Equal Support....??
"....and state that I don't believe that one can support the presence of stripers and concurrently support native/wild salmon and steelhead. These fish are being eaten long before they reach the Delta pumps and virtually every diversion on the Sac is screened, so it isn't either of those scapegoats. They are being eaten by other fish, and of the two primary culprits, one of them is invasive." (Italics added)
Interesting belief. I, for one, believe that all of these fish native or naturalized are deserving of our collective support. They've settled into a niche suited to their requirements in the environment for lengthy periods, now. I wouldn't sacrifice any of the Salmonids or Stripers for any of the other. That may be a selfish point of view in KJE's view, but it is what it is.
KJE cites two "....primary culprits...." for predation on anadromous Salmon/Steelhead smolts and says that one of these predators is invasive. Actually, there're more than two invasive predators in the Sacramento/San Joaquin Delta/SF Bay systems and the ocean; all of which are environments that anadromous Salmon/Steelhead use for parts of their life cycles. How about Herons, Pelicans, Cormorants, Osprey, Black Bass, Otters, Halibut, Sharks, Grouper, not excluding adult Salmon/Steelhead to name a few??? Big fish eat little fish and other predators eat them too. I've read some responses to proposed attempts manage/reduce Striper predation that suggest that removal of Stripers most likely result in expansion of the population of other predators. Seems to me that the chart used to support KJE's claim appears correct as far as it goes (fresh/brackish water) but isn't sufficient to support the implied claim that Stripers are the primary culprit.
Even if we accept that all diversions are fully screened and cause zero mortality (and I don't), ag water run-off is untreated and full of mineral salts, fertilizer, herbicide, insecticide chemicals freely released into our waterways (not to mention pollution from partially treated municipal sewage treatment facilities). I'm not sure whether anyone has actually conducted an in depth study of the impact of the degraded ocean environment (oxygen depletion events, changing PH balance, changes in major currents, etc. etc.), yet. But it certainly would add to the body of knowledge on how to best manage for survival of all anadromous species.
These days I'm even wondering if Stripers should be considered invasive, given that their geographic range has shrunk over time after stocking from Oregon to mid-CA on the Pacific Coast?? While it's true that vestiges of those populations still remain in places in Oregon and the CA north coast, there doesn't seem to be enough of them to excite interest beyond dreaming about what was in the past. Of course, this last part is mere speculation on my part but food for thought.
"America is a country which produces citizens who will cross the ocean to fight for democracy but won't cross the street to vote."
Author unknown
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