DRERIP Ecosystem Conceptual Model: Longfin smelt

California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) | May 1st, 2010

This model describes the importance of stressors on the life history of longfin smelt in the San Francisco Estuary. In addition, the model identifies the degree to which

This model describes the importance of stressors on the life history of longfin smelt in the San Francisco Estuary. In addition, the model identifies the degree to which we understand the nature of a relationship between stressors and successful completion of the life cycle (“understanding”) and the certainty surrounding how important a particular stressor is for a particular life stage (“certainty of impact”).

DRERIP Ecosystem Conceptual Model: Sacramento splittail

California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) | September 3rd, 2008

Model has not yet fully completed the peer review and collegial review process and final modifications may be required of the developers. Model may not be cited or circul

Model has not yet fully completed the peer review and collegial review process and final modifications may be required of the developers. Model may not be cited or circulated until that process is complete. It may be used in identifying and evaluating restoration actions with assistance from content experts. Model is appropriate for use by experienced evaluation team with input from content experts as necessary. The purpose of this conceptual model is to aid management decisions for the continued persistence and recovery of Sacramento splittail. This model, along with the suite of models developed through ERP as well as other information and tools, is intended to be used for evaluating proposed restoration actions for the Delta and throughout the species geographic range. It is a qualitative life-cycle conceptual model that attempts to bring together many sources of information to build a comprehensive document that represents the current state of knowledge for the species. It is not a quantitative model however. It will not provide quantitative limits on species take or population number outcomes. It will only provide an indication of anticipated population response (i.e. increase or decrease with a magnitude of x or y) based on the most current scientific knowledge. With this knowledge, proposed restoration actions can be grouped and a positive population response can be developed through an adaptive management framework. The model must be read and understood in its entirety and does not provide users/readers quick solutions or answers. The entire life-cycle of the animal must be understood by decision makers if they intend to make sound choices in the future. The conceptual model diagram and associated tables can be used to focus the reader on potential species and population limiting factors given the current scientific understanding under current conditions. The model has a specific emphasis on the Delta; however the entire species range must be considered when population level responses are of concern. For this reason the geographic scope of this document is beyond the legal boundaries of the “Delta”. This is not intended to be the final version of this conceptual model. As new information becomes available through research and in the scientific literature, this model will be updated as time allows providing managers with the most current information available. This conceptual model relies heavily on the extensive work done by Peter Moyle and others in their 2004 white paper Biology and Population Dynamics of Sacramento Splittail (Pogonichthys macrolepidotus) in the San Francisco Estuary: A Review which was published in the San Francisco Estuary and Watershed Science online journal. Content in the model is taken from that review unless otherwise indicated. These sections will be introduced with a citation to Moyle et al. 2004. This model also takes into account new research on Sacramento splittail which has occurred subsequent to the white paper.

DRERIP Ecosystem Conceptual Model: White sturgeon

California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) | April 25th, 2011

The purpose of this report is to develop a conceptual life history model of white sturgeon (Acipenser transmontanus) and the factors that affect reproduction, growth, and

The purpose of this report is to develop a conceptual life history model of white sturgeon (Acipenser transmontanus) and the factors that affect reproduction, growth, and survival in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Rivers and San Francisco bay-delta. This model can be used to organize, visualize, and evaluate how the complex life history of white sturgeon relates to the spatial and temporal variability of riverine and estuarine ecosystems and potential consequences of ecosystem restoration and water management alternatives. This model is compatible with the suite of environmental and species models developed by the Department of Fish and Game Ecosystem Restoration Program (ERP) to assess and prioritize proposed restoration actions for the delta. The model has a geographic emphasis on the Sacramento River and bay-delta regions, though the entire distribution of white sturgeon should be considered when population level responses are of concern, due to the migratory life history of this species. The conceptual life history model incorporates information from numerous sources about white sturgeon, often relying upon life history information from populations outside California. While additional surrogate information from other North American sturgeons could have been used in the model, the distinctive diadromous and ecological characteristics of California white sturgeon limited the utility of these species’ information, thus information from other diadromous sturgeon species is only occasionally considered. Due to the limits of quantitative information about white sturgeon, this model is presented in a qualitative narrative, though numerical information is provided when available. While it will not provide quantitative limits on species take relative to maintaining a stable population size, it could be further developed into a population forecasting model since it divides the life history into life history stages, transition probabilities, and factors whose effects on reproduction and survival could be quantified. Life history stage transitions are visualized in a series of life stage submodels highlighting the processes and relationships among ecological factors influencing the transition between stages (Figures 1 and 2). A complex set of conditions and processes are necessary to determine whether an individual white sturgeon completes the transition from one life stage to the next. Our knowledge of how biotic and abiotic factors are critical for maintaining healthy populations is fairly basic. Thus, the importance, predictability, and understanding of each of these linkages are identified in the model. Lastly, a similar characterization of independent stressors is undertaken to describe potential factors affecting survival during each life history stage in a known geographic region. This model is dynamic and not intended to be a final version. As new data become available, the model should be refined so managers and biologists have the most current information available.

Dry Me a River: Ecological Effects of Drought in the Upper San Francisco Estuary

University of California, Davis (UC Davis) | May 24th, 2024

Early California Laws and Policies Relating to California Indians

California Research Bureau (CRB) | September 1st, 2002

Did the State of California enact laws that prohibited California Indians from practicing their religion, speaking their languages or practicing traditional ceremonies an

Did the State of California enact laws that prohibited California Indians from practicing their religion, speaking their languages or practicing traditional ceremonies and customs?  Senator John L. Burton requested that the California Research Bureau research this question. The initial investigation and research contained in this report led to a focus on four examples of early State of California laws and policies that significantly impacted the California Indians’ way of life: ·  The 1850 Act for the Government and Protection of Indians and related amendments; ·  California militia policies and “Expeditions against the Indians” during 1851 to 1859; ·  The State of California’s official response to federal treaties negotiated with California Indians during 1851 to 1852; and ·  Early and current state fish protection laws that exempt California Indians from related prohibitions. The 1850 Act for the Government and Protection of Indians facilitated removing California Indians from their traditional lands, separating at least a generation of children and adults from their families, languages, and cultures (1850 to 1865). This California law provided for “apprenticing” or indenturing Indian children and adults to Whites, and also punished “vagrant” Indians by “hiring” them out to the highest bidder at a public auction if the Indian could not provide sufficient bond or bail. The California Legislature created the laws that controlled California Indians’ land, lives and livelihoods, while enforcement and implementation occurred at the county and local township levels. Some examples include: ·  County-level Courts of Sessions and local township Justices of the Peace determined which Indians and Indian children were “apprenticed” or  indentured pursuant to the 1850 Act for the Government and Protection of Indians. ·  Under the same act, Justices of the Peace, mayors or recorders of incorporated towns or cities, decided the status and punishment of “vagrant” Indians. ·  Under the California Constitution and state militia laws, California governors ordered local sheriffs to organize the men to conduct the “Expeditions against the Indians.” From 1851 to 1859, the California Legislature passed twenty-seven laws that the State Comptroller relied upon in determining the total expenditures related to the Expeditions against the Indians. The total amount of claims submitted to the State of California Comptroller for these Expeditions against the Indians was $1,293,179.20. The California Legislature was involved in influencing the U.S. Senate’s ratification process of the 18 treaties negotiated with California Indians during 1851 to 1852. These treaties were never ratified, and kept secret from 1852 until 1905. Prior to the President submitting the treaties to the Senate, the California Legislature conducted considerable debate, made reports, drafted and passed resolutions that mostly opposed ratification of the treaties. The California Legislature also enacted laws during the first fifteen years of statehood that accommodated Indian tribes’ traditional fishing practices. California laws exist today that continue to protect fish and exempt California Indians from related prohibitions.

Ecological forecasts for marine resource management during climate extremes

Nature Portfolio (Springer Nature) | December 5th, 2023

Ecological Studies of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Estuary, A Decennial Report 1961-1971

California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) | June 15th, 1972

Eel River Restoration and Conservation Plan

California Trout | June 30th, 2024

This Eel River Restoration and Conservation Plan (Plan) will build on ... opportunities to guide substantial, collaborative, and long-term restoration and conservation ac

This Eel River Restoration and Conservation Plan (Plan) will build on ... opportunities to guide substantial, collaborative, and long-term restoration and conservation actions to revitalize the Eel River and restore its fisheries. In addition, the Plan has been prepared to expand and coordinate efforts among those who are working on restoration and conservation efforts in the basin to have the greatest effect toward recovery of native anadromous fish populations.

Effect of passive integrated transponder tag size on survival, tag loss, and growth of Santa Ana Sucker

American Fisheries Society (AFS) | December 30th, 2025

The Santa Ana Sucker Pantosteus santaanae is endemic to southern California and is listed as threatened under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. Seasonal limitations on con

The Santa Ana Sucker Pantosteus santaanae is endemic to southern California and is listed as threatened under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. Seasonal limitations on conventional sampling and inconsistencies in survey methodologies have led to an incomplete understanding of population dynamics. Alternative sampling methods have the potential to fill important knowledge gaps in biology and life history. One option is to use passive integrated transponder (PIT) tags to identify individuals and track their movements. The objective of this study was to test the effect of PIT tag size on survival, tag loss, and growth of Santa Ana Suckers.

Effect of the South Delta Agricultural Barriers on Emigrating Juvenile Salmonids

California Department of Water Resources (DWR) | November 15th, 2018

The California Department of Water Resources’ (DWR) Temporary Barriers Project (TBP) is an ongoing project that installs, operates, and monitors up to four temporary ro

The California Department of Water Resources’ (DWR) Temporary Barriers Project (TBP) is an ongoing project that installs, operates, and monitors up to four temporary rock-fill barriers constructed in waterways located in the southern portion of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta (Delta) near the cities of Tracy and Lathrop in San Joaquin County, California (Figure 1-1). Three of the temporary barriers—Old River at Tracy (ORTB), Middle River (MRB), and Grant Line Canal (GLCB), collectively, the south Delta agricultural barriers (SDABs)—are constructed and operated during the agricultural irrigation season, usually April through November. The SDABs are designed to act as flow control structures, retaining tidal fresh water behind each barrier following a flood tide. The fourth barrier, Head of Old River Barrier (HORB), is installed during the spring and fall as a fish guidance barrier. The HORB is normally installed in the spring to prevent juvenile fall-run San Joaquin River Chinook Salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) and juvenile Central Valley steelhead (Oncorhynchus mykiss) 2 from emigrating through Old River toward the south Delta water export facilities at the intakes of the State Water Project (SWP) and federal Central Valley Project (CVP). In the fall, the HORB helps to guide adult San Joaquin River Chinook Salmon to spawning locations in the upper watershed. Installation, operation, and removal of the SDABs has the potential to harm, harass, or cause mortality to fish species of management concern to the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), specifically, juvenile fall-run Chinook Salmon which are NMFS Species of Concern (NMFS 2010), juvenile Central Valley steelhead which is a threatened species, an Endangered Species Act (ESA) Section 10j experimental population (63 Federal Register [FR] 13347), and juvenile Green Sturgeon (Acipenser medirostris), also a federally listed threatened species (71 FR 17757). The TBP is implemented in compliance with the terms and conditions of two NMFS Biological Opinions (BiOp) (NMFS 2008, 2009).