Smelts, Smolts & Splittail
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Load more
Recommended publications
-
LONGFIN SMELT Spirinchus Thaleichthys USFWS: None CDFG: Threatened
LSA ASSOCIATES, INC. PUBLIC DRAFT SOLANO HCP JULY 2012 SOLANO COUNTY WATER AGENCY NATURAL COMMUNITY AND SPECIES ACCOUNTS LONGFIN SMELT Spirinchus thaleichthys USFWS: None CDFG: Threatened Species Account Status and Description. The longfin smelt is listed as a threatened species by the California Fish and Game Commission. Abundance of the longfin smelt has reached record lows in the San Francisco-Delta population, and the species may already be extinct in some northern California estuarine populations, resulting in an overall threat of extinction to the species within California (Federal Register 2008). The longfin smelt was also proposed for federal listing, but on April 8, 2009 the USFWS determined that the San Francisco Bay Estuary population does not qualify for listing as a distinct population segment under federal regulations. Further assessment of the entire population is being conducted, however, and future listing may be considered. Photo courtesy of California Department of Fish and Game Longfin smelt, once mature, are slim, silver fish in the family Osmeridae (true smelts). Moyle (2002) describes the species as being 90-110 mm (standard length) at maturity, with a translucent silver appearance along the sides of the body, and an olive to iridescent pinkish hue on the back. Mature males are often darker than females, with enlarged and stiffened dorsal and anal fins, a dilated lateral line region, and breeding tubercles on paired fins and scares. Longfin smelt can be distinguished from other California smelt by their long pectoral fins (which reach or nearly reach the bases of the pelvic fins), incomplete lateral line, weak or absent striations on the opercular bones, low number of scales in the lateral line (54-65) and long maxillary bones (which in adults extent just short of the posterior margin of the eye). -
Questions and Answers About Water Diversions and Delta Smelt Protections
Questions and Answers about Water Diversions and Delta Smelt Protections California Natural Resources Agency February 12, 2013 What’s the problem? Over the course of the last decade, populations of several fish species in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta have declined to extremely low levels. In some cases, particularly Delta smelt, these declines have triggered requirements under the U.S. Endangered Species Act and California Endangered Species Act to curtail pumping rates at the federal and state water project pumping facilities in the south Delta. Starting in mid-December, the appearance of smelt at the fish-salvage operations near the pumping plants has triggered a significant reduction in the volume of water the water projects can convey to farms and cities in Southern California, the Central Valley, and the San Francisco Bay Area. Significant winter storms in the next couple of months could change the situation, but the pumping curtailment of recent weeks makes it more likely that in the coming year, many urban and farm water districts will have to either rely more heavily on other water sources or make do with a reduced supply by, for example, planting fewer acres of crops. How are decisions regarding pumping cuts made? Operations of the water project pumps are regulated to comply with endangered species law through “biological opinions” issued by federal regulatory agencies. In 2007, a federal court found that existing biological opinions written to protect Delta smelt and several runs of anadromous fish were inadequate. As a result, two new biological opinions were written. The biological opinion that is controlling pumping rates now is a 2008 biological opinion by the U.S. -
Endangered Species
FEATURE: ENDANGERED SPECIES Conservation Status of Imperiled North American Freshwater and Diadromous Fishes ABSTRACT: This is the third compilation of imperiled (i.e., endangered, threatened, vulnerable) plus extinct freshwater and diadromous fishes of North America prepared by the American Fisheries Society’s Endangered Species Committee. Since the last revision in 1989, imperilment of inland fishes has increased substantially. This list includes 700 extant taxa representing 133 genera and 36 families, a 92% increase over the 364 listed in 1989. The increase reflects the addition of distinct populations, previously non-imperiled fishes, and recently described or discovered taxa. Approximately 39% of described fish species of the continent are imperiled. There are 230 vulnerable, 190 threatened, and 280 endangered extant taxa, and 61 taxa presumed extinct or extirpated from nature. Of those that were imperiled in 1989, most (89%) are the same or worse in conservation status; only 6% have improved in status, and 5% were delisted for various reasons. Habitat degradation and nonindigenous species are the main threats to at-risk fishes, many of which are restricted to small ranges. Documenting the diversity and status of rare fishes is a critical step in identifying and implementing appropriate actions necessary for their protection and management. Howard L. Jelks, Frank McCormick, Stephen J. Walsh, Joseph S. Nelson, Noel M. Burkhead, Steven P. Platania, Salvador Contreras-Balderas, Brady A. Porter, Edmundo Díaz-Pardo, Claude B. Renaud, Dean A. Hendrickson, Juan Jacobo Schmitter-Soto, John Lyons, Eric B. Taylor, and Nicholas E. Mandrak, Melvin L. Warren, Jr. Jelks, Walsh, and Burkhead are research McCormick is a biologist with the biologists with the U.S. -
Appendix B: CNDDB, CNPS, and USFWS Database Searches
City of Hercules—Willow Avenue Commercial Center Project Initial Study/Mitigated Negative Declaration Appendix B: CNDDB, CNPS, and USFWS Database Searches FirstCarbon Solutions Y:\Publications\Client (PN-JN)\4673\46730012\ISMND\46730012 Hercules Willow Ave ISMND.docx THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK Selected Elements by Scientific Name California Department of Fish and Wildlife California Natural Diversity Database Query Criteria: Quad<span style='color:Red'> IS </span>(Mare Island (3812213))<br /><span style='color:Red'> AND </span>County<span style='color:Red'> IS </span>(Contra Costa) Rare Plant Rank/CDFW Species Element Code Federal Status State Status Global Rank State Rank SSC or FP Antrozous pallidus AMACC10010 None None G5 S3 SSC pallid bat Bombus occidentalis IIHYM24250 None None G2G3 S1 western bumble bee Chloropyron molle ssp. molle PDSCR0J0D2 Endangered Rare G2T1 S1 1B.2 soft salty bird's-beak Danaus plexippus pop. 1 IILEPP2012 None None G4T2T3 S2S3 monarch - California overwintering population Hypomesus transpacificus AFCHB01040 Threatened Endangered G1 S1 Delta smelt Isocoma arguta PDAST57050 None None G1 S1 1B.1 Carquinez goldenbush Laterallus jamaicensis coturniculus ABNME03041 None Threatened G3G4T1 S1 FP California black rail Melospiza melodia samuelis ABPBXA301W None None G5T2 S2 SSC San Pablo song sparrow Northern Coastal Salt Marsh CTT52110CA None None G3 S3.2 Northern Coastal Salt Marsh Pandion haliaetus ABNKC01010 None None G5 S4 WL osprey Rallus obsoletus obsoletus ABNME05016 Endangered Endangered G5T1 S1 FP California Ridgway's rail Rana draytonii AAABH01022 Threatened None G2G3 S2S3 SSC California red-legged frog Spirinchus thaleichthys AFCHB03010 Candidate Threatened G5 S1 SSC longfin smelt Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus ABPBXB3010 None None G5 S3 SSC yellow-headed blackbird Record Count: 14 Commercial Version -- Dated December, 1 2017 -- Biogeographic Data Branch Page 1 of 1 Report Printed on Thursday, December 21, 2017 Information Expires 6/1/2018 Plant List Inventory of Rare and Endangered Plants 8 matches found. -
Drought and the Delta – a “Deep Dive” Into Impacts
DroughtDrought andand thethe DeltaDelta – A “Deep Dive” into Impacts – Sponsored by Drought and the Delta – A “Deep Dive” into Impacts CONTENTS Introduction: The Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and Drought ................................3 Resource Management .....................................................................................................................................9 Case Study: Contra Costa Water District Operations ..........................................................12 Ecosystem Effects ................................................................................................................................................14 Cast Study: The Importance of Floodplains ................................................................................20 Water Quality ..........................................................................................................................................................21 Agriculture ................................................................................................................................................................26 Case Study: McCormack Sheep and Grain ....................................................................................29 Policy ..............................................................................................................................................................................31 “Drought and the Delta” Presenters: • “Drought and the Delta” Jay Lund, Director, Center for Watershed Sciences, -
Overview of The: Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Where Is the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta?
Overview of the: Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Where is the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta? To San Francisco Stockton Clifton Court Forebay / California Aqueduct The Delta Protecting California from a Catastrophic Loss of Water California depends on fresh water from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta (Delta)to: Supply more than 25 million Californians, plus industry and agriculture Support $400 billion of the state’s economy A catastrophic loss of water from the Delta would impact the economy: Total costs to California’s economy could be $30-40 billion in the first five years Total job loss could exceed 30,000 Delta Inflow Sacramento River Delta Cross Channel San Joaquin River State Water Project Pumps Central Valley Project Pumps How Water Gets to the California Economy Land Subsidence Due to Farming and Peat Soil Oxidation - 30 ft. - 20 ft. - 5 ft. Subsidence ~ 1.5 ft. per decade Total of 30 ft. in some areas - 30 feet Sea Level 6.5 Earthquake—Resulting in 20 Islands Being Flooded Aerial view of the Delta while flying southwest over Sacramento 6.5 Earthquake—Resulting in 20 Islands Being Flooded Aerial view of the Delta while flying southwest over Sacramento 6.5 Earthquake—Resulting in 20 Islands Being Flooded Aerial view of the Delta while flying southwest over Sacramento 6.5 Earthquake—Resulting in 20 Islands Being Flooded Aerial view of the Delta while flying southwest over Sacramento 6.5 Earthquake—Resulting in 20 Islands Being Flooded Aerial view of the Delta while flying southwest over Sacramento 6.5 Earthquake—Resulting in 20 Islands Being Flooded Aerial view of the Delta while flying southwest over Sacramento 6.5 Earthquake—Resulting in 20 Islands Being Flooded Aerial view of the Delta while flying southwest over Sacramento The Importance of the Delta Water flowing through the Delta supplies water to the Bay Area, the Central Valley and Southern California. -
Delta Smelt fin) Sitsatopthebackbetweendorsal Deltasmeltarefoundonlyinthesacramento- Threatened,Listedmarch5,1993
Endangered SpecU.S. Environmental iesFacts Protection Agency Delta Smelt Hypomes us transpacificus Description and Ecology Status Threatened, listed March 5, 1993. large geographic area such as Suisun Bay, which has shoals, sloughs, wetland edges, and suitable spawning substrate at Critical Habitat Designated December 19, 1994. depths less than 13 feet. Low outflows keep adult delta smelt Appearance The delta smelt typically grows to 2.4–2.8 and their larvae upstream in the deep, narrow channels of inches in length. Except for the steel-blue sheen on its sides, the rivers and delta, where food production is limited by the Photo source: B. Moose Peterson/USFWS Digital Library its delicate, slender body appears nearly transparent. Its eyes inability of sunlight to penetrate water depths. appear large. Its relatively small mouth has little, pointed Reproduction and Life Cycle While spawning teeth on the upper and lower jaws. A small, fl eshy fi n (adi- can occur from January through July, low outfl ow tends The delta smelt is a threatened pose fin) sits atop the back between the dorsal fin and the to eclipse the season from March to mid-May. Spawning species. Threatened species tail. are plants and animals whose occurs in sloughs and shallow, edge-waters of channels in Range Delta smelt are found only in the Sacramento- population numbers are so the upper Delta. Each female broadcasts 1,200–2,600 eggs. San Joaquin estuary in California. Historically, populations Eggs sink to the bottom and adhere to rocks, gravel, tree low that they may become were found from Suisun Bay, east to the Delta area, and roots, and submerged vegetation or branches. -
Emergency Action to Help Delta Smelt
Emergency Action to Help Delta Smelt State and Federal agencies team up with farmers to help save an iconic endangered species Background. Delta smelt – an endangered fish species found nowhere else but the Sacramento- San Joaquin Delta (Delta) – remain perilously close to extinction following several years of extreme drought conditions. This summer, State and Federal agencies are pursuing several efforts that aim to improve habitat conditions for these imperiled fish. One of these emergency efforts focuses on a critically important component of Delta smelt survival: food abundance and availability. Habitat loss and the introduction of nonnative competitors, such as the overbite clam, have decimated food supplies across the Delta. Food web impacts are thought to be one of the major factors responsible for the decline of Delta smelt and other native fish species. Changes in food abundance have ecosystem-wide implications which can affect water supplies for the state’s communities and agricultural economies. Zooplankton In 2011 and 2012, following larger-than-normal agricultural return-flows from the Yolo bypass, scientists observed an unusual phytoplankton bloom in the Rio Vista area of the lower Sacramento River. It has since been theorized that this production could benefit Delta smelt if it could be replicated annually. Emergency Action. From July 1st through July 21st, State and Federal agencies will work with Glen Colusa Irrigation District, Reclamation District 108, Knaggs Ranch LLC, and other local partners to convey ~ 400 cfs of Sacramento River water down the Colusa Basin Drain, through the Knights Landing Ridge Cut, past the Wallace Weir, through the Yolo Bypass, and into the Delta. -
State of California the Natural Resources Agency DEPARTMENT of FISH and GAME Biogeographic Data Branch California Natural Diversity Database
State of California The Natural Resources Agency DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND GAME Biogeographic Data Branch California Natural Diversity Database STATE & FEDERALLY LISTED ENDANGERED & THREATENED ANIMALS OF CALIFORNIA January 2010 This is a list of animals found within California or off the coast of the State that have been classified as Endangered or Threatened by the California Fish & Game Commission (state list) or by the U.S. Secretary of the Interior or the U.S. Secretary of Commerce (federal list). The official California listing of Endangered and Threatened animals is contained in the California Code of Regulations, Title 14, Section 670.5. The official federal listing of Endangered and Threatened animals is published in the Federal Register, 50 CFR 17.11. The California Endangered Species Act of 1970 created the categories of “Endangered” and “Rare”. The California Endangered Species Act of 1984 created the categories of “Endangered” and “Threatened”. On January 1, 1985, all animal species designated as “Rare” were reclassified as “Threatened”. Animals that are candidates for state listing and animals proposed for federal listing are also included on this list. A state candidate species is one that the Fish and Game commission had formally noticed as being under review by the Department for addition to the State list. A federal proposed species is one for which a proposed regulation has been published in the Federal Register. Code Designation: Totals as of January 2010 SE = State-listed as Endangered 45 ST = State listed as Threatened 34 SR = State listed as Rare – old designation, all animals reclassified to Threatened on 1/1/85 0 FE = Federally listed as Endangered (21.5% of all U.S. -
From the Sierra to the Sea the Ecological History of the San Francisco Bay-Delta Watershed
From the Sierra to the Sea The Ecological History of the San Francisco Bay-Delta Watershed © 1998 The Bay Institute of San Francisco Second printing, July 2003 The Bay Institute of San Francisco is a non-profit research and advocacy organization which works to protect and restore the ecosystem of the San Francisco Bay/Delta estuary and its watershed. Since 1981, the Institute’s policy and technical staff have led programs to protect water quality and endangered species, reform state and federal water management, and promote comprehensive ecological restoration in the Bay/Delta. Copies of this report can be ordered for $40.00 (includes shipping and handling) from: The Bay Institute of San Francisco 500 Palm Drive Novato, CA 94949 Phone: (415) 506-0150 Fax: (415) 506-0155 www.bay.org The cover is taken from an engraving showing the entrance to the middle fork of the Sacramento River near modern-day Steamboat Slough, in C. Ringgold’s 1852 series of navigational charts and sailing directions for San Francisco Bay and Delta. Printed on recycled paper From the Sierra to the Sea The Ecological History of the San Francisco Bay-Delta Watershed July 1998 The Bay Institute FROM THE SIERRA TO THE SEA: THE ECOLOGICAL HISTORY OF THE SAN FRANCISCO BAY-DELTA WATERSHED Table of Contents Page CONTRIBUTORS AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS................................................................. vii EXECUTIVE SUMMARY....................................................................................................... ES-1 CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION I. Background....................................................................................................... -
\1 ·{;'-\:0"---'T:: From: Field Supervisor, U.S
United States Department of the Interior FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE San Francisco Bay-Delta Fish and Wildlife Office 650 Capitol Mall, Suite 8-300 Sacramento, California 95814 In reply refer to: 08FBDT00-2016-F-0153 & 08ESMF00-2012-F-0062 JUN 13 2016 MEMORANDUM To: Area Manager, Bureau of Reclamation, Bay-Delta Office I .. \1 ·{;'-\:0"---'t:: From: Field Supervisor, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, San Francfsco Bay- De ta Fish and Wildlife Office, Sacramento, California Subject: Amendment to the Biological Opinion for the Suisun Marsh Habitat Management, Preservation, and Restoration Plan and the Project-Level Actions in Solano County, California (Service File Number 08ESMF00-2012-F-0062) This memorandum is in response to the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation's (Reclamation) April 6, 2015, request to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) to include three new wetland maintenance activities to the Project-Level Actions in the June 10, 2013 Biological Opinion for the Suisun Marsh Habitat Management, Preservation, and Restoration Plan and the Project-Level Actions in Solano County, California (Service File Number 08ESMF00-2012-F-0062) (2013 BO). The 2013 BO included program-level analysis for marsh restoration and project-level analysis for managed wetland operations and maintenance activities on endangered California clapper rail (Rallus longirostris obsoletus), endangered salt marsh harvest mouse (Reithrodontomys raviventris raviventris), endangered California least tern (Sternula antillarum browni), endangered soft bird's-beak (Chloropyron molle ssp. molle) and its designated critical habitat, endangered Suisun thistle (Cirsium hydrophilum var. hydrophilum) and its designated critical habitat, and threatened delta smelt (Hypomesus transpacificus) and its designated critical habitat. -
Suisun Marsh Fish Report 2018 Final.Pdf
Trends in Fish and Invertebrate Populations of Suisun Marsh January 2018 - December 2018 Annual Report for the California Department of Water Resources Sacramento, California Teejay A. O'Rear*, Peter B. Moyle, and John R. Durand Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology Center for Watershed Sciences University of California, Davis October 2020 *Corresponding author: [email protected] SUMMARY Suisun Marsh, at the geographic center of the northern San Francisco Estuary, is important habitat for native and non-native fishes. The University of California, Davis, Suisun Marsh Fish Study, in partnership with the California Department of Water Resources (DWR), has systematically monitored the marsh's fish populations since January 1980. The study’s main purpose has been to determine environmental and anthropogenic factors affecting fish distribution and abundance. Abiotic conditions in Suisun Marsh during calendar-year 2018 returned to fairly typical levels following the very wet year of 2017. Delta outflow was generally low, with higher-than- average outflows only occurring in April when Yolo Bypass flooded. Salinities in 2018 were about average, in part because of Suisun Marsh Salinity Control Gates operations in late summer. Water temperatures were mild, being higher than average in winter and autumn and slightly below average during summer. Water transparencies were typical in winter and spring but, as has become a pattern since the early 2000s, were higher than average in summer and autumn. Dissolved-oxygen concentrations were consistent throughout the year, with only two instances of low values being recorded, both in dead-end sloughs. Fish and invertebrate catches in Suisun Marsh in 2018 told two main stories: (1) many fishes benefit from higher flows and lower salinities in Suisun Marsh while some invasive invertebrates do not; and (2) Suisun Marsh is disproportionately valuable to fishes of conservation importance.