We are 100% volunteer and depend on your participation to sustain our efforts! $ 147.00 donatedin the past month. The 2011 rebound was a hopeful indicator that the Estuary has not yet irreversibly shifted into an altered state that will no longer support native species. ACTION: Final rule. The incidental take permit was issued as the Delta smelt, once the most abundant species on the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, continues its steep slide towards extinction. elsewhere. The Delta smelt case in the 9th Circuit is San Luis & Delta-Mendota Water Authority et al.
When the smelt aren't doing well, the entire ecosystem suffers, as is the current situation. The incidental take permit was issued as the Delta smelt, once the most abundant species on the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, continues its steep slide towards extinction. For the second year in a row, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife in its annual fall midwater trawl survey in 2019 found zero Delta smelt during the months of September, October, November and December. Unless otherwise stated by the author, all content is free for Publish your stories and upcoming events on Indybay. vs. Sally Jewell et al., 11-15871. Delta Smelt is often called an indicator species—a species representing the overall health of the Estuary ecosystem. SACRAMENTO - During the midst of the COVID-19 Pandemic, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) on March 31 issued a controversial Incidental Take Permit (ITP) to the Department of Water Resources (DWR) for long-term operations of the State Water Project (SWP). Species Act (ESA) requirements for delta smelt, winter and spring-run Chinook salmon, steelhead and green sturgeon. For the second year in a row, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife in its annual fall midwater trawl survey in 2019 found zero Delta smelt during the months of September, October, November and December. non-commercial reuse, reprint, and rebroadcast, on the net and necessarily endorsed by the SF Bay Area IMC.
delta smelt Hypomesus transpacificus, has declined precipitously over the past decade, leading to major legal and regulatory actions to try and improve its status (Service 2007; Sommer et al. 2007). The tiny delta smelt is one of the best indicators of environmental conditions in the San Francisco Bay-Delta, an ecologically important estuary that is a major hub for California's water system — and an ecosystem that is now rapidly unraveling. As the smelt fares so fares the Delta. The species is currently listed as Threatened under the Federal Endangered Species Act and Endangered under the California Endangered Species Act (USFWS 2008). Over the past 20 years, biologists have considered smelt to be the canary in the coal mine: a functionally extinct species that no longer serves any real ecological function other than as a warning for the entire Delta ecosystem. There are many prominent species dependent on the health of the Delta ecosystem. In addition, DWR operates to a Public Notice from United States Army Corps of Engineers (USAGE) for the operation of the CCF. Opinions are those of the contributors and are not
If you'd like to help with maintaining or developing the website, contact us. © 2000–2020 San Francisco Bay Area Independent Media Center. 12854 Federal Register I VoL 58, No. 42 1 Friday, March 5, 1993 / Rules and Regulations DEPARTMENT OFThEINTERIOR FIsh and Wildlife Service 50 CFR Part 17 RIN 1018-AB66 Endangeredand Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Determination ~f Threatened Status forthe Delta Smelt AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, interior. A: Delta smelt are considered an "indicator" species used to gauge the overall health of the Delta's aquatic environment. Banks Pumping Plant Complex The SWP facilities in the southern Delta include CCF, Skinner Facility, and the Banks Pumping Plant.