Annual Report of Activities October 1, 2013 to September 30, 2014, American River Group (ARG)

Delta Stewardship Council (Delta Council) | September 30th, 2014

Annual Report of Activities October 1, 2013, to September 30, 2014, Delta Operations for Salmonids and Sturgeon (DOSS) Technical Working Group

Delta Stewardship Council (Delta Council) | October 31st, 2014

Annual Report of Activities Water Year 2018 Stanislaus Operations Group (SOG)

Delta Stewardship Council (Delta Council) | November 1st, 2018

Aspects of the Ecology of the Hitch, Lavinia Exilicauda (Cyprinidae), A Persistent Native Cyprinid in Clear Lake, California

Southwestern Naturalist | November 14th, 1980

Bifenthrin, a ubiquitous contaminant, impairs the development and behavior of the threatened Longfin Smelt during early life stages

American Chemical Society (ACS) | June 23rd, 2023

The Longfin Smelt (Spirinchus thaleichthys) population in the San Franscisco Bay/Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta (Bay-Delta) has declined to ∼1% of its pre-1980s abundance

The Longfin Smelt (Spirinchus thaleichthys) population in the San Franscisco Bay/Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta (Bay-Delta) has declined to ∼1% of its pre-1980s abundance and, as a result, is listed as threatened under the California Endangered Species Act. The reasons for this decline are multiple and complex, including the impacts of contaminants. Because the spawning and rearing seasons of Longfin Smelt coincide with the rainy season, during which concentrations of contaminants increase due to runoff, we hypothesized that early life stages may be particularly affected by those contaminants. Bifenthrin, a pyrethroid insecticide commonly used in agricultural and urban sectors, is of concern. Concentrations measured in the Bay-Delta have been shown to disrupt the behavior, development, and endocrine system of other fish species. The objective of the present work was to assess the impact of bifenthrin on the early developmental stages of Longfin Smelt. For this, embryos were exposed to 2, 10, 100, and 500 ng/L bifenthrin from fertilization to hatch, and larvae were exposed to 2, 10, and 100 ng/L bifenthrin from one day before to 3 days post-hatch. We assessed effects on size at hatch, yolk sac volume, locomotory behavior, and upper thermal susceptibility (via cardiac endpoints). Exposure to these environmentally relevant concentrations of bifenthrin did not significantly affect the cardiac function of larval Longfin Smelt; however, exposures altered their behavior and resulted in smaller hatchlings with reduced yolk sac volumes. This study shows that bifenthrin affects the fitness-determinant traits of Longfin Smelt early life stages and could contribute to the observed population decline.

Biological Opinion and Conference Opinion on the Long-Term Operations of the Central Valley Project and State Water Project

National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) | June 4th, 2009

The purpose of this document is to present NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service’s (NMFS) biological and conference opinion (Opinion), about whether the U.S. Burea

The purpose of this document is to present NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service’s (NMFS) biological and conference opinion (Opinion), about whether the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation’s (Reclamation) proposed long-term operations of the Central Valley Project (CVP), operated in coordination with the State Water Project (SWP; hereafter referred to as CVP/SWP operations, the proposed action, or the project), is likely to jeopardize the continued existence of the following species  Endangered Sacramento River winter-run Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha, hereafter referred to as winter-run)  Threatened Central Valley spring-run Chinook salmon (O. tshawytscha, hereafter referred to as spring-run)  Threatened Central Valley (CV) steelhead (O. mykiss)  Threatened Central California Coast (CCC) steelhead (O. mykiss)  Threatened Southern Distinct Population Segment (DPS) of North American green sturgeon (Acipenser medirostris, hereafter referred to as Southern DPS of green sturgeon)  Endangered Southern Resident killer whales (Orcinus orca, hereafter referred to as Southern Residents)  or destroy or adversely modify the designated critical habitat of the above salmon and steelhead species, or proposed critical habitat for Southern DPS of green sturgeon. This Opinion is based on the best scientific and commercial information available. 

Biological Opinion for the Reinitiation of Consultation on the Long-Term Operation of the Central Valley Project and State Water Project

National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) | December 6th, 2024

Biological opinion on the coordinated operations of the Central Valley Project (CVP) and State Water Project (SWP)

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) | December 15th, 2008

On May 16, 2008, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation and the California Department of Water Resources asked the Service to initiate consultation on the Long-Term Operational C

On May 16, 2008, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation and the California Department of Water Resources asked the Service to initiate consultation on the Long-Term Operational Criteria and Plan (OCAP) for coordination of the Central Valley Project and State Water Project, specifically concerning the delta smelt and its critical habitat. (See OCAP Legal Archives.) On December 15, 2008, the Fish & Wildlife Service issued a biological opinion (BO) on the Long-Term Operational Criteria and Plan (OCAP) for coordination of the Central Valley Project and State Water Project. The Service determined that the continued operation of these two water projects, as described in the plan, was likely to jeopardize the continued existence of the delta smelt and adversely modify its critical habitat. The inclusion by the Service of reasonable and prudent alternatives, and their acceptance by the water agencies, avoided jeopardy and adverse modification.

Bring Back the Kern et al vs. the City of Bakersfield

Superior Court of California, County of Kern | February 5th, 2024

California Endangered Species Act Incidental Take Permit No. 2081-2023-054-00

California Department of Water Resources (DWR) | November 4th, 2024