Department of Water Resources
A daily compilation of significant news articles and comment
November 18, 2008
3. Watersheds –
State unprepared for effects of warming, report says
San Francisco Chronicle
Fishers give up on crab season
Contra Costa Times
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State unprepared for effects of warming, report says
San Francisco Chronicle – 11/18/08
By
Despite its tough goals to reduce greenhouse gases,
Inundation of the coastal shoreline from accelerating sea-level rise and storm surges threaten property, recreational activities and wildlife enclaves, yet agencies are just starting to assess these climate risks and inform local communities, said a study released Monday by the Public Policy Institute of California, a nonprofit research group.
The report examines the state's capability to provide water and electricity to the public as well as protecting coastal resources, air quality, public health and ecosystems in response to climate change and extreme weather events such as wildfires. It is based on previous studies done by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, UC Davis and Scripps Institution of Oceanography, among other researchers.
"We need to help agencies get prepared to deal with climate change," said Louise Bedsworth, a research fellow at the institute and co-author of the report. "In some areas, we need to be acting now."
Providers of water and electricity are the furthest along in responding to the projections for changing weather patterns in
Water managers are beginning to plan for the warmer winters that are expected to bring more rainfall and less snow, dramatically reducing - perhaps by half - the Sierra snowpack.
The mountain ice has provided free water storage that gets cities and farms through the dry summer months and supplies salmon and other wildlife with fresh water. Now water agencies are using tools of conservation, recycling water, desalination and groundwater banking.
Electricity providers are preparing for peak use in the summer months, particularly in inland areas, the report said. They are encouraging energy-efficient construction and lighting, and alerting customers to cut back during the peaks.
In recent years, water agency managers have become increasingly aware of how climate change will affect their agencies and consumers, said Peter Gleick, executive director of the Pacific Institute, a nonprofit research center in Oakland.
"But there's a big difference between awareness and action. I don't think enough is being done on the ground to reduce the vulnerability of our water supplies," Gleick said.
Scientists project that sea level could rise between 8 and 16 inches by mid-century, but efforts to control flooding are lagging, the report said. Flood managers haven't started to change land-use plans to ward off possible devastating floods, particularly in fast-growing parts of the
The state is also behind in protecting coastal resources, the report said. The California Coastal Commission and Bay Conservation and Development Commission have been urging communities and agencies to incorporate sea-level rise into development plans but the measures are in infancy stages, the report said.
In March, the BCDC is hosting an international symposium with
If conservation of habitat doesn't take climate into account, the wrong lands could be protected, the report said. The federal government has resisted considering climate change as a threat under the Endangered Species Act.
What happens in
After President-elect Barack Obama takes office in January, the federal government is expected to grant waivers to the states to allow tougher regulations on greenhouses gases.
On Monday, California Attorney General Jerry Brown, along with his counterparts in other states, sent a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi urging a requirement in any proposed auto industry bailout measure to include provisions to combat global warming. The states want automakers to drop their opposition to
The Public Policy Institute of California's study was paid for in part with funds from the Nature Conservancy, PG&E and Next Ten, a business group.#
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/11/18/BAPT146BFJ.DTL
Fishers give up on crab season
Contra Costa Times – 11/17/08
By Julia Scott,
PRINCETON-BY-THE-SEA — Crab fishers headed home Monday downcast and with few Dungeness crabs to show for their frenzied efforts during the season opener last weekend, putting a strain on the Thanksgiving market for the delicate treat.
At this time in a normal year, hundreds of boats would be scooping up thousands of adult crabs around the
This year, local fishers say the ocean is so barren of adult crabs it reminds them of the days before the advent of the Clean Water Act.
Some crabbers are already packing up their gear. The big boats that came down from
"We've been averaging one crab a pot. I've never seen it this bad," said Bill Webb, sounding dazed Monday. Like many other fishers at
But that money only covered half the price Webb was getting for his fish, and he, like dozens of other Bay Area fishers, was staking his survival on a successful crab season.
"If this season ends up being a bust, I think a lot of us aren't going to be able to survive. I spent a lot of money on pots, buoys and rope to get ready and I'm worried about getting enough to make up for what I've spent," he said.
Crab specialist Peter Kalvass, a senior biologist with the Department of Fish and Game in
For reasons not fully explained by science, the Dungeness crab fishery has always moved in peaks and troughs — four years or so of great success, followed by four years of comparatively weaker production.
For example, fishers caught 3.4 million pounds of crab in the greater Bay Area last winter, down from a record of 6 million pounds in 2004-05. In 2001-02, the season only yielded 1.6 million pounds.
Kalvass believes the numbers will continue to decline before they improve, most likely in 2010-11.
"The season after next looks really promising for crab. Fishers are seeing lot of crabs that are 4 to 5 inches wide and they look like they're in good condition," he said.
Many possible reasons exist for the latest decline, according to Kalvass. An El Niño weather pattern in 2002-03 stirred up the deepest ocean currents, bringing nutrient-rich plankton to the surface of the ocean for newborn crabs to feast on as they began their two- to four-year journey toward adulthood.
But their offspring were not so lucky, and the subsequent competition for food meant few survived. The number of crab traps on the ocean floor has also increased in recent years, and Kalvass suggested that might have something to do with it, too.
One hidden liability of the crab craze amid a supply crunch is a higher per-pound price that will reward fishers but punish customers who have waited months to taste the sweet and juicy crustaceans.
On Sunday, visitors were lined up along the pier at
Crab lovers now have to shell out $14 for a small crab at Alioto's Crab Stand No. 9 at Fisherman's Wharf, and prices could go up, said Richard Coco, the crab-stand keeper on duty Monday afternoon.
He acknowledged the crabs were hard to find this year but said his restaurant would always have some because of their connections.
"Everyone has their way of getting some of the good stuff," he said. "It's like #
http://www.contracostatimes.com/ci_11008551?nclick_check=1
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