Thursday, November 17, 2011

News articles and links from Nov. 17, 2011

Water supply

Report: Farmers use water efficiently

Story

From Fresno Business Journal - Wednesday, Nov. 16, 2011

New report claims state's farmers apply water efficiently

Story

From Central Valley Business Times - Wednesday Nov. 16, 2011

Agriculture Report

TV News

From ABC/30 - Thursday, Nov. 17, 2011

Fresno State CIT study reaffirms agricultural water efficiency realities

News Release

From Friant Water Authority - Wednesday, Nov. 16, 2011

New water efficiency study findings are on mark, Kings River officials say

News Release

From KRCD/KRWA - Wednesday, Nov. 16, 2011

Kern County Water Agency Statement on new report that finds California agriculture is already efficient in their water management

News Release

From Kern County Water Agency - Wednesday, Nov. 16, 2011

Coalition response...Nearly 30 years after a University of California, Cooperative Extension study concluded that farmers are not wasting water a new study arrived at similar conclusions. A major finding of the current study contradicts a popular claim that increased conservation on the farm could result in millions of acre-feet of water available for other uses.

The 1982 report has been updated by researchers at The Center for Irrigation Technology at California State University, Fresno. The updated study was released supporting many of the same conclusions.

The new study shows that only 1.3 percent of existing supplies, or about 330,000 acre-feet of water could be conserved on farms if farmers changed their irrigation practices or shifted to different crops. 

Changes in irrigation practices and crop patterns also have the potential to cause negative impacts. Changing from furrow to drip irrigation can mean less water to replenish aquifers, which many rural communities rely on for domestic water supplies.

The new study also shows that farmers have been making excellent decisions on how to manage the water they use to efficiently grow food and fiber, create jobs and significantly contribute to California's economy.

Delta

Chinooks take biologists' bait

Column

By Pete Ottesen

From The Record - Wednesday, Nov. 16, 2011

Coalition response...Chris Gulick likes to think of himself as a decent striper fisherman and I'm sure he is. He might think of himself as a GREAT striper fisherman if he only heeded the advice of Western Outdoor Magazine. Its March 2009 issue included an article on how to catch stripers in Central California. It seems as though the key is to time your fishing trip with the outmigration of salmon smolts because stripers love 'em. Allow me to quote: "The peak of the baby salmon's downstream journey corresponds with the spring spawning run of striped bass. Somewhere along the line the two crash headlong into one another. It's a one-sided blood bath, and when the spray and foam settles, the stripers emerge fat and happy while the Chinook suffer heavy losses."

The article further explains, "The whole key to this game is to find areas where stripers can easily pick off salmon as thy move downstream." It even includes a picture down the mouth of a bass with dead salmon smolts in view ready to be digested.

Seems to me as though stripers indeed eat baby salmon. A lot of them. Interested in reading the entire article yourself? It's posted here: www.farmwater.org/striperseatsalmonsmolt.pdf

WATER SUPPLY

California Water Crisis is Very Real

Blog

By Lydia Mulvey

From News Hawks Review - Wednesday, Nov. 16, 2011

DELTA

Webcast links for today's California Water Commission meeting & Delta Stewardship Council meeting

Notice

From Aquafornia - Thursday, Nov. 17, 2011

Delta Stewardship Council meets with water bloggers

Press Release

From Aquafornia - Thursday, Nov. 17, 2011

FISHERIES

Biologist Confirms U.S. Bureau of Reclamation water releases have negatively impacted spawning areas

Story

From PR Newswire - Thursday, Nov. 17, 2011

Commission to receive public comment on Striped Bass in February

News Release

From CDFG - Wednesday, Nov. 16, 2011

CLIMATE CHANGE

Agriculture: Valley farmers need to think about climate change

Opinion

From Modesto Bee - Wednesday, Nov. 16, 2011

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