Fishery Conservation groups intervene in ridiculous lawsuit filed by the Coalition for a Sustainable Delta

May 20, 2008. Three fishery conservation groups today intervened in a ridiculous lawsuit by the Coalition for a Sustainable Delta - comprised largely of Kern County water agencies - that accuses the DFG of imperiling endangered salmon and Delta smelt through its striped bass management program. 

"Striped bass have coexisted with salmon and smelt in the Delta estuary for more than a hundred years," said Jennings. "The dramatic almost 30% increase in the amount of water exported in recent years is the one clear culprit that has led to population crashes of numerous species; including salmon, steelhead, striped bass, Delta smelt, longfin smelt, splittail, threadfin shad, among others."

Some of the largest annual export levels in history occurred in 2003 (6.3 million acre feet [MAF]), 2004 (6.1 MAF), 2005 (6.5 MAF) and 2006 (6.3 MAF), according to the groups. Exports averaged 4.6 MAF annually between 1990 and 1999 and increased to an average of 6 MAF between 2000 and 2007, a rise of almost 30%. Much of the increased pumping occurred during critical periods for Delta smelt survival.

I wholeheartedly thank the CSPA, California Striped Bass Association and Northern California Council of the Federation of Fly Fishers for standing up to the water contractors in their absurd attempt to blame striped bass, the victims of water exports from the California Delta and decades of state and federal government mismanagement, for the catastrophic crash of delta smelt, Central Valley salmon and other species.