what Sen. Dianne Feinstein proposes to do and what Mr. McEwen endorsed in his column.

Sen. Feinstein’s plan to accelerate water withdrawals out of the Sacramento River and San Francisco Bay-Delta ecosystem is a serious mistake — politically and environmentally. … “

Continue reading Congressman Miller’s commentary by clicking here.

February 26, 2010 · Filed Under Water & Wildlife

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Limited salmon season possible this year

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on February 26, 2010 at 8:09 am

From the Santa Rosa Press Democrat:

“The North Coast may have a salmon season for the first time in three years, but it could be so limited that few fishermen would find it financially worthwhile to go out.

The California Department of Fish and Game released forecasts Thursday for the number of chinook salmon that it expects to return this fall to the Central Valley, a key component in whether commercial fishing will be allowed this year. The forecast is for more fish — 65,000 — over the threshold set by the state before it allows a commercial fishing season.

However, for the 300 California trawlers plus the out-of-state boats, that may be too few to pay the costs of even venturing out, fishermen said. And after missing the mark badly on this year’s forecast, there are questions on how accurate the numbers are.

“From the feedback I get, things are very bleak,” said Dave Bitts, a Eureka fisherman who advises the Pacific Fishery Management Council. “I will do everything that I can to offer a season with what’s available.” … “

The San Francisco Chronicle covered the story like this:

“A surprisingly optimistic projection Thursday that nearly 250,000 salmon will spawn in the Sacramento River system next fall has created a dilemma for fishermen who crave the opportunity to reel in some chinook after a two-year fishing ban: They’re worried that they might contribute to the demise of the species.

The National Marine Fisheries Service predicted that 245,483 fall run chinook salmon will spawn in the Sacramento and San Joaquin river systems later this year, opening the door to the possibility that ocean fishing of the chinook will be allowed in California and Oregon.

The forecast came as a surprise given that the lowest number of chinook salmon in recorded history made their way up the Central Valley river system last fall, a situation that fisheries experts called an environmental and economic catastrophe. … “

February 26, 2010 · Filed Under Salmon

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New report cautiously optimistic on Sacramento River salmon

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on February 25, 2010 at 8:33 am

From the Contra Costa Times:

“Despite a record-low number of salmon returning to California rivers in the fall, there is a good chance that anglers will have at least some chance to fish for king salmon for the first time in three years.

Figures released Wednesday show that under normal circumstances, regulators could allow as many as 120,000 fish to be caught.

But because of the dire condition of what has been historically the state’s most valuable salmon run, they are unlikely to allow that much fishing.

A third consecutive year of no fishing is not out of the question; even after regulators determine how much fishing to allow, they will have to determine how much of that to allocate to sport fishers and how much to commercial anglers. … “

From the Sacramento Bee:

“A report released Wednesday suggests better times may be ahead for the Sacramento River’s fall-run chinook salmon.

The preseason report by the Pacific Fishery Management Council estimates 245,483 chinook will make up the 2010 fall run. That’s about six times more than 2009’s fall run, which set a record low.

The reason for the estimated increase is the large number of 2-year-old fish that spawned in 2009. This often indicates a large number of that generation didn’t spawn but remain in the ocean and may return to the river in 2010 as 3-year-olds, the typical spawning age. … “

Continue reading this story from the Sacramento Bee by clicking here.

From the San Francisco Examiner:

” … “It looks like there may be enough for a very, very small season, a little bit of fishing but not much,” Zeke Grader, executive director of the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Associations, an industry group.

“A lot of this is going to depend on how conservative the council feels it has to be. They over-predicted the last couple of years.”

Still, the council has more study to conduct before any final decisions are made, said Chuck Tracy, head of the salmon section for the Portland, Ore.-based council. A final recommendation will be made during the council’s March meeting in Sacramento.

The Sacramento River king salmon run is watched closely as it provides much of the salmon caught off the Oregon and California coasts.

The precipitous decline of fish returning to the Sacramento area in recent years has resulted in commercial and recreational salmon fishing seasons in California being canceled. … “

Read the press release here: PCFFA Press Release (Actually, it’s the Pacific Fisheries Management Council; I misnamed the file on the upload – sorry!)

February 25, 2010 · Filed Under Salmon

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CSPA press release: Stockton East again illegally “takes” listed Calaveras steelhead

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on February 25, 2010 at 8:26 am

From IndyBay.org, this press release from the California Sportfishing Protection Alliance:

“Stockton, CA – Monday 22 February 2010. Today, the California Sportfishing Protection Alliance (CSPA) assailed the Stockton East Water District for drying up the Calaveras River and preventing steelhead from migrating to the sea. Steelhead trout are identified as “threatened” pursuant to the federal Endangered Species Act (ESA). The Calaveras River is identified as “critical habitat for steelhead. Dewatering the Calaveras and preventing the outmigration of steelhead represents an illegal “take” in violation of the ESA.

Between 17 February and 19 February, biologists from the Fish Foundation of California inspecting the Calaveras River and Mormon Slough/Diverting Canal identified 34 live and 3 dead outmigrating steelhead trout that had become stranded when river flow became insufficient to enable them to reach the San Joaquin River. All of the steelhead were identified as smolts or silvery “parrs” undergoing smoltification as they made their way downstream. The biologists also collected a delta smelt, which was handed over to biologists from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The steelhead were transported in aerated buckets and successfully relocated downstream in the Calaveras River near the confluence with the San Joaquin. Numerous other stranded species were identified in the isolated pools of water created by inadequate flow releases from Hogan Dam and below Bellota Weir. Many of these other species were found to have perished in the following days. The three-day survey represents a snapshot of ongoing conditions on the Calaveras River.

“Stockton East destroyed the salmon and steelhead fisheries of the Calaveras, denied their existence and conducted a scorched-earth campaign to impede efforts by citizens and state and federal agencies to restore those fisheries,” said CSPA Executive Director Bill Jennings. “In doing so, they have flagrantly violated Public Trust Doctrine, the California Water Code and Fish and Game Code and the federal Endangered Species Act,” he said. … “

Continue reading this press release from CSPA at IndyBay.org by clicking here.

February 25, 2010 · Filed Under Water & Wildlife

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