Status and Trends of Delta-Suisun Services

California Department of Water Resources (DWR) | March 1st, 2007

Covering only about 1 percent of California’s area, the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, including Suisun Bay and Marsh (hereafter referred to as Delta-Suisun), contribute

Covering only about 1 percent of California’s area, the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, including Suisun Bay and Marsh (hereafter referred to as Delta-Suisun), contributes much more to the state and nation than one might expect from its small size. The Delta-Suisun provides a set of environmental and economic services whose benefits extend well beyond its borders. To help people gain a common understanding of these services, this report provides an overview of the existing status of these services and a perspective about how these services may change in the future. This report was prepared to highlight observations and to present a common understanding about the status and trends of key Delta-Suisun services. The Delta Risk Management Strategy (DRMS) is considering these observations while conducting a risk assessment for the Delta-Suisun and will report on its findings in spring 2007. Having a common understanding of the area’s services will benefit ongoing and new Delta-Suisun studies and initiatives. Information in this report will be considered by members of the Delta Vision Blue Ribbon Task Force and Stakeholder Coordination Group as they begin work on the Delta Vision and Strategic Plan.

Status Review of California coho salmon north of San Francisco

California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) | May 9th, 2002

On July 28, 2000, the Fish and Game Commission (Commission) received a petition to list coho salmon north of San Francisco as an endangered species under provisions of th

On July 28, 2000, the Fish and Game Commission (Commission) received a petition to list coho salmon north of San Francisco as an endangered species under provisions of the California Endangered Species Act (CESA). The Commission referred the petition to the Department of Fish and Game (Department) on August 7, 2000, for evaluation. The Department found that the information in the petition was sufficient to indicate the action may be warranted and recommended the Commission accept the petition. The petition was accepted by the Commission on April 5, 2001. On April 27, 2001 the Commission published a Notice of Findings in the California Regulatory Notice Register declaring coho salmon a candidate species, thereby starting the candidacy period. The Department solicited information and undertook a status review of the species using the best scientific information available. This report contains the results of the Department’s status review and recommendations to the Commission. The Department evaluated the status separately for the two coho salmon Evolutionarily Significant Units (ESU) that occur in California: Southern Oregon/Northern California Coast Coho ESU (SONCC Coho ESU - those populations from Punta Gorda north to the Oregon border) and the Central California Coast Coho ESU (CCC Coho ESU - those populations from San Francisco Bay north to Punta Gorda). This approach is consistent with previous listings, the federal approach to species’ evaluation, and the generally accepted biological criterion that a species is “a group of interbreeding organisms that is reproductively isolated from other such groups.”

Steelhead Restoration and Management Plan for California

California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) | February 1st, 1996

This document will serve as the blueprint for the Department's efforts to restore this prized, and oftentimes overlooked, resource. Restoration of California's anadrom

This document will serve as the blueprint for the Department's efforts to restore this prized, and oftentimes overlooked, resource. Restoration of California's anadromous fish populations is mandated by The Salmon, Steelhead Trout, and Anadromous Fisheries Program Act of 1988 (SB 2261) which states that it is a policy of the State to significantly increase the natural production of salmon and steelhead by the end of the century. SB 2261 directs the Department to develop a program that strives to double naturally spawning anadromous fish populations by the year 2000. Steelhead management is often included in, and sometimes lost within, management of the more economically important Pacific salmon. Recognizing this, several legislators along with prominent angling organizations urged the Department to incorporate a Statewide Steelhead Restoration Plan into the initial elements of the SB 2261 program. Thus, the development of the Steelhead Restoration and Management Plan for California (Steelhead Plan) has been an important feature of the SB 2261 program since its inception in 1988. Various organizations, principally California Trout, Inc. and Trout Unlimited, remain committed to assisting the Department in its efforts to recover steelhead populations and eagerly await the publication of the Steelhead Plan so that implementation of the identified restoration measures can begin.  Many other angling and conservation organizations are committed to the Steelhead Plan and have corresponded with the Department during its development. Governor Pete Wilson pointed out in his Water Policy Statement of April, 1992, the urgent need for a long-term, comprehensive water policy that includes safe, reliable water supplies for cities and farms and sufficient water to restore fish and wildlife resources. The goals and recommendations set forth in the Steelhead Plan are consistent with this latter aspect of the Governor's Water Policy. Because steelhead are present within the range of all other anadromous salmonid species in California, and because they use a greater portion of a particular river system than do other anadromous fish, restoration of steelhead habitat will have a salutary effect on many other anadromous fish species as well. The Steelhead Plan is one in a series of documents developed by the Department to address the mandated doubling policy stated above. Restoring Central Valley Streams, A Plan for Action was published in 1993 and presents a multi-species approach to restoration of anadromous fish populations in the Central Valley. The Steelhead Plan dovetails with, and is an integral component of, this Action Plan. The Steelhead Plan identifies the life history requirements and needs of an important element of Central Valley anadromous fish ecosystems.

Still Imperilled, Still Important: The Little Hoover Commission’s Review of the CALFED Program

Little Hoover Commission | November 17th, 2005

The Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta is a treasured and imperiled resource. And CALFED has been the best hope to restore it. The ambitious state-federal partnership is

The Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta is a treasured and imperiled resource. And CALFED has been the best hope to restore it. The ambitious state-federal partnership is proof that political will and leadership can resolve seemingly intractable conflicts. And yet in recent years, the program also has demonstrated the propensity for rudderless bureaucracies to get caught in inescapable eddies. It is not too late for the Delta, or for CALFED. But restoring the estuary and managing the resource in a sustainable manner will require continuous political support, expert leadership, and smart management.

Storing and managing water for the environment is more efficient than mimicking natural flows

Nature Portfolio (Springer Nature) | June 27th, 2024

Storing Water for the Environment: Operating Reservoirs to Improve California’s Freshwater Ecosystems

Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) | August 23rd, 2022

Large reservoirs like those that rim the Central Valley are essential for managing water in California’s highly variable climate. They provide multiple benefits includi

Large reservoirs like those that rim the Central Valley are essential for managing water in California’s highly variable climate. They provide multiple benefits including water supply, hydropower, flood management, and recreation. However, construction and operation of these reservoirs have also imposed significant environmental costs, including native fishes’ loss of access to high-quality habitat above dams and degradation of freshwater ecosystems below them. Moreover, regulatory uncertainty for water users is rising as these ecosystems decline. California needs a new approach for managing environmental water in its large reservoirs, particularly as the climate warms and droughts become more intense.

Strategic stream gauging network design for sustainable water management

Nature Portfolio (Springer Nature) | June 3rd, 2024

Stream gauging stations that monitor the flow of water in rivers and streams provide critical information to water managers, but biases and gaps in gauge placement, compo

Stream gauging stations that monitor the flow of water in rivers and streams provide critical information to water managers, but biases and gaps in gauge placement, compounded by gauge deactivations, limit our ability to track river flows and address global water challenges. Here we introduce an approach for identifying gauging sites to efficiently fill gaps in monitoring coverage within river networks while also addressing water management priorities, including reservoir operations, biodiversity conservation and hydroclimatic monitoring. Applying this approach to gauges in California, United States, we found substantial gaps in the stream monitoring network. Hypothetically reconfiguring gauges to locations that maximize coverage and representation of management objectives highlights the current network’s biases. Through the strategic reactivation and placement of additional gauges, we demonstrate how stream gauging networks can be designed to support sustainable water management.

Streamlining Restoration Project Consultation Using Programmatic Biological Opinions

National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) | April 24th, 2012

NOAA Fisheries Northwest Region supports efforts to restore the ecological function of our region’s habitat. Restoring habitat contributes to the recovery of species cu

NOAA Fisheries Northwest Region supports efforts to restore the ecological function of our region’s habitat. Restoring habitat contributes to the recovery of species currently protected under the Endangered Species Act (ESA), ensures that critical habitat designated under the ESA will serve its intended conservation role, and advances the conservation and enhancement of essential fish habitat (EFH) designated under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (MSA).

Stress Relief: Prescriptions for a Healthier Delta Ecosystem

Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) | April 22nd, 2013

California is at a critical juncture on policy for the Sacramento–San Joaquin Delta. This report summarizes the results of a wide-ranging study of cost-effective ways t

California is at a critical juncture on policy for the Sacramento–San Joaquin Delta. This report summarizes the results of a wide-ranging study of cost-effective ways to improve the health of the Delta ecosystem. It highlights the need for science-based, integrated management of the many sources of ecosystem stress. The report also recommends improvements to the highly fragmented system of oversight that now involves dozens of federal, state, and local agencies.

Strontium isotopes reveal ephemeral streams used for spawning and rearing by an imperiled potamodromous cyprinid Clear Lake hitch Lavinia exilicauda chi

Marine and Freshwater Research (CSIRO Publishing) | April 18th, 2019

Identification of habitats responsible for the successful production and recruitment of rare migratory species is a challenge in conservation biology. Here, a tool was d

Identification of habitats responsible for the successful production and recruitment of rare migratory species is a challenge in conservation biology. Here, a tool was developed to assess life stage linkages for the threatened potamodromous cyprinid Clear Lake hitch Lavinia exilicauda chi. Clear Lake hitch undertake migrations from Clear Lake (Lake County, CA, USA) into ephemeral tributary streams for spawning. An aqueous isoscape of strontium isotopic ratios (87Sr/86Sr) was constructed for Clear Lake and its watershed to trace natal origins and migration histories of adult recruits. Aqueous 87Sr/86Sr differentiated Clear Lake from 8 of 10 key tributaries and clustered into 5 strontium isotope groups (SIGs) with 100% classification success. Otolith 87Sr/86Sr showed all five groups contributed variably to the population. The age at which juveniles migrated from natal streams to Clear Lake ranged from 11 to 152 days (means.d.,4334 days) and was positively associated with the permanency of natal habitat. This information can be used by resource managers to develop conservation actions for Clear Lake hitch. This study demonstrates the utility of strontium isotopes in otoliths as a tool to identify important freshwater habitats occupied over the lifespan of an individual that would otherwise be challenging or impossible to trace with other methods.