Welcome to the California Fisheries Blog

The California Sportfishing Protection Alliance is pleased to host the California Fisheries Blog. The focus will be on pelagic and anadromous fisheries. We will also cover environmental topics related to fisheries such as water supply, water quality, hatcheries, harvest, and habitats. Geographical coverage will be from the ocean to headwaters, including watersheds, streams, rivers, lakes, bays, ocean, and estuaries. Please note that posts on the blog represent the work and opinions of their authors, and do not necessarily reflect CSPA positions or policy.

July 1 Smelt Update

Posted on July 7, 2016 by Tom Cannon

The Smelt Working Group packed its bags for the summer after its last meeting on May 31, just when it was most needed. The water temperature in the South Delta had reached 77°F/25°C in the first week of June, forcing the Working Group to close shop, consistent with the biological opinion. The 5000 cfs June south Delta export limit in the biological opinion also departed. Exports soon rose above the earlier 3000 cfs limit, reaching nearly 7000 cfs later in June (Figure 1).

Figure 1. Old and Middle River net flows in June 2016. Negative flows generally correspond with export rates at the south Delta pumping plants. The limit in the Delta Smelt biological opinion is -5000 cfs for June, but the limit does not apply once the south Delta water temperature reaches 77°F/25°C.

The two June DFW 20-MM surveys showed that small numbers of Delta smelt remained in their normal northwest Delta nursery area (Figures 2 and 3) in slightly brackish, cooler (20-22°C) water. Still directly and indirectly vulnerable to the effects of exports, these smelt were sustained by a bare minimum of Delta outflows (7000-7500 cfs). What they needed and are still failing to receive are higher outflows to move them west to Suisun Bay.¹ With exports soon to rise in July up to the full 11,400 cfs maximum capacity, and without further hope of higher outflow to the Bay, these last smelt may soon succumb to the rigors of the Delta as they did during the past four years of drought.

Instead of the prescribed standard of 6,500 cfs Delta outflow in July, an outflow of at least 8,000 cfs is necessary to protect the remaining smelt.

Figure 2. Survey 7 of 20-MM Survey results for Delta smelt.

Figure 3. Survey 8 of 20-MM Survey results for Delta smelt.

http://calsport.org/fisheriesblog/?p=970 ↩

State Board: Increase Sacramento River Flow

Posted on July 5, 2016 by Tom Cannon

The State Water Resources Control Board is responsible for enforcing water rights and the Sacramento River Basin Plan that protects beneficial uses including fish and water quality.¹ The Basin Plan’s 68°F objective for the lower Sacramento River is clearly being violated right now because of low Sacramento River flows brought about by lower than normal Shasta releases and a 100 % allocation of water to Sacramento Valley water contractors. The State Board has jurisdiction over both of these factors through control of water rights. The State Board is about to review Reclamation’s Water Temperature Plan (WTP) for summer 2016, which calls for a 10,500 cfs release in July, several thousand cfs below normal, to conserve Shasta’s cold-water pool for salmon through the summer and fall. The WTP however has no provisions for cutting downstream water use. Thus, flows in the lower Sacramento River will be lower, with higher water temperatures that violate the Basin Plan. The flows must be raised at Wilkins Slough (RM 125) by either increasing Shasta releases or reducing water diversions, or a combination thereof.

The Basin Plan objective of 68°F is there to protect salmon and sturgeon migrating and rearing in the lower Sacramento River. Water temperatures above 68°F are stressful to the fish, affecting growth, survival, and subsequent reproduction. Present water temperatures in the lower river (Figure 1), caused in part by low flow (Figure 2), are lethal to salmon and sturgeon. In 2010 and 2012, water years similar to 2016, flows were higher and water temperatures were lower in early summer (Figures 3-6).

The State Board, in reviewing the WTP, must explicitly consider flows and water temperatures in the lower Sacramento River under its broader responsibilities to protect fish as prescribed in the Basin Plan and in various water rights orders.

Figure 1. Water temperature of lower Sacramento River at Wilkins Slough (RM 125) in early summer 2016.

Figure 2. Sacramento River flow at Wilkins Slough (RM 125) in early summer 2016.

Figure 3. Water temperature of lower Sacramento River at Wilkins Slough (RM 125) in early summer 2010.

Figure 4. Sacramento River flow at Wilkins Slough (RM 125) in early summer 2010.

Figure 5. Water temperature of lower Sacramento River at Wilkins Slough (RM 125) in early summer 2012.

Figure 6. Sacramento River flow at Wilkins Slough (RM 125) in early summer 2012.

http://www.waterboards.ca.gov/waterrights/ board_decisions/adopted_orders/orders/1990/wro90-05.pdf ↩

June Protection Lost for Delta Smelt

Posted on July 4, 2016 by Tom Cannon

In a May post and again in an early June post, I offered some hope for Delta smelt. But the Smelt Biological Opinion and the Smelt Working Group failed the smelt once again. The only protection afforded Delta smelt in June is the -5000 cfs Old-Middle River negative flow limit, which has the practical effect of limiting Delta exports to about 5000-6000 cfs. Historically (from 1978-1994), D-1485 water quality standards limited June exports to 6000 cfs in order to protect Delta fish, but there are no June export limits in the existing D-1641 standards.

The last Smelt Working Group meeting was May 31. The only biological opinion criterion left to manage, the -5000 cfs OMR limit, was gone because of a little known trigger in the opinion that dropped the OMR limit when the water temperature in the South Delta first reaches 25°C or 77°F (Figure 1). The reasoning behind this trigger in the biological opinion was that exports would no longer hurt smelt because 25°C/77°F water temperatures would kill them anyway. The problem with this logic is that exports can still pull smelt from their cooler nursery in the west and north Delta (Figures 2 and 3) into warm water killing zone in the central and south Delta. Fortunately, export pumping in June 2016 was limited (Figure 4) by Reclamation’s holding back Shasta Reservoir storage releases to conserve cold-water for salmon. Otherwise June exports and negative OMR flow would likely have been higher.

Reclamation has begun consulting with fishery agencies on a new biological opinion. We can only hope that they improve protections for smelt and other Delta fish in spring and summer. I suggest strong OMR restrictions any time the Delta Cross Channel in the far north Delta is closed, as this will help minimize (1) the draw of smelt from their nursery area and (2) the degradation of the Low Salinity Zone by south Delta exports.

Figure 1. Water temperature in Clifton Court Forebay in the South Delta in June 2016.

Figure 2. Water temperature at Jersey Point in the west Delta in June 2016.

Figure 3. Water temperature in the lower San Joaquin River at Three Mile Slough in June 2016.

Figure 4. June OMR flow. The Smelt Biological Opinion limit is for June is -5000 cfs, but that provision does not apply once south Delta water temperature reaches 25°C/77°F.

Salmon Season Opens July 16

Posted on July 2, 2016 by Tom Cannon

The Sacramento River salmon season opens on July 16 in the lower Sacramento River below Red Bluff, and in the lower Feather and American Rivers, as well as in the Bay-Delta. Will the Sacramento River remain cold enough to allow the fall-run salmon to leave the Bay and Delta for the rivers? Are the lower rivers warming into the 72-75°F range that blocks migration and stresses the adult salmon?

Salmon will be headed for the upper river reaches where water temperatures are cool, near 60°F. The Bay and west Delta remain below 70°F. At Rio Vista and Freeport on the Sacramento River in the north Delta water temperature have reached 70°F and are slowly rising. Upstream of the Delta, downstream of the points of relatively cool inflow from the Feather and American rivers, the Sacramento River remains just below 70°F.

Upstream from the mouth of the Feather, water temperatures in the Sacramento River are increasingly problematic. The hundred miles of river upstream from the mouth of the Feather to Hamilton City (RM 200) have a Central Valley Basin Plan upper temperature limit of 68°F in summer to protect the salmon during their run up the river in summer and fall. The only water temperature recorder is at Wilkins Slough, about mid-way in the reach, about 20 miles below Colusa (RM 143). Water temperature at Wilkins Slough has risen from 65°F to 72°F in the past week.

Summer water temperatures at Wilkins Slough vary with air temperatures, but are also determined in part by river flow. In the critically dry year last summer, water temperatures in July approached the lethal level for salmon of 80°F (Figure 1) under very low river flows (Figure 2). In below-normal year 2010, water temperatures were cooler (Figure 3) under higher river flows (Figure 4).

The flow at Wilkins Slough has increased over the past week from 3500 cfs to 5000 cfs, but the water temperature has continued to rise to 72°F with higher air temperatures. With even warmer air temperatures forecasted in the coming weeks, river flow should be increased to 6000 cfs or higher as in 2010 to maintain water temperature below 72°F. Temperatures above this level impede migration and stress adult salmon. A flow of 8000 cfs, as occurred in the summer of dry year 2012, would be more protective (Figures 5 and 6).

Figure 1. Water temperature at Wilkins Slough on the Sacramento River (RM 125) in June-July 2015, a critically dry year.

Figure 2. Sacramento River flow at Wilkins Slough in June-July 2015.

Figure 3. Water temperature at Wilkins Slough on the Sacramento River (RM 125) in June-July 2010, a below normal year.

Figure 4. Sacramento River flow at Wilkins Slough in June-July 2010.

Figure 5. Water temperature at Wilkins Slough on the Sacramento River (RM 125) in June-July 2010, a dry year.

Figure 5. Water temperature at Wilkins Slough on the Sacramento River (RM 125) in June-July 2012, a dry year.

Figure 6. Sacramento River flow at Wilkins Slough in June-July 2012.

Hatchery Reform and the Coleman National Fish Hatchery – Adaptive Management Plan

Posted on June 28, 2016 by Tom Cannon

The Coleman National Fish Hatchery (CNFH) on lower Battle Creek near Redding, CA (see map below) was constructed in 1942 to mitigate for the Shasta Dam project on the Sacramento built just upstream from Redding. It annually produces 12,000,000 fall-run salmon smolts and a million late–fall-run salmon smolts. Operation of CNFH is in need of reform because it fails to meet its mitigation goal and because it may interfere with the Battle Creek Restoration Program (BCRP¹).

Efforts to improve salmon runs in recent drought years by trucking smolts to the lower river and Bay-Delta have resulted in increased straying of CNFH adult salmon to other Central Valley Rivers.² Releasing millions of smolts into lower Battle Creek at the hatchery negatively affects wild smolts emigrating from Battle Creek through competition and stimulation of an annual spring striped bass feeding frenzy in the Sacramento River.³ Straying also limits adult salmon return to the hatchery and in some years makes it difficult for the hatchery to meet egg quotas. Plans to reduce these conflicts have drawn criticism from fishermen groups⁴ because of the potential of reducing smolt production and survival, and subsequent fishery harvests. CNFH production likely contributes a third or more of California’s ocean and freshwater salmon catch, and is a major contributor to natural salmon spawning in the Central Valley.

Recommendations

In the Central Valley Salmon Recovery Plan (NMFS 2009/2011, p. 201), NMFS suggests moving the production hatchery to the Sacramento River from Battle Creek to reduce conflicts. The existing hatchery could be used as a conservation hatchery to support recovery of wild Battle Creek salmon and steelhead.
Fall-run salmon smolt production should be trucked/barged to the Bay to maximize contribution to fisheries, recognizing substantial straying of fall-run occurs throughout the Central Valley. Barging smolts from above the mouth of the Feather River to the Bay should reduce straying to the Feather, American, and San Joaquin rivers and their tributaries.
Fall-run CNFH fry can be trucked/barged to high quality lower river floodplain and tidal estuary habitats historically important to fall-run, but presently unavailable or unreachable. Such habitats were important and reachable before the dams were built.
Late-fall-run and steelhead smolts should be released at the hatchery in wet winters, but barged to the Bay in dry years.