Fish Sniffer On Demand Digital Edition Issue 3906 Feb 28- Mar 13 | Page 23

Feb 28-Mar 13, 2020 VOL.39 • ISS. 6 21 Voluntary Settlements Are Disastrous for Fish and the Ecosystem – and Are Not New O n February 4, Governor Gavin Newsom unveiled what he describes as a “comprehensive solution for the Sacramento-San Joaquin Bay Delta” through a series of voluntary agreements in an opinion piece at Cal Matters, “Gov. Newsom: California must get past differ- ences on water. Voluntary agreements are the path forward.” In the tradition of the failed CalFed, Delta Vision, Bay Delta Conservation Plan and California Water Fix processes, Newsom presents a “new path forward” that gets an array of “diverse stakeholders” to supposedly resolve their differences, seek common ground and work for the coequal goals of water supply supply reli- ability and ecosystem restoration: “Historically, disputes over water, or what some call ‘water wars,’ have pitted stakeholders against one another: urban vs. rural; agriculture vs. conservation; North vs. South. Today, my administration is proposing a path forward, one that will move past the old water binaries and set us up for a secure and prosperous water future. Guided by science, this new framework will provide the foundation for binding voluntary agreements between government agencies and water users with partnership and oversight from environmental groups. These agreements will require adaptive, holistic management of enhanced water flows and habitats to protect, restore, and enhance California’s largest rivers and the Delta.” However, scientists and salmon and Delta advocates say the agreements would be disastrous for fish and wildlife – and are really nothing new. In a tweet, Dr. Jon Rosenfield, senior scientist for the San Francisco Baykeeper, criticized the “framework” for being developed without input from river ecologists. “Today, a new VA ‘framework’ was released (developed without input from river ecologists) that would treat ALL the Delta’s environmental flows as an annual block. Water quality, endangered species, All flexible; no underpinning of natural hydrology + evolutionary history,” said Rosenfield. “This is a bear hug of the Trump admin- istration extinction plan by the Newsom administration,” Rosenfield told the Sacra- mento Bee, referring to the Trump water plan to maximize water exports to San Joaquin Valley contractors at great expense devastate Central Valley and Bay-Delta fish populations. In his apparent lack of knowledge of both the failure of previous voluntary agreements and the California Fish and Game Code, Governor Newsom proudly proclaimed in his piece, “Today, I am committing to achieving a doubling of California’s salmon population by 2050. These agreements will be foundational to meeting that goal.” Actually, there is nothing “new” about this commitment to “achieving a doubling of California’s salmon population by 2050. In reality, the Governor, Legislature, Fish and Game Commission and Department of Fish and Wildlife 32 YEARS AGO formally committed to doubling Cali- fornia’s salmon *Trolling numbers by 1999, Motors as written in Fish *Fishfinders and Game Code Section 6902. *GPS In addition, the *VHF doubling of naturally Radios spawning salmon *Radar and other anadro- *Batteries mous species by and 2002 was required Chargers under federal law, the Central Valley Largest Service Project Improvement Center Act. in the West! Of course, we all know what Marine Electronics Sales • Service • Installation Sunny’s Electric Marine ONE DAY SERVICE on Installations with appointment (916) 487-3868 By Dan Bacher happened; Central Valley salmon numbers ficial uses of water from the Sierra is far collapsed in 2008-2009 and have never better for California’s people and environ- fully recovered, due to massive water ment than years of litigation. Metropolitan exports of water to corporate agribusiness commends the Newsom administration for interests on the westside of the San Joaquin seeking to move forward in a collaborative Valley and Southern California water fashion.” agencies, combined with the mismanage- Last year, Patrick Porgans of Planetary ment of Central Valley dam operations Solutionaries called Newsom’s voluntary by the state and federal governments and agreements the “Munich Agreement on other factors including ocean conditions. California Water” in his piece on the Daily Meanwhile, the Delta smelt, an indicator Kos website: https://www.dailykos.com/ species that demonstrates the health of the stories/2019/9/16/1885850/-The-Munich- San Francisco Bay-Delta, moves closer and Agreement-on-California-Water. closer to extinction every year. In his piece, he exposes the “disastrous “The state’s rationale for its new track record” of voluntary agreements. He framework yesterday demonstrates that points out that the voluntary agreements they have no intention of satisfying legal all have one thing in common: “they find requirements to protect fish, wildlife and that restrictions on Delta export pumping water quality in San Francisco Bay,” to protect fish aren not needed.” Porgans explained Rosenfield. “There is a state and writes: federal requirement for the doubling of “We’ve been here before – Voluntary naturally spawned salmon population. This Settlement Agreements in California water voluntary agreements plan won’t achieve are not new. They have a disastrous track its goals for 30 years, which means that it record. The 1994 Bay-Delta Accord, signed will never be achieved.” 25 years ago, espoused the same hoopla “State officials said that the flows and that collaboration and habitat restoration habitat in the framework were intended and voluntary efforts to increase flows to produce a 10 percent of improvement in the Delta would restore fisheries and of fish populations in the estuary, but increase reliability of water supplies.” a 10 percent improvement won’t come Over $8.4 billion in taxpayer borrowed anywhere close to even what the popula- money ($13.5 billion with interest) was tions of those fish were when they were spent under the CalFed program, while fish listed under the state and federal Endan- populations in the Delta crashed. Adaptive gered Species Acts,” he concluded. management under CalFed also failed. Deirdre Des Jardins of California Water Joe Grindstaff, former director of CalFed Research said the framework “will likely acknowledged: ‘Fundamentally, the system decimate Fall run Chinook populations and we devised didn’t work.” Felicia Marcus, the West Coast salmon fishery, because fall former chair, State Water Resources run typically outmigrate in April, May, and Control Board stated in 2018 that ‘Some June, which is peak irrigation season for native fish species have been pushed to the rice crops in the Sacramento Valley.” edge of extinction in an ecosystem on the “This is a rice doubling plan, not a verge of collapse.’ salmon doubling plan,” she observed. Recommendations by independent and On the other hand, Jeffrey Kightlinger, agency biologists to increase flows to general manager of the Metropolitan Water restore fish populations have been blocked District of Southern California, lauded the for decades by the water export contrac- agreements, claiming they would “resolve tors’ opposition, effectively delaying the a pending update” of the Bay Delta Water Water Board actions. On the eve of the Quality Control Plan before the State Water Water Board’s finally taking long needed Resources Control Board. regulatory actions, the Voluntary Settle- “This is a promising step that will result ment Agreements were championed by the in additional water for the environment, Brown administration and supported by the habitat restoration and improved science, Newsom administration.” preparing California for a sustainable water It is no surprise that Governor Newsom future. While more work lies ahead, Metro- received a total of $755,198 in donations politan is committed to finding a workable from agribusiness in 2018, based on the solution,” said Kightlinger. “A shared, latest data from www.followthemoney. voluntary approach to balancing the bene- org. That figure includes $116,800 from Beverly Hills agribusi- ness tycoons Stewart and Lynda Resnick, the largest orchard fruit growers in the world Bird Cleaning, and the sponsors of the Dogs and Coalition for a Sustain- Dog Handlers DELUXE 12 BIRD PHEASANT HUNTS able Delta. 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