Friday’s top of the scroll: State declares longfin smelt a threatened species

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on June 26, 2009 at 7:32 am

From the Sacramento Bee:

The longfin smelt today was declared a threatened species in California, officially adding another imperiled fish to the long list of problems affecting the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.

The California Fish and Game Commission in March declared there was enough evidence to protect the longfin under the state Endangered Species Act. That kicked off a review period, which concluded today with a formal vote by the commission to list the fish as threatened.

“It disappoints me for the conflict that it will create,” Commissioner Daniel Richards said after the unanimous vote in Woodland. “It speaks to the failure of our state government that this has occurred.”

Read more from the Sacramento Bee by clicking here.

June 26, 2009 · Filed Under Longfin Smelt

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Longfin smelt doesn’t qualify for federal listing

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on April 15, 2009 at 8:20 am

From the California Farm Bureau Federation:

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service finds the longfin smelt population in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta doesn’t meet the legal criteria for listing under the federal Endangered Species Act. The service said last week, however, it will initiate a broader evaluation of the species throughout its range, which includes San Francisco Bay and the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, as well as other West Coast estuaries, extending as far north as Alaska.

The petition to list the longfin smelt as threatened or endangered was filed in August 2007. The petition asserted that the Bay-Delta longfin population is physically and reproductively isolated from populations farther north, that it’s genetically different and lives in a unique ecological setting. The petition also claimed that reduced outflow caused by water exports from the delta have contributed to decline of the longfin smelt.

The FWS decided, however, that because some Bay-Delta longfin smelt migrate into the Pacific Ocean and can travel up the coast to breed with longfin farther north, they fail to meet the criteria for protection as a distinct population segment.

Commenting on the FWS findings, Kari Fisher, associate counsel for the California Farm Bureau Federation Natural Resources and Environmental Division, said, “This decision highlights the need for sound science before a determination on the status of a species is made.”

Read more from the California Farm Bureau Federation by clicking here.

April 15, 2009 · Filed Under Longfin Smelt

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Longfin smelt not endangered in California, regulators say; Feds deny protection

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on April 9, 2009 at 7:44 am

From the Contra Costa Times:

Longfin smelt in the Bay and the Delta do not warrant protection under the federal endangered species law, regulators said Wednesday.

The fish are already protected under state law, but the decision to reject another layer of environmental protection angered environmentalists who said the fish is disappearing in California and could be in similarly bad shape in the Pacific Northwest and Alaska.

“I don’t think their conclusion is credible,” said Tina Swanson, executive director of the Bay Institute, one of three environmental groups that asked for the listing in 2007. “It’s a tragedy.”

Read more from the Contra Costa Times by clicking here.

From the Sacramento Bee:

The longfin is slightly larger than the Delta smelt, already listed as threatened under federal law. It is also known to venture into the Pacific Ocean, unlike the Delta smelt, which spends its entire life in the Sacramento-San Joaquin estuary. Both are considered important indicators of ecosystem health.

Wildlife Service spokesman Al Donner said biologists know the longfin drifts north on ocean currents as far as Alaska and may breed with other longfin populations. But no one knows if the Delta’s longfin ever return or whether they are genetically unique, he said.

Only one genetic study has been done on the populations, Donner said. It dates to 1995, and examined a lake-bound longfin population in Washington state, not one that ventures into the ocean. “There is limited information on the species, and that is part of the problem,” he said.

Read more from the Sacramento Bee by clicking here.

From the San Jose Mercury News:

“Part of the challenge was a lack of information,” Donner said. “There’s not as much good data as would be helpful, that would allow us to make a more detailed analysis.”

Lisa Belenky, an attorney with the Center for Biological Diversity, said the agency “pretty much ignored the science that was provided in the petition.”

Donner cited a 2007 report by Bay Institute conservation biologist Jonathan Rosenfield titled “Population Dynamics and Distribution Patterns of Longfin Smelt in the San Francisco Estuary” as “one of the studies that indicated (to the agency) that the populations do go out into the currents” of the ocean.

However, Rosenfield said today the fact that the fish migrate out into the ocean is “not news to anybody”, but asked “how are those fish coming back (to the Bay Area) if the current is going north? What does that have to do with sustaining the population here?”

“If anything, that makes it more distinct, and makes it more necessary to conserve here if this population is crucial to maintaining the population up the coast,” he said.

Read more from the San Jose Mercury News by clicking here.

From Stockton’s Record:

“The numbers are low on the smelt. We recognize that. … We’re aware of it. But more information is needed,” said Al Donner, a spokesman for Fish and Wildlife in Sacramento. His agency called for a broader assessment of the species that could lead to protections in the future.

Wednesday’s decision may not have a dramatic impact on water supplies in California, since the longfin smelt just last month was already extended protection under the state’s Endangered Species Act.

Groups that export water from the Delta to two-thirds of California said that earlier decision could put yet another dent in their supplies; they have sued the state over new longfin smelt restrictions.

Environmentalists, however, said Wednesday that federal protection is “absolutely necessary” given the fact that several other species in the Delta have earned such protection.

Jonathan Rosenfield, a biologist with The Bay Institute, called Wednesday’s decision “incomprehensible.”

Read more from The Record by clicking here.

April 9, 2009 · Filed Under Longfin Smelt

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Bay-Delta longfin smelt off the hook for federal protection

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on April 8, 2009 at 4:59 pm

From the Central Valley Business Times:

The Bay-Delta population of longfin smelt does not meet the legal criteria for protection as a species subpopulation under the Endangered Species Act, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service says.

The FWS simultaneously announced that it is seeking additional information for a broader assessment of the longfin smelt that could lead to future action, although no decision can be made before reviewing any new information.

The determination came in response to a petition seeking protection under the ESA as a “distinct population segment” for only the longfin smelt population in the Bay-Delta. Longfin smelt live in estuaries along the Pacific Coast from the Bay Area to Alaska.

The FWS says that, because some Bay-Delta longfin smelt migrate into the Pacific Ocean and can travel up the coast to breed with longfin further north, they fail to meet the criteria for protection as a distinct population segment. Under existing policy, for designation as a DPS the population segment must be “markedly separated from other populations” of the species.

Read more from the Central Valley Business Times by clicking here.

April 8, 2009 · Filed Under Longfin Smelt

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Delta fish get new environmental protections

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on March 6, 2009 at 8:26 am

From the San Jose Mercury News:

California fish and wildlife managers approved new protections Wednesday for two fish species that play a key ecological role in the beleaguered Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, a move authorities said could trigger cuts to the state’s water supplies for crops and cities.

The Fish and Game Commission voted unanimously Wednesday to list the longfin smelt as a threatened species under the California Endangered Species Act.

Commissioners also voted to classify the longfin’s cousin, the tiny delta smelt, as an endangered species, moves hailed by environmentalists as a victory for the fragile ecosystem and its bellwether species.

“We should be managing California’s water system to protect not just one species but all of them,” said Tina Swanson, executive director of the Bay Institute, which petitioned the state for the listings with the Natural Resources Defense Council. “Both these fish are pretty rare right now, and we run the risk of not even being able to detect them just because so few are alive.”

In recent years, court decisions aimed at protecting the delta smelt have restricted water deliveries from the delta, the inland freshwater estuary where both fish live, and have spelled major losses for growers in the state’s farm belt who rely on the system to irrigate their crops.

Read more from the San Jose Mercury News by clicking here.

March 6, 2009 · Filed Under Delta smelt, Longfin Smelt

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Longfin smelt listed as state threatened species; Delta smelt status changed to endangered

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on March 5, 2009 at 7:53 am

Here’s an item which I thought would be bigger news this morning, but other than this brief mention from the San Francisco Chronicle, this is the only information I can find. From the Center for Biological Diversity, this press release:

Acknowledging the complete collapse of native fish populations in the San Francisco Bay-Delta, the California Fish and Game Commission today voted to protect the longfin smelt as a threatened species under the California Endangered Species Act. The Commission also voted to change the state protected status of the delta smelt from threatened to endangered. The longfin smelt is a native fish that has dropped to record low numbers in the San Francisco Bay-Delta and is nearing extinction in other northern California estuaries. Numbers of delta smelt found in 2008 were the lowest in 42 years of surveys.

“Pollution and invasive species have played a role in the destruction of our native fish populations and the degradation of the Bay-Delta ecosystem, but the biggest culprit is the record-high water diversions from the Delta in recent years,” said Jeff Miller, conservation advocate with the Center for Biological Diversity. According to Miller, federal and state regulatory agencies have failed to uphold the public trust in allowing unsustainable levels of water diversions, leaving insufficient fresh water to sustain native fish and the Delta ecosystem. “The effects are rippling up the food chain,” he added. “Formerly abundant species at the base of the food chain are being driven to extinction, Central Valley salmon runs have been crippled, and the endangered population of West Coast killer whales has been even been affected.”

Longfin smelt (Spirinchus thaleichthys) were once one of the most abundant open-water fish in the San Francisco Bay-Delta and other Northern California estuaries, and they were a central component of the food web that sustained other commercially important and sport-fish species. The San Francisco Bay-Delta Estuary is home to the largest and southernmost self-sustaining population of longfin smelt. Longfin smelt populations that in the estuaries and lower reaches of Humboldt Bay and the Klamath River have also declined and may now be extinct. Since 2000, the Bay-Delta longfin smelt population has fallen to unprecedented low numbers. Since 2002, the delta smelt (Hypomesus transpacificus) has plummeted to its lowest population levels ever recorded.

The Center for Biological Diversity and other conservation groups petitioned for state endangered species protection for the longfin smelt in August 2007. The California Fish and Game Commission designated longfin smelt statewide as a candidate for threatened or endangered status in February 2008. In June 2007, the Commission designated the delta smelt as a candidate for uplisting.

March 5, 2009 · Filed Under Longfin Smelt

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California Department of Fish & Game: Longfin smelt recommended to be classified as “threatened”, additional protections needed

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on January 29, 2009 at 8:37 am

On Tuesday, the California Department of Fish & Game issued it’s findings on the Delta longfin smelt. The Associated Press is reporting that they are recommending additional protections in this all-too-brief article from the San Jose Mercury News. So, since the AP isn’t going to give more information, I have found the document online, and I’ve copied and pasted the findings and recommendations sections from the Executive Briefing here.

Here are the findings from the report issued by the California Department of Fish and Game. Emphasis added is mine, not theirs. Comments in italics and brackets are also mine:

The longfin smelt is a small fish native to California’s San Francisco Estuary and some other estuaries along the Northeast Pacific coast. Longfin smelt occur in the ocean, bays, estuaries, and rivers. This species feeds exclusively on zooplankton, spawns in freshwater, and has a predominantly 2-year life cycle.

Very little information on longfin smelt abundance in California is available, except for the San Francisco Estuary population. However, the San Francisco Estuary population clearly contains the most individuals in California. Survey data indicates that the population of longfin smelt in the San Francisco Estuary has declined substantially since the 1980s and that other populations in California may have declined similarly. As demonstrated by the following pertinent milestones, the status of longfin smelt has been a concern for decades:

Longfin smelt range-wide was proposed for listing under the Federal Endangered Species Act in 1992.

The Department classified longfin smelt as a Species of Special Concern by 1995.

Moyle et al. (1995) rated longfin smelt as “endangered”, citing these threats in priority order: Reduction in outflows, entrainment1, climatic variation, toxic substances, predation, and introduced species.

The American Fisheries Society classified longfin smelt in California as “threatened”. They cited habitat destruction and alteration of spawning and nursery areas, dams, logging, and agricultural water diversions (Musick 2000).

January 29, 2009 · Filed Under Longfin Smelt

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Delta fish hit record lows in 2008

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on January 6, 2009 at 7:45 am

From the San Jose Mercury News:

Delta fish numbers sank again to record lows in 2008, according to results of a key fall survey.

Delta smelt, a tiny fish that once was the most abundant fish in the Delta, fell from a high of 1,673 nearly 40 years ago to an index of 23, the lowest number on record. And threadfin shad, historically a common fish, also plunged to a record low and served as a reminder that the ecological nose-dive in the Delta is not limited to a single species.

“If you’re doing something in the Delta that can dramatically affect threadfin shad, you’re really doing something,” said Bruce Herbold, a fisheries biologist at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. “It’s the simultaneous decline of the common fish — Delta smelt — and the fairly abundant fish — threadfin shad, that really caught our attention.”

Biologists said the low numbers were not surprising given the dry conditions last year and the well-documented, ongoing environmental degradation in the Delta.

But they also serve as a warning that the problems continue and are not confined to Delta smelt — the fish that gets most of the attention because measures to prevent it from going extinct are affecting water supplies statewide.

Read more from the San Jose Mercury News by clicking here.

January 6, 2009 · Filed Under Delta smelt, Longfin Smelt, Water & Wildlife

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Kern agency sues Fish and Game for water cutback

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on December 12, 2008 at 5:44 am

From the Antelope Valley Press:

The Kern County Water Agency on Tuesday filed a lawsuit to stop a regulation issued by the state Fish and Game Commission that would further reduce the amount of water suppliers could draw from the California Aqueduct and the Central Valley Project.

If the action by Fish and Game is upheld, the water allocated to suppliers from the state Department of Water Resources could be reduced by as much as 1.1 million acre-feet in any given year — a situation that would prove detrimental to water purveyors, including those in the Antelope Valley, water officials say.

An acre-foot equals 325,851 gallons, the amount used by an average Antelope Valley family in a year.

Representatives of the Kern County Water Agency filed the petition in Los Angeles County Superior Court, according to Curtis Creel, water resources manager for the agency.

In addition to the Fish and Game Commission, other defendants identified in the suit include the state Department of Fish and Game; Donald Koch, director of Fish and Game; the California Office of Administrative Law; and Susan Lapsley, director of the Office of Administrative Law, Creel said.

The lawsuit describes the regulation drafted by Fish and Game as a “catastrophic action” that reduces the water supply during a drought and “further harms our fragile economy and increases job losses in Kern County and the state, while doing little to protect the longfin smelt.

Read more from the Antelope Valley Press by clicking here.

December 12, 2008 · Filed Under Longfin Smelt

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Lawsuits pile up over longfin smelt protection

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on December 10, 2008 at 7:30 am

From Stockton’s Record:

As few as 50 tiny longfin smelt would be protected by Delta pumping restrictions that could further crimp the water supply for 25 million Californians, water users said Tuesday in a trio of lawsuits filed against the state.

Districts that supply water to cities and farms from the Bay Area to San Diego say the restrictions, approved last month by the California Fish and Game Commission, are disproportionate and do not reflect the best science.

The restrictions are in effect until mid-February, when the commission is expected to vote on whether the longfin smelt - a close cousin of the threatened Delta smelt - should receive permanent protection under state endangered species laws.

The well-chronicled decline of the Delta smelt already has led to severe cutbacks in how much water can be pumped from the state and federal facilities near Tracy. Now attention has turned to the longfin smelt. The added restrictions approved last month are double trouble, especially in a drought year, water users say.

“Given the minuscule benefit to the fish, there appears to be something wrong with this picture,” said Laura King Moon, assistant general manager of the State Water Contractors, in a prepared statement.

Read more from the Stockton Record by clicking here.

The State Water Contractors’ lawsuit is only one of three lawsuits filed; the Fresno Bee has the details on the other two lawsuits, which are similar:

Two prominent local water agencies filed suit Tuesday to block a new state regulation aimed at protecting a tiny fish that inhabits the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.

The Westlands Water District and the San Luis & Delta-Mendota Water Authority say the California Department of Fish & Game’s regulation to protect the longfin smelt would deal a devastating blow to the state’s water supply, cutting as much as 1 million acre-feet in water deliveries if it is fully implemented.

Already, the 50-page lawsuit says, the state’s water supply has been hit by a combination of drought, governmental agency cutbacks and court-ordered reductions related to the delta smelt, a cousin of the longfin.

“The economic devastation this will cause is unbelievable, especially in the times we are in,” said Westlands spokeswoman Sarah Woolf.

The lawsuits allege that fewer than 100 fish would be helped by the restrictions, and that the additional restrictions won’t yield any benefit to future populations because the longfin smelt doesn’t come into the vicinity of the Delta pumps. Read more from the Fresno Bee by clicking here.

December 10, 2008 · Filed Under Longfin Smelt

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State Water Contractors challenge Fish and Game Commission decision on longfin smelt; new regulations violate California Endangered Species Act, threaten water supply

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on December 9, 2008 at 12:34 pm

From Market Watch and the State Water Contractors, this press release:

The State Water Contractors, a statewide organization of 27 public water agencies, filed a lawsuit today against the California Fish & Game Commission and the California Department of Fish & Game challenging the Commission’s recent decision to potentially impose substantial cuts in State Water Project (SWP) water deliveries to much of the San Francisco Bay Area, the San Joaquin Valley and Southern California in an effort to protect the longfin smelt. The lawsuit asserts that the Commission’s November 14, 2008 decision opens the door for dramatic new restrictions on SWP and Central Valley Project (CVP) water pumping operations out of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta (Delta) without any significant corresponding benefit to the fish species and, in so doing, violates key elements of the California Endangered Species Act. Last month, the Commission approved these regulations as a precautionary measure in its desire to protect the longfin smelt, a fish species found in estuaries from Monterey Bay to Alaska.

The lawsuit, filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court, contends that project operations do not have a significant impact on the longfin smelt; that the water supply impact of the regulation is grossly disproportional to any potential benefit the regulation will provide to the longfin smelt and that it fails to maintain the purpose of the SWP to the maximum extent possible — all as required by the terms of the California Endangered Species Act. The lawsuit also asserts that the regulations are not supported by credible, scientific information demonstrating that project operations are having a significant impact on the longfin smelt.

The regulation could reduce water deliveries by the SWP and federal CVP by more than a million acre feet in the face of the ongoing drought currently impacting California. This is enough water to meet the needs of more than five million Californians for a year. The SWP and CVP are California’s primary water delivery systems - a cutback in water deliveries of the size that may occur as a result of the challenged regulation will would have very costly impacts on California’s economy and the 25 million residents and millions of acres of farmland served by SWP and CVP water. By contrast, the cutbacks would only benefit 50 to 250 fish - much less than 1 percent of the total longfin smelt population.
“The economic impact of these new regulations will be huge, especially when combined with drought and existing regulatory restrictions,” said Laura King Moon, assistant general manager of the State Water Contractors. “Given the miniscule benefit to the fish, there appears to be something wrong with this picture.”

The Commission’s decision also fails to consider the many other factors that scientists have identified as possible reasons for the decline in fish populations. Invasive plants and aquatic animals are wreaking havoc on chemical and biological balances, toxic runoff from pesticides and wastewater treatment plant discharges are flowing through Delta waters and nonnative predator fish introduced for sport fishing have altered the natural food web.

“By focusing only on the pumps, we’re ignoring the many other factors that impact the fish. That’s a disservice to the people of California and the Delta ecosystem,” added Moon.

These restrictions are in addition to severe cutbacks already imposed to address the decline of another similar fish species, the Delta smelt. Last year, a federal judge cut 660,000 acre-feet from the water system, a 31% reduction that could have served 5.3 million Californians for one year.

In addition to regulatory cutbacks, California has been hit with ongoing dry conditions. State reservoirs are drying up and many are at their lowest levels in years. To make matters worse, our infrastructure is compromised. Twenty-five million Californians and more than three million acres of agricultural land currently benefit from water supplies moved through the Delta. However, the water delivered through the Delta is at risk because of the estuary’s failing condition, antiquated levees and the threat of natural disaster.

Public water agencies, environmental organizations, and state and federal agencies are working together to develop a long-term solution. The Bay Delta Conservation Plan (BDCP), a comprehensive conservation plan for the Delta, will provide a basis for addressing the many threats to the Delta needed for fishery and ecosystem recovery, while finding a way to continue to deliver water to Californians throughout the state. For more information on the BDCP, please visit http://www.resources.ca.gov/bdcp/.

The State Water Contractors is a statewide, non-profit association of 27 public agencies from Northern, Central and Southern California that purchase water under contract from the California State Water Project. Collectively the State Water Contractors deliver water to more than 25 million residents throughout the state and more than 750,000 acres of agricultural lands. For more information on the State Water Contractors, please visit www.swc.org.

December 9, 2008 · Filed Under Longfin Smelt

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Public water agencies throughout California file suit to prevent further water cutbacks

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on December 9, 2008 at 6:23 am

From Business Wire, this press release from the Westlands Water District:

The Westlands Water District today joined with 31 other public water agencies in the Central Valley in filing a lawsuit to block a new regulation that would enable state Fish and Game officials to cut off up to a million acre feet of water for two-thirds of California’s people. Those reductions in freshwater supplies would come on top of the court-ordered cutbacks that last year reduced the state’s water supplies by roughly one-third in the midst of the drought.

“We’re taking this action to protect the public interest in our own water supply,” said Jean P. Sagouspe, a farmer on the westside of the San Joaquin Valley who is the president of Westlands Water District. “The Department of Fish and Game’s plan represents an abuse of power and a failure of good science and common sense.”

The lawsuit filed jointly by Westlands and the San Luis and Delta-Mendota Water Authority (SLDMWA) is one of three suits filed against the Fish and Game regulation by public water agencies from Northern and Southern California as well as the Bay Area. Together, the public water agencies opposed to the regulation are responsible for delivering water to more than 25 million Californians and nearly two million acres of agricultural land.

Fish and Game officials want to shut down the operation of the state and federal pumps in order to protect a species of minnow called the longfin smelt. But Fish and Game’s own studies show that longfin smelt do not live anywhere near the pumps. As a result, the agencies point out that shutting down the pumps will not produce any benefit for the fish.

Worse, the Department of Fish and Game is proposing to do nothing at all to reduce the effects of toxic pollution, invasive species, and other problems that the department’s own scientists admit are harming longfin smelt.

If the new restrictions are enforced and the drought persists, Water Resources Director Lester Snow has warned that it “could create a water supply and delivery crisis the likes of which Californians have not seen in decades.” In November, the Department of Water Resources joined with public water agencies from throughout California in submitting extensive scientific evidence in an unsuccessful effort to persuade the state Fish and Game Commission not to adopt this rule.

“California’s leaders should be working together to conserve our limited water supplies and help the public get through this drought emergency,” Sagouspe said. “Instead we see two state agencies working at cross purposes. Nobody benefits if Fish and Game follows through on this plan that proposes to spill into the ocean enough fresh water to serve five million people for an entire year.”

Read more from Business Wire by clicking here.

December 9, 2008 · Filed Under Longfin Smelt

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More restrictions on Delta water pumping adopted as Department of Fish & Game passes regulations to protect longfin smelt

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on November 16, 2008 at 6:47 am

From Mike Taugher of the Contra Costa Times:

The reliability of California’s water supply took another huge hit Friday when state regulators adopted more restrictions on Delta water pumping to protect yet another fish species whose population is sinking fast. Water agencies portrayed Friday’s decision by the California Fish and Game Commission to protect longfin smelt from Delta pumps this winter as potentially crippling to water supplies on San Joaquin Valley farms and elsewhere.

Regulators acknowledged that the new regulations, which could go into effect as early as Dec. 1, could lead to major water supply cuts but said the rules probably would not be activated at all.

Perry Hergesell, a water policy analyst for the Fish and Game Department, told commissioners that if the new rules had been in place they would have been needed in just two of the past 17 years.

Still, Department of Water Resources Director Lester Snow, the state’s top water official, said that if additional cutbacks were ordered, it “could create a water supply and delivery crisis the likes of which Californians have not seen in decades.”

Read more from the Contra Costa Times by clicking here.

From the Central Valley Business Times:

The commission, meeting in Huntington Beach, approved a six-month emergency regulation to protect the longfin smelt. A cousin of that fish, the Delta smelt, is already protected by federal court order lowering the amount of water that can be pumped from the Delta to the Central Valley, Bay Area and Southern California. The Delta is California’s main source of fresh water.

DWR estimates the emergency regulations have the potential to reduce state and federal water project deliveries up to 1.1 million acre feet, or an additional 17 percent in an average water year. This is in addition to the existing export restrictions already in place as a result of a federal court decision to protect Delta smelt.

DWR had asked the commission to extend incidental take authority of the longfin smelt adopted under the California Endangered Species Act and include proposed revisions to help assure that DWR would only be required to mitigate impacts caused by the State Water Project.

The commission instead adopted the regulation that authorizes take but includes additional measures for the protection of adult, larval, and juvenile longfin smelt.

Click here to read the rest of this article in The Central Valley Business Times, which includes an audio clip of an interview with DWR spokesperson Don Strickland about the decision, as well as a link to the action passed on Friday.

November 16, 2008 · Filed Under Longfin Smelt

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Water supplies may drop for California cities & farms as state extends protections for longfin smelt

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on November 15, 2008 at 7:51 am

From the San Diego Union-Tribune:

California fish and wildlife managers on Friday approved new rules that could severely restrict pumping from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta to protect a native fish, triggering protests from farmers and cities reeling already from water shortages.

The Fish and Game Commission voted 3-0 to enact emergency regulations that may scale back water pumping from December through February to safeguard the longfin smelt, considered a bellwether species for the estuary.

“Clearly as a society we haven’t erred on the side of the fish in the past; we’ve erred on the side of the water supply,” said Commissioner Michael Sutton. “We have to come down on the side of the fish. If we don’t take care of these ecosystems, they’re not going to yield us the services for much longer.”

Read more from the San Diego Union-Tribune by clicking here.

The Stockton Record puts it into perspective:

This is how severe California’s water and fish crises have become: If surveyors find as few as six longfin smelt near the Delta export pumps this winter, water deliveries to farms and cities throughout the state could be cut by 1.1 million acre-feet - enough water to serve more than 1 million families for a year.

That was said to be the worst-case scenario Friday after the California Fish and Game Commission voted to extend protections for the longfin smelt. Combined with drought and court-imposed water restrictions, the action could lead to “a water supply and delivery crisis the likes of which Californians have not seen in decades,” said Lester Snow, director of the state Department of Water Resources.

But Fish and Game officials said the 1.1 million acre-foot cut cited by Water Resources is unlikely. “Nothing is automatic,” said Fish and Game attorney Ann Malcolm. The plan “requires the exercise an informed judgment after dealing with both science and policymakers.”

The debate illustrates how close some fish species are to extinction - every single longfin smelt is significant, one Fish and Game expert said Friday - and how close the state’s water system is to buckling under the weight of the finger-length longfin smelt and its close cousin, the Delta smelt.

Read more from Stockton’s Record by clicking here.

November 15, 2008 · Filed Under Longfin Smelt

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DWR Director Lester Snow responds to longfin smelt decision

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on November 14, 2008 at 2:15 pm

From the Department of Water Resources:

SACRAMENTO – Department of Water Resources (DWR) Director Lester A. Snow released the following statement after the California Fish and Game Commission implemented take regulations to protect longfin smelt:

“Following two years of extreme drought, additional pumping cutbacks are possible as a result of today’s Fish and Game Commission’s action and could create a water supply and delivery crisis the likes of which Californians have not seen in decades. This situation further underscores the state’s urgent need to invest in our water systems, including more storage, improved conveyance, conservation and a long term strategy for the Delta. The time for action is now.”

DWR estimates the emergency regulations have the potential to reduce state and federal water project deliveries up to 1.1 million acre feet, or an additional 17 percent in an average water year. This is in addition to the existing export restrictions already in place as a result of a federal court decision to protect Delta smelt.

DWR had asked the commission to extend incidental take authority of the longfin smelt adopted under the California Endangered Species Act (CESA) and include proposed revisions to help assure that DWR would only be required to mitigate impacts caused by the State Water Project. The commission rejected this proposal and instead adopted the regulation that authorizes take but includes additional measures for the protection of adult, larval, and juvenile longfin smelt.

Longfin Smelt
Longfin smelt are pelagic, estuarine fish that range from Monterey Bay northward to Alaska. In California, they have been commonly collected from San Francisco Bay, the Eel River, Humboldt Bay and the Klamath River. Presently, the only California collections made in the 1990s have been from the Klamath River and San Francisco Bay. Longfin smelt reach a maximum size of about 150 mm and comprise a small portion of the “whitebait” fishery in San Francisco Bay. They have no sport fishery value.

Maturity is reached toward the end of their second year. As they mature in the fall, adults found throughout San Francisco Bay migrate to brackish or freshwater in Suisun Bay, Montezuma Slough, and the lower reaches of the Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers. Spawning probably takes place in freshwater.

In April and May, juveniles are believed to migrate downstream to San Pablo Bay. Juvenile longfin smelt are collected throughout the Bay during the late spring, summer and fall.

Longfin smelt have been listed as a candidate species under the CESA by the Fish and Game Commission. Candidate species receive take protection until a decision is made by the commission to list them as endangered or threatened or to not list them. The commission is expected to make a final listing decision in March 2009.

Longfin smelt are not a protected species under the federal Endangered Species Act.

The Department of Water Resources operates and maintains the State Water Project, provides dam safety and flood control and inspection services, assists local water districts in water management and water conservation planning, and plans for future statewide water needs.

November 14, 2008 · Filed Under Longfin Smelt

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California water supply problems worsen: State commission issues new regulations likely to further restrict Delta pumping

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on November 14, 2008 at 2:13 pm

From the Long Beach Water Department, this press release:

The Long Beach Board of Water Commissioners is again urging increased attention to extraordinary water conservation measures after the California Fish and Game Commission today, issued new, emergency regulations for protecting the longfin smelt, a candidate species for listing under the California Endangered Species Act, from operations related to moving water through the State Water Project. The new regulations, expected to take effect next month, are likely to further reduce the supplies of imported water southern California receives from the Bay Delta.

“As with the Delta Smelt decision last year, it is not possible to specifically state what this means for our water supply, as the week-to-week decisions are somewhat arbitrary and unpredictable,” according to Kevin Wattier, General Manager of the Long Beach Water Department. “However, it is certain that this decision has a significant, negative impact on the water supply of the State Water Project, and the areas of the state that depend on it.”

Existing delivery restrictions to protect the Delta smelt, as ordered by a Fresno federal district court in September 2007, reduced imported water deliveries from the Bay Delta nearly 30 percent. Upon the federal district court ruling in September 2007, the Long Beach Board of Water Commissioners issued a declaration of imminent water supply shortage and implemented mandatory prohibitions on certain outdoor uses of water in the City of Long Beach. Long Beach has set historical, 10-year record lows for water consumption in 10 of the last 13 months.

The Long Beach Water Department is an urban, southern California retail water supply agency and the standard in water conservation and environmental stewardship.

Ryan J. Alsop
Director of Government & Public Affairs
Long Beach Water
Brennan S. Thomas Administration Building

November 14, 2008 · Filed Under Longfin Smelt

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Jason Peltier of the Westlands Water District addresses CA Fish &Game Commission meeting today regarding proposed 1 Million Acre feet cut to California water supplies

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on November 14, 2008 at 2:10 pm

From the Westlands Water District:

Jason Peltier of the Westlands Water District is addressing the CA Fish & Game Commission today in opposition to a proposed regulation that would cut one million acre feet to California water supplies. He will be speaking on behalf of the Westlands Water District and other public water agencies that serve more than 25 million Californians.

Today, the California Fish and Game Commission will consider adopting a proposed regulation for longfin smelt that could cut as much as one million acre feet additional water supplies that two-thirds of California’s population depends on.Those cutbacks would comeon top of the 760,000 acre feet of water that California lost in 2008 under court-ordered reductions intended to protect another species the smelt.

This on top of one of the worst droughts in the state’s history, the implementation of these new restrictions could mean water rationing for communities throughout Southern California and the Bay Area plus billions of dollars in losses to the state’s economy due to lost jobs, ruined crops and failed agricultural businesses throughout California.

November 14, 2008 · Filed Under Longfin Smelt

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Public agencies oppose new threat to statewide water supply; California Fish & Game Commission’s proposed restrictions to address fish decline called “major threat” and “without merit”

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on November 14, 2008 at 7:36 am

From the State Water Contractors, this press release:

Sacramento, CA – The State Water Contractors, a statewide organization of 27 public water agencies, voiced serious concern today regarding California Fish & Game Commission proposed regulations that could impose drastic new restrictions on pumping out of the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta (Delta) to protect longfin smelt, a small fish species that is found in several estuaries along the northern Pacific Coast. The Commission will consider these proposed regulations, which public water agencies consider a major potential threat to statewide water supply, in a hearing this Friday.

The California Department of Water Resources estimates these restrictions could reduce water supplies by approximately one (1) million acre-feet in wet and average year conditions and by 600,000 acre-feet in dry conditions from both the State Water Project (SWP) and federal Central Valley Project (CVP). In average year conditions, these constraints represent approximately 17% of anticipated supply for the two projects, which serve as California’s primary water delivery systems.

These proposed restrictions are in addition to severe cutbacks already imposed to address the decline of another similar fish species, the Delta smelt. Last year, a federal judge cut 660,000 acre-feet from the water system, a 31% reduction that could have served 5.3 million Californians for one year. In a worst case scenario, restrictions to protect both Delta smelt and longfin smelt in 2009 could amount to nearly a 50% slash in water deliveries from the state’s primary water delivery systems.

“If the Fish and Game Commission adopts these draconian proposals, we’ll be looking at a scary situation,” said Laura King Moon, assistant general manager of the State Water Contractors. “The significant drawbacks of this proposal are way out of proportion to its benefits — there’s no guarantee that these restrictions will even protect the fish. We are in the midst of a governor-declared drought and the worst economic downturn in recent memory. This is the wrong time to propose regulations that could have severe impacts on California’s economy while offering little, if any, help to the longfin smelt.”

November 14, 2008 · Filed Under Longfin Smelt

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Jean P. Sagouspe commentary: New water proposal for longfin smelt makes no sense at all

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on November 12, 2008 at 6:27 am

From the Fresno Bee, this commentary by Jean P. Sagouspe, a farmer on the westside of the San Joaquin Valley and the president of Westlands Water District:

The state Department of Fish and Game is proposing a new set of regulations to protect the longfin smelt. If fully implemented, the Department of Water Resources estimates that the proposed regulations could cut off as much as 1 million acre-feet of water deliveries to the two-thirds of California that depends on water pumped through the Delta.

That’s on top of the 760,000 acre feet we have already lost because of court-ordered restrictions on pumping intended to benefit another species of smelt. And it comes in the middle of one of the worst droughts in history.

The restrictions probably won’t do any good, because the longfin rarely go anywhere near the pumps. But the department proposes no action at all to protect the longfin from ammonia pollution and the extensive list of other stressors that are impacting the fish.

The good news is that even if the new regulations are adopted by the Fish and Game Commission at its meeting Nov. 14, they may never trigger any cutbacks in actual water deliveries, because they address a problem that will probably never arise. So long as the longfin don’t move close to the pumps, presumably no additional reductions in pumping will be ordered.

The bad news is that this proposal is being raised at all. It points up some serious deficiencies in the way the state is approaching our water crisis.

Read more of this commentary in the Fresno Bee by clicking here.

November 12, 2008 · Filed Under Longfin Smelt

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DFG seeks public input on petition to list longfin smelt

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on June 28, 2008 at 6:50 am

From Dan Bacher:

The California Department of Fish and Game (DFG) announced on June 20 that it is seeking public input regarding a petition to list longfin smelt (Spirinchus thaleichthys), another victim of years of abysmal water management by the state and federal governments, under the California Endangered Species Act (CESA).

The California Fish and Game Commission is currently considering the petition to list the fish as “threatened” or “endangered” under CESA. The Bay Institute, the Center for Biological Diversity and the Natural Resources Defense Council filled the petition on Aug. 14, 2007 after the longfin smelt, along with its cousin, the delta smelt, declined to record levels after record levels of water were exported out of the California Delta by the state and federal governments.

By operation of law, longfin smelt became a “candidate species” under the CESA when the Commission found that the petition contained sufficient information to warrant further consideration, according to a news release from the DFG.

“Pursuant to the provisions of Section 2074.6 of the Fish and Game Code, DFG must complete a status review of the species and provide a written report to the commission that recommends - based upon the best scientific information available - whether listing the longfin smelt as threatened or endangered under CESA is warranted,” the DFG stated. “DFG plans to submit its report to the commission in January 2009 and seeks information from the public to help formulate its recommendation.”

June 28, 2008 · Filed Under Longfin Smelt

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Another delta fish, the Longfin smelt, to be considered for endangered status

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on May 7, 2008 at 6:27 am

From the Sacramento Bee:

Another Delta fish will be considered for protection under the federal Endangered Species Act, following a sharp population decline last year.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said Tuesday it will conduct a status review of the longfin smelt to determine whether it warrants protection as a threatened or endangered species. The longfin, a 4-inch fish native to the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, last year registered its lowest population count in four decades of monitoring.

The decision to conduct the review came in response to a petition filed in August by environmental groups.

The longfin is a cousin of the Delta smelt, a threatened species since 1993 whose population also has declined steeply in recent years. The longfin is slightly bigger, normally lives for two years instead of one and travels through a wider range of salinity conditions.

Biologists have struggled to understand the declines, but as with the Delta smelt, they believe a combination of poor water quality, invasive species and water pumping is hurting longfins. “This is another species that lives in the estuary in a slightly different way, and it’s in equally bad trouble. It’s telling us there are problems in the ecosystem, and we need to address them,” said Tina Swanson, a senior scientist at the Bay Institute, one of three petitioners.

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

The California Farmer adds this:

The Service’s determination today, commonly known as a 90-day finding, is the first step toward possible protection for the species under the ESA. The action is based on the information provided in a petition to list the longfin smelt (Spirinchus thaleichthys) population that lives in San Francisco Bay/Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and on information readily available to the Service. The petition asked that the Service list longfin smelt within that area as a distinct population segment (DPS). The finding is available at http://www.fws.gov/sacramento/.

Today’s action by the Service opens a 60-day public comment period, closing July 7, 2008, during which experts and the public are encouraged to submit all relevant information about the species. The Service then will complete its next stage of review, commonly known as a 12- month review.

A similar petition to list the longfin smelt was considered in 1992, but in 1994, officials decided against listing the species at that time:

“The Service has not made a decision on whether to propose listing the longfin smelt,” says Steve Thompson, regional manager of the Service’s region 8 (California/Nevada). “The 90-day finding is our recognition that new information has developed.”

Thompson continued, “Over the next few months, the Service will evaluate this new information, and all the additional information we obtain, then make a decision on whether there is sufficient risk to the species to proceed with a listing proposal.”

Comments may be submitted until July 7, 2008. Comments may be submitted by one of the following methods:
1) Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov and follow the instructions for submitting comments;
2) U.S. mail or hand-delivery to: Public Comments Processing, Attn: FWS-R8-ES-2008-0034, Division of Policy and Directives Management; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; 4401 N. Fairfax Drive, Suite 222; Arlington, VA 22203.

All comments will be posted on http://www.regulations.gov .

Read the full text of the article from the California Farmer by clicking here.

May 7, 2008 · Filed Under Longfin Smelt

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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

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