Why the silence?

[Ed Wahl]

http://www.contracostatimes.com/breaking-news/ci_27734056/fate-delta-smelt-sinks-numbers-drop

This story is a couple of days old and yet no mention either here or Dan Blanton's board.

This is one that is going extinct on our watch.

And in our own backyard.

Just where do we draw the line in sand?

[Darian]

Good find Ed.... I've been following this issue thru reviewing many of the BDCP and comments for the last year or so. Observations by authors in the comments gave me the impression that the delta Smelt was already past the point of no return, requiring use of a conservation hatchery to avoid complete loss. Kinda got tired of the subject since it didn't look like there was any will to do anything about it on the part of those responsible.

The subject was discussed on Capitol Public Radio this week with Moyle in appearance. He made the point that even tho the Delta Smelt still survives, the current population level may be so low in numbers that recovery may not be possible. Confusing since he was one of those who advocated capturing a number of DS to place in the conservation hatchery. Maybe the DS were never captured...????

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

I think we also have a sewage treatment issue.

It was said that we have to upgrade all our sewage treatment facilities in the big cities that drain into the Delta and river systems.

I guess the water going into the Delta has too much nitrates still in it which effect the plankton's life cycle.

http://www.sustainabledelta.com/toiletbowl.html

[SeanO]

There is a captive population.

UCD runs genetic analysis on each fish to decide how to pair them for spawning. Lots of effort...

[Darian]

Aha!!! So, Moyle was probably referring to survival in the wild with current numbers so low.... Good to hear that captives exist. Thanks, Salmonid.

[SeanO]

Not sure you can read this, but here is some info on a poster.

http://www.kiene.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=10535&d=1426966951

[Darian]

If I recall correctly, Sustainable Delta (SD) was the organization that sued the state over the predation by Striped Bass issue and the organization was headed by Paramount Farms (owned by Roll International, AKA Stewart Resnick). This organization is a 501c(5), non-profit made up of "....water users...." The website doesn't list their membership but I'd bet one of them is Westlands.

That doesn't mean that some of the points SD raises aren't valid but many constitute an attempt to distract from the issues that cause problems associated with human and industrial level agricultural activities. One of which is untreated ag run-off. In the San Joaquin, ag run-off runs into ditches to collect until rainwater flushes them out or, in some cases, the run-off is directed to drains that p[ut the waste water back into our waterways. The list of toxic pollutants from this activity is too numerous place here. One that was discussed at the recent Army Corps of Engs meeting that I attended was the volume of phosphates from fertilizers percolating down into local aquifers impacting well water. If the feds complete a settlement with the growers, they will become responsible to clean-up their own mess. Considering the past performance of these entities in meeting their obligations, they might actually perform but I'm not going to hold my breath waiting for it to happen. At any rate, SD would not be an organization that I would rely on for entirely objective information.

In past reading about pollution entering the Delta, the City of Sacramento was identified as a major contributor due to discharge of ammonia (never read anything about nitrates....??) from the treatment facility. That issue has since been addressed by the ongoing upgrade of the Sacramento Sanitation District treatment facility. Altho, the discharges are not yet free of ammonia, they will be eliminated when the upgrade is complete.

[Ed Wahl]

Kinda got tired of the subject since it didn't look like there was any will to do anything about it on the part of those responsible.

This unfortunate species just got in everyone's way in the water wars.

The Striper folks have the water agencies pointing out, correctly, that stripers eat little 3 inch fish. Maybe not to the degree that they claim but facts are facts. Big, introduced fish eat lots of little fish, introduced or not.

The big water agencies have the weight of the Endangered Species Act foiling their evil plans.

Seems the most convenient solution for both sides is for the Delta Smelt to just go away.

Silence reigns.

[cyama]

There is a captive population at two hatcheries. http://californiawaterblog.com/2015/03/18/prepare-for-extinction-of-delta-smelt/
I was working up at the Livingston Stone Hatchery and actually saw them swimming around. I also saw tons of winter run salmon eggs collected by the biologists it was very interesting. The UC Davis Watershed program also seems to be working on some great conservation efforts.