A daily compilation of significant news articles and comment
March 3, 2008
3. Watersheds
DELTA ISSUES:
Conflict seen in smelt rules; As water contractors join the rule-making on Delta pumping, group says 'fox is guarding the henhouse.' - Sacramento
Editorial: Working together for the delta; The latest in a Times editorial series on water and water policy -
Column: Canal at heart of state water talks; Second Thoughts: Rash action is worse than no action. And a peripheral canal is no exception - Tracy Press
A view too far; As the San Joaquin River Parkway hits a milestone, questions loom about its future and accessibility - Fresno Bee
QUAGGA MUSSELS:
New unit sniffs trouble, secures state's waters - Contra Costa Times
Invasive aquatic species makes its way to Southern California - Desert Sun
Vote to close Lake Casitas for one year set; Protection from invasive mussels hoped - Ventura County Star
WETLANDS RESTORATION:
Prado wetlands reborn through hard work - Riverside Press Enterprise
SALMON ISSUES:
Officials consider salmon-fishing ban; Data shows
DELTA ISSUES:
Conflict seen in smelt rules; As water contractors join the rule-making on Delta pumping, group says 'fox is guarding the henhouse.'
Sacramento
By Matt Weiser, staff writer
Water users who benefit most from tapping the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta have been given an unprecedented role in drafting new rules to manage water diversions.
Critics call it a "fox in the henhouse" situation that may further imperil the Delta, where experts believe water diversions have already contributed to a broad ecosystem collapse.
The new draft rules, called a biological assessment, are being prepared in response to a court order last year. Federal Judge Oliver Wanger in
The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, which operates one of two Delta water systems, is a defendant in the case. The bureau allowed water contractors to help write new diversion rules. Wanger, in his ruling, didn't specify who should rewrite the rules.
The decision also applies to its co-defendant, the state Department of Water Resources, which operates the other diversion system, and its contractors.
"It indicates to me the agencies are still continuing to view the Delta as a big faucet, and their main concern is simply water supply," said Kate Poole, an attorney at the Natural Resources Defense Council, one of the environmental groups suing the agencies. "They should be opening the door to many more interested parties, not just the ones who have a financial interest in harming the smelt."
Water contractors are urban and agricultural agencies that sell Delta water to farms and cities from
The water agencies said their participation is legal and appropriate under the Endangered Species Act, which governs the process. They said they offer unique expertise because they know the pumping systems well.
They also note that the diverters have a limited role. For instance, they cannot consult directly with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which must approve the new rules to ensure smelt won't be harmed.
"There's a place at the table for these folks, and they're allowed to be there," said bureau spokesman Jeff McCracken. "So far, they've been involved in a very broad area looking at everything."
Fishing and environmental groups asked to participate and were denied, McCracken said, because there isn't time for more players to be involved.
"It calls into question whether or not this report is going to be unbiased," said Sen. Mike Machado, D-Linden, a frequent critic of water operations and chairman of the Senate Subcommittee on Delta Resources.
The 740,000-acre Delta is the largest estuary on North America's
A century of dam building, development and diversions caused a gradual decline that worsened in the last five years.
Nine Delta fish species are in steep decline, and toxic algae blooms have become more common. The latest victims are fall-run chinook salmon.
Biologists haven't pinpointed the cause but believe several factors are involved, including ocean conditions, foreign species, poor water quality and excessive water diversions.
Delta water diversions serve 25 million people and 2 million acres of farms.
This is partly why water diverters believe their role in the rule-making is appropriate: They understand the broad benefits provided by the Delta.
"We are trying to make sure the information that Reclamation and DWR put together is not too narrow, that it is a full vetting of the picture that's out there," said Curtis Creel, water resources manager at the Kern County Water Agency, who represents state water contractors in the rule-drafting process.
The new rules amount to a proposal for operating Delta pumps to satisfy the Endangered Species Act and the court.
The Fish and Wildlife Service will review and modify the proposal to ensure water exports do not jeopardize smelt.
Alex Pitts, Fish and Wildlife Service spokeswoman, said the agency is not worried about the diverters' role.
"We're more focused on good information, not necessarily who has it," she said. "It's not something just handed over in a package saying 'You have to view this as truth.' There's a process there for reviewing this information."
Developing the proposal is complex. It requires key decisions early on about how the smelt behave and what environmental factors matter. The review also must go beyond the pumps and consider upstream reservoirs that determine how much water flows through the Delta.
Many of the decisions will help computer models draft operating rules.
"One of the things we have been trying to do is assist the agencies with describing the project," said Creel. "In other words, what are the various parts of it and what would be the types of assumptions used in the modeling analyses."
She said Wanger's ruling rejected an approach to pumping that had favored water diverters at the expense of fish. "I don't think it bodes well," she said, that those diverters are now helping draft new rules to protect fish. #
http://www.sacbee.com/101/story/754898.html
Editorial: Working together for the delta; The latest in a Times editorial series on water and water policy
Early last week, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's water plans looked to be headed down the path of universal healthcare. A Feb. 21 meeting with Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) raised hopes that a bipartisan water bond might surface in
Responding, Schwarzenegger did outline plans to study "conveyance" options for the delta. But he also vowed to continue environmental repairs and proposed cutting per capita water use in the state 20% by 2020. The senators seemed mollified. "You cannot declare an end to the water wars," one veteran marveled, "but [they are] more civilized than they were 24 hours ago."
In
The fragile Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta is home to more than 700 native species, half a million people and 1,100 miles of levees.
Because disruptions in the delta mean diminished water supplies -- it has been estimated that the smelt shutdown will cut exports from the region by a third -- engineers during the 1960s proposed building a canal to connect the
Today, thanks to new research, we know that building a canal might not be a bad thing for the delta's ecosystem -- especially if it's accompanied by statewide conservation and mitigation efforts. A peripheral canal might stabilize the delta and help restore its fragile environment, while also protecting a reasonable volume of exports to Southern California and the other parts of the state that rely on delta water.
For that to work,
Here in
Last week's events suggest that Schwarzenegger and the Legislature can still move this conversation forward, evaluate options honestly and lead North and South through the tough choices that we all must make to save
http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/opinion/la-ed-delta3mar03,0,6280356.story
Column: Canal at heart of state water talks; Second Thoughts: Rash action is worse than no action. And a peripheral canal is no exception
Tracy Press – 2/29/08
By
Just two weeks ago, I wrote about why folks in
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is starting the ball rolling on said canal — in addition to exploring other options for fixing
A budget adjustment — to the tune of $1.4 million in a cash-strapped season — would pay for eight staff members to begin the environmental review process for the "alternative conveyance system" that would shuttle water around the heart of the Delta directly to Tracy-area pumps, which send the water southbound.
While San Joaquin County officials and many environmental activists have come down solidly against a plan that includes a peripheral canal — they say it's the surest way to turn our part of the Delta into a saltwater pond — that apparently isn't the biggest priority of the governor, who wants to make sure vast swaths of California don't have their vital imported water supply threatened by a catastrophic levee break.
Schwarzenegger fancies himself a man of action and has little patience for the politics of the capital. Let the girlie men in the Legislature worry about things like compromise and consensus — he wants movement. So he's kick-starting a long review process to get his project off the ground.
The Legislature often needs a solid kick in rump, but its members are less than thrilled about being left out of the loop.
At least the folks on Capitol Hill can take comfort that, while the governor is entitled to start the review process as a solo act, actually trying to build a canal without their consent would risk a civil war among
So the powers that be have time to consider if the peripheral canal is truly the best way forward. Those powers, especially Schwarzenegger, should take another look at the most comprehensive plan available for protecting both the Delta and the state's water supply.
Schwarzenegger's Blue Ribbon Delta Task Force cautioned in its December report that "The Delta cannot be 'fixed' by any single action. No matter what policy choices are made, we Californians are compelled to change the ways we behave toward the environment and water.
"… For those who rush to discuss Delta water conveyance as if no other issue is of importance, we caution that decisions about storage and conveyance flow from all 12 recommendations in our vision, and cannot be decided by themselves."
That's a shot at do-first-ask-questions-later proponents of the peripheral canal, which wouldn't reduce the amount of water we use or help us store more water.
The peripheral canal's big benefit is that it would allow water exports to continue if an earthquake or flood leveled valley levees. But perhaps the route to true water security (without sacrificing the Delta in the process) is to not rely so heavily on the Delta in the first place, a thought that fits nicely with the task force's vision.
Schwarzenegger later in the week announced he wants to cut state water consumption by 20 percent — a step in the right direction. But the canal is still very much on the radar, and its specter will likely haunt the dreams of those in the Delta's heartland until it's officially axed.
Despite the need to fix the state's water crunch sooner rather than later, rash action is worse than no action. And the canal is no exception.
If built without other projects to complement it or without thought to its impact on the Delta, the canal is doomed to be a one-trick pony, offering an incomplete and counterproductive "fix" to the state's many water problems.
And if you want a healthy, vibrant Delta, that trick just might be on you. #
http://tracypress.com/content/view/13762/2244/
A view too far; As the San Joaquin River Parkway hits a milestone, questions loom about its future and accessibility
By Mark Grossi, staff writer
Piece by piece, a park has been forming for two decades along 22 miles of the
It's the
Preservationists who fought to save riverfront property from development are still finding money to buy more land and complete the parkway. They just don't have enough cash to open all of it to the public.
Public access has never been the first order of business for the parkway. Preservationists remain true to their original fight in the mid-1980s against developers who planned to slab over the riverbanks with houses and concrete.
The fight spawned the
The subdivisions never happened. Instead, preservationists have acquired two-thirds of the land they need to protect a ribbon of nature from Friant Dam to Highway 99.
"You can build houses in other places," said Mary Savala, one of the original parkway activists and a director on the trust's first board. "The river has to be saved."
But the public wants in. Even though almost 3,800 acres are in public ownership, people still can't get to many parts of the river.
Access questions include: When will people get full access to this parkway? Who will police rowdy visitors? Who will pick up the garbage, maintain the parks and fix trails? And who pays for all this?
Richard Sloan, a member of RiverTree Volunteers, a nonprofit group dedicated to cleaning up and restoring the
"The land can't be just opened to the public unless there's some kind of management for it," he said. "I support the parkway. But why isn't more happening to open it up to the public?"
There are many ways to fund and manage parks, hiking trails and other amenities, the simplest of which would be to have the state take over. But that idea might be hard to sell, given the state's budget crunch.
As for access, parkway trust officials said there already are some places for boating, fishing, walking, picnicking and horseback riding. There also are eight projects to open up more of the parkway in the next five years.
Full access will come with time, trust officials said. More importantly, vast sections of this region's natural heritage have been protected from development.
Cities need these kinds of amenities to grow economically, said Hal Tokmakian, another parkway supporter from the 1980s.
"Without a doubt, the parkway is a terribly important asset for our quality of life and our ability to compete with other areas for jobs," said Tokmakian, who also was a 1960s
Tokmakian's view is an example of how the thinking about the river had begun to shift in the 1980s.
The
It has been dammed since the 1940s, seasonally drying up many miles downstream from the parkway.
By December 1988, that too was changing.
The Natural Resources Defense Council filed suit in federal court over farm water contracts. The case would evolve 18 years later into a settlement requiring the restoration of water and salmon runs that were destroyed when Friant Dam was built.
Unlike environmentalists and their fight for salmon, parkway supporters knew there would be no turning back if developers paved over the riverbanks. They needed to get riverside property off the market permanently.
Supporters formed the nonprofit trust to plan a parkway, find willing sellers among riverside landowners, raise funds, educate the public and work on restoration projects. They understood that the public would have to be on board.
"We needed to get more people to understand what the river is," said Coke Hallowell, another of the original board members on the parkway trust. "It's amazing how many people were not even aware that it was there."
By the early 1990s, the state Legislature approved an umbrella state agency to receive state funding to buy land and manage the parkway. The agency is called the San Joaquin River Conservancy.
More than $70 million has now been invested in the parkway, trust officials say. Another $45 million is still available from state bonds.
The bonds have underwritten much of the effort, though there also has been nearly $19 million in separate grants from many sources, such as the federal Central Valley Project Improvement Act.
Observers say the campaign has made remarkable progress, considering the conflicting interests on the river. Aside from private landowners, farmers and gravel mining operators, thereare the city of
Trust and conservancy officials have found willing partners in most agencies, businesses and landowners. Now they must provide more ways to let people explore the parkway.
The eight current projects range from improvements at
One of the more visible changes in the next five years will be the extension of the Lewis Eaton Trail beyond
The city manages perhaps the best-known river access for walkers and joggers. It is the Jensen River Ranch, which can be reached through
The trust works with partners, such as
"We're an agent of change," he said. "We can help channel this need and energy for river access to community leaders."
North of the river in
Jim Cobb, president of the Madera County Taxpayers Association, has suggested a special district to raise tax money from developments built near the parkway.
"I'm looking at 100 years from now," said Cobb. "The people who benefit the most from the parkway should pay for it. Does
Rep. Jim Costa, D-Fresno, said he has a good idea for funding. A parkway supporter for many years, Costa was the Assembly member who wrote state legislation in the 1990s to form the river conservancy.
Costa said he has always thought Millerton Lake State Recreation Area should be extended to Highway 99 to contain the parkway. The state could then operate and maintain the parkway on both sides of the river.
Costa said he thinks the state owes the Valley some help. For decades, state funding for parks has gone largely to coastal communities and large metropolitan areas, bypassing the Valley, he said. #
http://www.fresnobee.com/263/story/434693.html
QUAGGA MUSSELS:
New unit sniffs trouble, secures state's waters
Contra Costa Times – 3/1/08
By Denis Cuff, staff writer
A hound dog named Cooper swiveled his head and furiously sniffed a boat in search of a new
"Come on, boy," called out his handler, Roxanne Bowers, a state fish and game warden.
The 62-pound, 2-year-old German shorthair suddenly stopped, sat and froze. He stared hard to point out a boat part with a sample of the non-native shellfish that
Cooper had passed a test on the final day of police academy last month near Willitts for the California Department of Fish and Game's new canine unit.
The first seven dogs began patrols last week, giving
These natural resources face threats from poachers, sturgeon black marketers, illegal hunters and fishers, and non-native fish and shellfish that can disrupt the ecosystem.
"The dogs can greatly increase the efficiency of our wardens," said Nancy Foley, the Fish and Game department's chief of enforcement, "whether they're trying to find quagga, abalone, bear parts, gun casings, criminal suspects or missing persons."
With fewer than 200 wardens statewide, the same number as in the 1960s, the department needs the help, Foley said. It can cost $6,500 to $12,000 to acquire and train one dog, plus extra for required refresher training, amounting to several hours a month.
Fine noses make the dogs top detectives.
The dogs can detect abalone, bear gall bladders, fish and weapons -- restricted items that lawbreakers have been known to stash in hidden car compartments, trunks, spare tires, clothes, sports bags, lunch chests and other places.
The dogs also will be called on this year to sniff out tiny quagga mussels that might be clinging to boats before they are allowed to enter lakes or rivers.
The non-native mussels -- which spread by hitchhiking rides on boats -- threaten to harm
One dog can check a boat in one to three minutes, whereas an expert human would take 15 minutes or more, and not do as well.
"That's a huge time difference that ought to save a lot of time and frustration by the public ... especially if there is a line of boating waiting up to get into a reservoir," said Lynette Shimek, coordinator of the department's new canine unit and owner of a German shepherd on the team.
The dogs also may be used to walk lake shorelines to detect quagga in waters suspected of infestations.
Inspections will step up when the boat season arrives this spring.
In their other duties, the dogs sometimes can make fish and game violators give up hidden items before they are searched.
"I've had cases where someone had hidden illegally taken fish or animals," Shimek said. "Once he saw my dog, he pulled out the items, and said, 'Here it is. I confess.'"
Sixteen other states have some form of canine unit in their fish and game departments, Shimek said.
California Fish and Game proposes to expand the canine unit to 24 dogs if enough wardens volunteer to live with and work with a dog.
Bowers, who patrols parts of
She sought out a dog who is active, sociable and excited about finding things -- qualities suited for working long hours in rough terrain and sometimes in close contact with people.
Most of the dogs are black
During a patrol in
She wore a revolver on her hip, and she carried a plastic bag for dog poop in her pocket.
Bowers let some children on the pier to pet Cooper as she talked about fishing limit sizes and best angling locations.
"I'd say 90 percent of the time, the dog puts people at ease," she said.
One pier fisher, Pedro Goncalves of
"The wardens need all the help they can get," he said. "I see people keeping undersized fish, and taking fish they shouldn't. It bothers me."
Later that afternoon in Rodeo, Bowers found two men fishing off the shoreline without a fishing license, as required.
"Did you catch any fish?" she asked.
"No, ma'am," one angler replied.
Bowers spotted a striped bass in the water hooked to a line nearby.
"Is this yours?"
"Yes ma'am," he replied.
"Why didn't you tell me the truth?" she asked.
"I didn't want to get in trouble," the man said.
Bowers ticketed the two men who said they didn't know a license was required to fish there as Cooper watched ,.
The men accepted the tickets and drove off.
Later, Bowers said having a dog makes her feel safer in a job that often calls for patrolling isolated areas at odd hours, and confronting hunters or other people with weapons.
"Having Cooper there affords me greater security," Bowers said. "The other thing is companionship. It's nice having a warm beating heart next to you at 3 a.m. in the morning when it's cold in the truck and you're tired, hungry and thirsty. It's nice knowing something is there." #
http://www.contracostatimes.com/news/ci_8418837?nclick_check=1
Invasive aquatic species makes its way to Southern California
Desert Sun – 3/1/08
By Denise Goolsby, staff writer
Quagga mussels, an invasive, ecosystem-killing aquatic species first discovered in
Originally from the
The prolific, thumb-sized mollusk can wreak havoc on irrigation systems by clogging water delivery pipes and damaging pumping machinery.
They pile on top of each other and eventually choke the flow of water. They are virtually impossible to eradicate.
First spotted in
In February, quaggas were discovered in a desilting basin at Imperial Dam near
Colorado River water flows into Imperial Dam and is transported to the
The Coachella Valley Water District uses Colorado River water to irrigate golf courses and about 70,000 acres of
The Coachella Valley Water District has not discovered any quaggas in its water delivery system so far, said Mark Johnson, CVWD director of engineering.
Johnson said there are 11 monitoring locations within the canal and distribution systems.
"So far, we have not seen signs of the veligers (the initial, pre-shell stage of the quaggas)," said Johnson.
The district monitors four locations in its irrigation distribution system, Johnson said. Water samples are taken from these sites and are sent to the Bureau of Reclamation for visual analysis and DNA testing.
"All those results have been negative," he said. #
http://www.mydesert.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080301/NEWS01/80301003/1263/update
Vote to close
By Zeke Barlow, staff writer
The decision of whether to temporarily close
Fishermen who love the lake for its trophy bass hope to convince the board of the Casitas Municipal Water District that the lake should remain open. Others say it should be closed to protect the water resource.
The tiny critter causing all the commotion is the quagga mussel, which has been found in waterways along the
Officials fear that if a mussel attached to a boat gets into
The board is expected to vote on whether to close the lake to outside personal boats for one year but still allow fishing and continue boat rentals. Board members would use the time to figure out how to keep the mussels at bay.
Fishermen who love Casitas for its prized bass have been organizing in the hopes of persuading the board to keep the lake open.
"We are hoping that if they see that all of us are doing everything we can to save the lake that they will recognize that and support us," said Scott Sweet, vice president of the California Bass Federation.
Board member Russ Baggerly said the board doesn't relish the thought of having to close the lake, though it could be necessary.
"The protection of this water resource is essential to this area," he said.
Casitas General Manager Steve Wickstrum is calculating how much a closure would cost versus the price of a mussel infestation.
The mussels could cost the district as much as $600,000 annually on top of $300,000 in capital costs, preliminary estimates show.
The effect of the loss of fishing is harder to measure, Wickstrum said.
The district would lose at least $220,000 in entry fees with untold economic effects on the surrounding community, he said.
The meeting is scheduled at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday at
http://www.venturacountystar.com/news/2008/mar/03/vote-to-close-lake-casitas-for-one-year-set/
WETLANDS RESTORATION:
Prado wetlands reborn through hard work
Riverside Press
By Paige Austin, staff writer
And
However,
The wetlands were shielded from the public eye for more than two years after the rain-swollen
After $4 million in repairs, the restored Prado wetlands are open to duck hunters, school field trips, researchers and bird-watchers by appointment, said Craig Miller, assisting general manager for the wetlands.
"The construction is finished, and now it's up to Mother Nature to bring it back to its prior state," Miller said.
Natural Filter
Sunk into a flood basin surrounded by dairies, the Prado Dam and highways 71 and 91, the wetlands look like a large, silver lake from a distance. Up close, a series of square ponds emerges.
The ponds, a few feet deep and separated by mud levees, serve the Orange County Water District as a natural water purifier. When operating at full capacity, about half the water from the
Heavy and constant rainfall during the 2004-05 season devastated the wetlands. The usually docile
"It just wiped out the whole system," Nash said. "It just blew through and brought six to eight feet of sediment."
Levees Repaired
The levees have been repaired, and engineers are waiting for a sufficient break between storms to build a temporary sand levee in the river that will divert half the water to the wetlands, which have only a fraction of the water they can hold.
Driving her pickup along the narrow levees, Nash watches for the local wildlife. She spots red-tailed hawks, great egrets, ducks, and turkey vultures long before the rumble of her truck drives them to flight.
The wetlands also are home to bobcats, raccoons, snakes and frogs -- all of which will slowly return to the wetlands this spring now that it is fully restored, Nash said.
"The circle of life out here is obviously tremendous," said Nash. "This is a great wildlife resource for the region."
Biologists and wetlands staffers are preparing for the March 15 to Sept. 15 mating season of the native but threatened least
The students love it, said Autumn DeWoody, who escorted a class of
The students help plant vegetation, watch birds, and collect and test water samples for contaminants, said DeWoody.
"It really blows their minds," she said.
"I think they get from it the concept of watershed and wetlands and the usefulness of wetlands as opposed to treatment plants." #
http://www.pe.com/localnews/inland/stories/PE_News_Local_S_cwetlands02.4262fb7.html
SALMON ISSUES:
Officials consider salmon-fishing ban; Data shows
Redding Record Searchlight – 3/1/08
By R-S staff, news services
In a preseason report, the Pacific Fishery Management Council offered data showing the 2007 Sacramento fall run reached its lowest level in 37 years of record-keeping. The report largely confirms data leaked to the media last month.
But various officials went further, warning that all salmon fishing may have to be closed in 2008 to protect the
"This is very bad news for West Coast salmon fisheries," council chairman Don Hansen said in a statement. "The world disaster' comes immediately to mind, and I mean a disaster much worse than the Klamath fishery disaster of 2006."
"This is just really nerve-racking for us," said Lisa Manies of
Manies said the couple collect two-thirds of their income from salmon fishing.
Officials with the Department of Fish and Game will host their annual meeting from 1 to 5 p.m. Wednesday in
"We're organizing a group to carpool to
"But my gut feeling ... boy we'd like to have at least one fish per angler."
Wednesday's meeting will be staffed by the DFG, the Pacific Fisheries Management Council and the National Marine Fisheries Service and will be held at the Sonoma County Water Agency offices at
The cause of the run's decline is not known, but probably is related to both ocean and in-stream problems. The council has developed a list of 46 possible causes.
A full closure of salmon fishing is one option the council will consider when it meets next Saturday to March 14 in
A full closure would not only affect guides, commercial fishermen, party boat operators and tackle shops, but businesses such as hotels, gas stations, grocery stores and restaurants. Tourism officials estimate that each salmon caught during the recreational sportfishing season on the Sacramento -- a season that normally starts July 16 each year from San Francisco Bay to 150 feet below the Sycamore Boat Ramp in Red Bluff -- is worth about $700 to the local economy.
"You have to understand that the fishermen coming in toward the fall, after the summer season, is good for the hotels, the restaurants," said
A closure would be felt throughout the north state.
"At that rate, it would be an impact on us," he said.
A final decision is expected in April. To read the council's full press release, download it at www.pcouncil.org/newsreleases/Feb_2008_Sacramento_News_Release.pdf. #
http://www.redding.com/news/2008/mar/01/officials-consider-salmon-fishing-ban/
YubaNet.com – 2/29/08
By Pacific Fishery Management Council
Feb. 28,2008 - The Pacific Fishery Management Council has released a report indicating that
The Pacific Council will begin the process of setting 2008 ocean salmon seasons at its meeting March 9 - 14 in
Biological Information
Sacramento River salmon are primarily caught off
They are typically one of the healthiest and most abundant stocks on the west coast, and are the dominant contributor to both commercial and recreational fisheries off
The graph below provides some historical context for the decline in abundance, showing an abundance index of ocean salmon catch and freshwater salmon returns composed primarily of
It shows the forecast for 2008 at about 22% of the long term average, and about two thirds of last year's poor showing. The report containing abundance forecasts, Preseason Report I: Stock Abundance Analysis for
2008 Ocean Salmon Fisheries, was prepared by the Council's Salmon Technical Team in February. It is available online.2
The forecast of very low abundance is based on the return of "jack" salmon in the fall of 2007. Jack salmon are young male fish that return to the rivers as two year olds, unlike adult fish which return at age three or older. Jack salmon are currently the best statistical indicator of returning adult population the following year. Only about 2,000
"The biological situation for
It is also notable that the return of adult fall Chinook salmon to the
Economic Impact
The economic implications of the low abundance of
2001 to 2005, average economic impact to communities was $61 million ($40 million in the commercial fishery and $21 million in the recreational fishery).
Lack of fishing in 2008 to protect
California and Oregon ocean salmon fisheries are still recovering from a disastrous fishing season in 2006, when Klamath River fall Chinook returns were below their spawning escapement goal for the third consecutive year. The catch of salmon in 2007 in these areas was also well below average.
Causes for the decline
The reason for the decline is unclear, but both hatchery and naturally-produced fish are similarly affected. At its upcoming meeting in
Management Process
At its March 8-14 meeting in
Salmon management discussions begin on Tuesday, March 11, when the Council will review 2007 salmon fisheries and discuss stock abundance estimates. The Council's Scientific and Statistical Committee will provide a peer review of the 2008 forecast elements for
Public hearings to receive input on the options are scheduled for March
31 in
At its April 7 -12 meeting in
All Council meetings are open to the public. Based on previous experience with contentious salmon fishery issues, the Council expects there to be a large public turnout at both the March and April meetings and the public hearings.
The Pacific Fishery Management Council is one of eight regional fishery management councils established by the Magnuson Fishery Conservation and Management Act of 1976 for the purpose of managing fisheries 3-200 miles offshore of the
http://yubanet.com/california/Sacramento-Salmon-Forecast-at-All-Time-Low.php
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