FISHERIES
Column
By Alastair Bland
From Marine Independent Journal - Thursday, May 16,
2013
Coalition response...Millions of acre-feet of water have been taken from agriculture to
benefit fish since the passage of the Central Valley Project Improvement Act by
Congress. Despite 20 years of water supply cuts intended to help fish, salmon
numbers have continued to fluctuate through the years, meaning that dedicating
more water to fish has not resulted in higher numbers.
Scientists from the Pacific
Fisheries Management Council and the National Marine Fisheries Service have
identified poor ocean conditions---warm temperatures and reduced food
supply---as the leading cause of the drop in salmon numbers.
In February 2008 a NMFS report (http://swfsc.noaa.gov/publications/FED/00994.pdf)
concluded that the overall cause of the recent salmon decline was ocean
conditions. A year later the Pacific Fisheries Management Council reported that
all the evidence they could find pointed to ocean conditions as being the
proximate cause of the poor performance of the 2004 and 2005 broods of
Sacramento River Fall Chinook --- http://www.pcouncil.org/bb/2009/0409/H2b_WGR_0409.pdf.
Since the adoption of CVPIA,
studies conducted by the California Department of Fish & Game and UC Davis
have also shown a strong increasing trend in the abundance of warm water
predatory fish in the Delta that feed on juvenile salmon as they make their way
through the Delta. The result is predator species consuming and replacing
native fish in the Delta --- http://www.farmwater.org/centrarchids.pdf. The
article doesn't mention it but that's the real reason salmon smolts are trucked
around the Delta.
In contrast, public water
agencies are translating science into action by supporting, developing and/or
implementing solutions that address the need for multi-solution approaches,
such as those found in the Bay Delta Conservation Plan. Those solutions will
increase both the quality and quantity of habitat diversity through ecosystem
based management, as will solutions recommended by a range of science interests
from Pacific Fisheries Management Council to the Public Policy Institute of
California.
Environmentalists and fishermen
have the opportunity to be part of the solution but it will take a concerted
effort to move beyond the old approach of simply blaming the pumps.
BAY DELTA CONSERVATION PLAN
Blog
By Nancy Vogel
From BDCP - Thursday, May 16, 2013
DELTA
Press release
From Delta Stewardship Council - Thursday, May 16,
2013
Story
From The Record - Friday, May 17, 2013
Story
From Fresno Bee - Thursday, May 16, 2013
From News 10 - Thursday, May 16, 2013
Radio news
From Capital Public Radio - Thursday, May 16, 2013
Story
From Central Valley Business Times - Thursday, May 16,
2013
TRANSFERS
Story
From Chico Enterprise-Record - Thursday, May 16, 2013
WATER BOND
Story
From Malibu Times - Thursday, May 16, 2013
Blog
By Ellen Hanak
From California WaterBlog - Thursday, May 16, 2013
PEOPLE
Editorial
From Sacramento Bee - Friday, May 17, 2013
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