22 March 22 , 2024 VOL . 43 • ISS . 4
Coalition raises alarm about protected steelhead dying in Delta water pumping facilities
M arch 8 , 2024 – The many millions of fish , including endangered salmon and steelhead , that have perished in the state and federal water project facilities in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta in recent years is just one in the long list of horrors that expose the tenuousness of the “ green ” California myth . On March 6 , a coalition of environmental and fishing groups reiterated their request that a federal court modify federal agencies ’ proposed interim plan for operating the federal Central Valley Project ( CVP ), in coordination with the State Water Project ( SWP ), to protect fish species listed under the Endangered Species Act ( ESA ) and California Endangered Species Act ( CESA ). That coalition includes the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen ’ s Associations , the Golden State Salmon Association , The Bay Institute , Defenders of Wildlife , and Natural Resources Defense Council . Coinciding with that filing has been a surge of protected Central Valley steelhead dying at the projects ’ water pumps , called by many anglers and environmentalists the “ Death Pumps ” or “ Pumps of Death .” “ The CVP and SWP are still largely operating under rules written in 2019 under the leadership of , among others , Interior Secretary David Bernhardt , a former lobbyist for the powerful Westlands Water District ,” according to a press release from the coalition . “ Those rules ignored legal requirements and the best available science . Federal agencies are in the process of developing new rules , but the previous rules remain largely in place .”
“ The latest effort of the coalition to ensure the CVP and SWP operations do not harm threatened and endangered fish species comes during a dramatic increase in the number of ESA-listed Central Valley steelhead killed at the CVP and SWP pumps , which are located in the environmentally sensitive Delta ,” the coalition wrote . “ Since December 1 , 2023 , it is
estimated that the CVP and SWP pumps together have killed approximately 3,796 wild and hatchery steelhead as they migrate through the Delta . It appears the estimated losses are fast approaching the ‘ take limit ’ of 2,760 wild steelhead killed from December 1 to March 31 that is authorized by the National Marine Fisheries Service under the ESA . The CVP and SWP could take steps to mitigate this fish kill by further reducing pumping in the Delta to lower , more protective flow rates ,” the coalition continued . “ This fish kill appears to be ongoing , with the two water projects killing dozens of protected steelhead each day during the first days of March . This fish kill is the latest example of the unsustainable management of the CVP and SWP . In recent years , the CVP and SWP have caused catastrophic impacts to many ESA-listed fish species , as well as to the non-listed fall run Chinook salmon ,” the coalition stated . Sacramento Valley fall run Chinook salmon are the backbone of salmon fishing in California and coastal Oregon , the groups emphasized . “ Because of low populations – caused by irresponsible water management during the recent drought – the California salmon fishing season was closed in 2023 . As a result of low estimated numbers of adult salmon in 2024 , this year ’ s salmon season could also be closed or severely restricted . Thus , the CVP and SWP are causing dramatic impacts to California ’ s salmon fishing jobs and communities which rely on salmon survival ,” they said . In response to the steelhead kill , Scott Artis , executive director
of the Golden State Salmon Association stated : “ This ongoing kill is yet another example of the damage caused by the state and federal water projects . Over the past several years , these projects have devastated Central Valley salmon runs and salmon fishing jobs .” “ We hope that someday soon there will be actions in place to restore healthy populations of steelhead to levels that are not at risk of extinction ,” said Gary Bobker , Rivers and Delta Program Director for The Bay Institute . “ Until that day , we can ’ t afford to lose so many fish that are essential to rebuilding those populations .” “ Between inadequate protections and the impacts of climate change , mass takes will become more common ,” said Ashley Overhouse , water policy advisor at Defenders of Wildlife . “ As dozens more steelhead are killed today , it is a persistent reminder of the dire need for updated project operations that comply with the Endangered Species Act and protect the Bay-Delta Estuary .” Delta Smelt and entire ecosystem is collapsing The alarming deaths of thousands of federally and state protected steelhead in the Delta pumping facilities occurs within the context of the dramatic collapse of Delta smelt , longfin smelt and other pelagic fish species in the Bay-Delta Estuary . For the sixth year in a row , no Delta Smelt were collected in the California Department of Fish and Wildlife ’ s Fall Midwater Trawl ( FMWT ) Survey in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta from September through December 2023 . Once the most abundant species in the entire estuary , the Delta Smelt has declined to the point that it has become virtually extinct in the wild . The 2 to 3 inch fish , found only in the Delta , is an “ indicator species ” that shows the relative health of the San Francisco Bay / Delta ecosystem . When no Delta Smelt are found in six years of a survey that has been conducted since 1967 , the estuary is in a serious ecological crisis . The Delta smelt is listed as “ endangered ” under both the federal Endangered Species Act and the California Endangered Species Act . “ No Delta Smelt were collected at any stations from September through December ,” reported Taylor Rohlin , Environmental Scientist for the CDFW Bay Delta Region , in a memo published on Jan . 25 . “ The 2023 September-December index ( 0 ) is tied with 2018-2022 as the lowest index in FMWT history .” She said the absence of Delta Smelt catch in the FMWT is “ consistent among other surveys in the estuary .” For example , the Enhanced Delta Smelt Monitoring ( EDSM ) survey of the U . S . Fish and Wildlife Service ( USFWS ) caught only 5 Delta Smelt among 10 sampling weeks ( between 9 / 4 and 11 / 10 ) comprised of 1,360 tows ( U . S . Fish and Wildlife Service 2023 ). Meanwhile , the other pelagic species collected in the survey — striped bass , Longfin Smelt , Sacramento Splittail and thread fin shad
By Dan Bacher
— continued their dramatic decline since 1967 when the State Water Project went into effect . Only the American shad shows a less precipitous decline . The graphs in this CDFW memo graphically illustrate how dramatic the declines in fish populations have been over the years : nrm . dfg . ca . gov /… The near-extinction of Delta Smelt in the wild and the collapse of striped bass , Delta smelt , longfin smelt , American shad , splittail and threadfin shad populations documented in the fall survey is part of the larger Pelagic Organism Decline ( POD ) caused by massive water diversions from the Delta by the state and federal water projects , along with toxics , water pollution , invasive species and other factors . Between 1967 and 2020 , the state ’ s Fall Midwater Trawl abundance indices for striped bass , Delta smelt , longfin smelt , American shad , splittail and threadfin shad have declined by 99.7 , 100 , 99.96 , 67.9 , 100 , and 95 %, respectively , according to the California Sportfishing Protection Alliance .
Delta Tunnel , Sites Reservoir and voluntary agreements will make
things even worse
Meanwhile , Governor Gavin Newsom is forging ahead with the environmentally destructive Delta Tunnel , Sites Reservoir and Big Ag-backed voluntary agreements , This will only make the ecosystem crash even worse by exporting more water to corporate agribusiness interests south of the Delta . There is no doubt why Governor Newsom is backing the Delta Tunnel , Sites Reservoir and the voluntary agreements — to serve the wishes of his corporate agribusiness contributors and other Big Money donors . For example , agribusiness tycoons Stewart and Lynda Resnick , owners of The Wonderful Company and major promoters of the Delta Tunnel and increased water pumping from the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta , have donated a total of $ 431,600 to Governor Gavin Newsom since 2018 , including $ 250,000 to Stop The Republican Recall Of Governor Newsom and $ 64,800 to Newsom For California Governor 2022 . Newsom received a total of $ 755,198 in donations from agribusiness in the 2018 election cycle , based on the data from www . followthemoney . org . That figure includes a combined $ 116,800 from Stewart and Lynda Resnick and $ 58,400 from E . J . Gallo , combined with $ 579,998 in the agriculture donations category .