Striped bass...

[Marty Gingras]

Has the Department considered using the conservation hatchery for maintaining a breeding population of Delta listed species other than for Salmon/Steelhead

Longfin smelt are listed only under CESA while delta smelt are listed under both FESA and CESA.

UC Davis is working on rearing techniques for longfin smelt in anticipation of maintaining them at a conservation facility.

USFWS and UC Davis (at one point facilitated by DFG and SWRCB) have for several years been maintaining delta smelt at a conservation facility.

[ycflyfisher]

The POD investigations are still going on. Here is the web site:

http://www.water.ca.gov/iep/pod/

Here is a link to the latest synthesis of findings:

http://www.water.ca.gov/iep/pod/synt..._workplans.cfm

Marty,

Thanks for taking the time to provide the links to the latest POD progress reports. The last one I read, I think was from 2008. The POD progress reports paint a pretty bleak picture of the relative health of the Delta and makes it pretty clear that the POD is a result of a “perfect storm” type of event where there’s a myriad of potential contributors working synergistically to facilitate the collapse. With some being very obvious and significant contributors, to some factors whose contributions are hard/impossible to define or gage and a ton of contributors that probably have a lot less magnitude in terms of contributing to the collapse of the 4 pelagics in the POD.



I think it’s rather sad that most anglers only seem to want to discuss the “top down” effects of predation and entrainment and that most anglers seem to conclude that if the vehicle driving entrainment were removed from the picture that all the issues within the Delta would simply correct themselves. I personally think that notion is fairly comical. It seems to me that most that seem to feel compelled to crucify you on these forums seem completely oblivious to the “bottom up” issues that seem to be indicative of a shift from a somewhat balanced pelagic environs to an unnatural, mixed pelagic- littoral environs throughout the Delta and also a shift in the lower Delta where plankton consumption was somewhat balanced to one that is a largely benthic killzone for the introduced filter feeders. Despite that most striper anglers seem to think that mothballing the pumps solves all the Delta’s issues, the POD progress reports seem to reveal major problems that make it a huge issue for any real chance of a rebound to sustainable “normal” abundance for the 4 POD pelagics and also potentially declines in relative abundance for all species including those not listed that are dependent on plankton consumption for portions of their respective LHs. The massive shift in native copepods, mysids and the other critters that could be considered “prey items” to the smelt and other listed species to dominance by less metabolically beneficial “food” doesn’t exactly paint the proverbial positive picture either.

I feel for you guys and gals that are monitoring the Delta and are charged with “fixing” these potential issues. I haven’t read much about the Delta other than the POD progress reports and the work conducted by someone whom I personally know that is part of the team that produces the progress reports, but the more I read, the more I’m inclined to think that the Delta is an ecosystem that is in unmitigable flux and whose biomass of flora and fauna is bound to shift with it.


I don’t normally read Blanton’s board, but I’ve perused some of the threads there since a discussion here referenced one. I’ve certainly seen some resource staff attempt to turn witchhunts into discussions before by attempting to do everything they could to keep the discussion moving forward without making it personal. I have however, never seen anything like what you subjected yourself to over there, taking to time to provide references at all hours of the day and night for months and continuing to answer questions not just while being confronted with adversity, but rather juvenile, romper room-like abject hatred. For whatever it may be worth, I think you’ve got the patience of a saint.