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Endangered Species Coalition 2016 Top 10 Report Nominating Form General Information 1 2 3 4 5 6 Deadline: July 29, 2016 Nominating Organizations: Please use this Column to Provide the Requested Information Organization & Web address Contact name for species info Address Email & phone Communications staff contact name Email & phone Defenders of Wildlife, www.defenders.org Kim Delfino 980 9th St., Suite 1730, Sacramento, CA 95814 [email protected], (916) 313-5800 Catalina Tresky [email protected], (202) 772-0253 General Species Information 7 8 9 10 Common name, genus, and species Geographic range Conservation status Remaining population size Delta smelt, Hypomesus transpacificus Delta smelt exist only in the San Francisco Bay-Delta estuary Listed under both the California and federal ESAs As of July 2016, FWS calculations estimated the current population to be about 13,000 fish, compared to a year ago when there were an estimated 112,000 fish, the lowest number ever at that time. According to FWS, “[t]he current population estimates are alarmingly small for a fish that only lives for one year in a body of water as large as the Bay Delta. Future projections are lower when considering only about half of the population estimate are females that may reproduce to create next year's population. Ensuring survival of this year's offspring is critical to the future existence of the species.” https://www.fws.gov/sfbaydelta/species/delta_smelt_q_and_a.htm Report Questions 11 12 13 Can you provide high-resolution photos? If your species is selected, will you use the report to advocate for the species? 5 free reports provided; additional copies = $2.60/each. If you’d like additional copies, how many (bulk orders may be cheaper)? Yes Yes 120 Public Engagement Questions (Please explain why the species is interesting, why it matters, why decision-makers + the public should care.)0 14 Provide background information, including interesting facts, for the species profile. Delta smelt were once one of the most abundant fish in the Bay-Delta estuary. Today, scientists are hardly able to find a single fish while conducting surveys. While the Delta smelt’s decline is troubling on its own, the fish’s perilous situation tells a Please cite any substantiating scientific studies 15 16 What is your organization’s most important lead message for the public about this species’ decline to be included in the report? Is your NGO saving the species? If yes, how? 17 How can individuals help? Please be specific. 18 What action should the new administration take to save the species? How can they accomplish this action? broader story about the health of the entire Bay-Delta estuary. According to FWS, “Delta Smelt are considered an ‘indicator’ species, and their abundance reflects how well the Delta's aquatic environment is functioning – meaning that as Delta Smelt decline, the Delta is changing in a way that does not support other species that are also dependent on the system (including Longfin Smelt, Green Sturgeon, Chinook Salmon, and Steelhead). Declines of species like Delta Smelt indicate that the ecosystem is stressed and that, at some point, it may no longer provide recreational and commercial goods and services the people of California expect. The Delta Smelt is an essential part of the complex ecosystem of the Bay-Delta estuary. The estuary needs fish, such as the Delta Smelt, that serve as prey to support larger sport fish and fish-eating birds. Delta Smelt abundance is at an all-time low. This suggests that the species is no longer able to play its historic ecological role as food for larger predators.” See https://www.fws.gov/sfbaydelta/species/delta_smelt_q_and_a.htm. Delta smelt are on the brink of extinction, and urgent action is needed to save them. If we give up on the Delta smelt, we are giving up on the health of the entire BayDelta estuary. We are trying. We have filed a lawsuit aimed at making sure the State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) and EPA comply with the federal Clean Water Act before the SWRCB waives water quality standards in a manner that could harm Delta smelt. We are also fighting against harmful federal legislation that would undermine the ESA and other environmental laws that protect the Delta smelt. Individuals can contact their members of Congress and urge them to vote against any California drought legislation that would undermine protections for Delta smelt. The new administration should ensure that California’s water infrastructure operates in a manner that is truly protective of Delta smelt. To accomplish this, it could meaningfully reinitiate consultation on Bay-Delta water operations pursuant to Section 7 of the ESA and require more freshwater to flow through the Delta, oppose any Delta infrastructure that would remove too much freshwater from the Delta, disapprove of any SWRCB modifications to water quality standards that would harm the Delta smelt, and urge the SWRCB to expeditiously update the Bay Delta water quality control plan. Additionally, the administration should veto any legislation that would undermine protections for Delta smelt. Criteria-specific Questions – Please feel free to answer N/A or “see above/below” as appropriate. Please cite scientific studies. Please cite any substantiating scientific studies 19 20 21 Detail the ecological importance of the species. Does it play a critical function in its ecosystem, e.g., as a foundational species or keystone species? How does the ecosystem depend on this species (e.g., keystone predator, keystone pollinator, ecological engineer, refugia provider, etc.)? Detail information on any social or economic benefits the species provides—e.g., its value for clean water, recreation, medicine, scientific research, etc.—if any. (Optional) Can the species be an ambassador for its habitat or taxonomic group? If yes, detail. As explained above, the Delta smelt is an indicator species and its decline suggests that the San Francisco Bay-Delta estuary is in trouble. Efforts to protect the Delta smelt through increased Delta outflow and other actions will benefit the entire San Francisco Bay-Delta estuary and help several other imperiled fish populations. As FWS has explained, “[d]eclines of species like Delta Smelt indicate that the ecosystem is stressed and that, at some point, it may no longer provide recreational and commercial goods and services the people of California expect.” https://www.fws.gov/sfbaydelta/species/delta_smelt_q_and_a.htm. Additionally, many of the actions that would help the Delta smelt would also improve water quality for people and for agriculture and diminish or eliminate harmful algal blooms that impair the recreational value of the Bay-Delta. The Delta smelt could be an ambassador for the San Francisco Bay-Delta estuary. While the smelt isn’t particularly charismatic, its home is one of the most well-known locations in the world, and the fish’s decline is a shocking indication that the estuary is at risk. Judge’s Score for Importance of Species: 22 Describe the specific threat(s) to the species. What are the greatest impacts? 23 Detail the current and projected decline of the species. 24 If not described above, detail the status of the species’ habitat(s). What are the threats, if any? Is there adequate connectivity? California’s heavy reliance on the Delta to provide water for cities and farms is starving the estuary of the freshwater it needs to function. During drought, diversions and exports have reduced the amount of freshwater that flows through the estuary so much that the Delta smelt is on the brink of extinction. As the climate warms and droughts become more frequent, the threats to the Delta smelt will become even greater. As described above, FWS estimates that the Delta smelt population dropped from approximately 112,000 fish in 2015 to 13,000 fish in 2016. Because Delta smelt have a one-year life cycle and their current habitat conditions are poor, scientists fear that the fish may soon become extinct in the wild. See above. The primary threat to the Delta smelt’s habitat is insufficient freshwater flows through the Bay-Delta estuary. Please cite any substantiating scientific studies 25 26 Describe the timing of the species’ threat(s). Is it a current, eminent, or future threat? Indicate if there is an associated political threat, e.g., does an industry group or member of Congress threaten this species? The threat is current and ongoing. The Delta smelt is the California agricultural industry’s favorite scapegoat. While it is California’s drought that is limiting water availability, regulations intended to protect the Delta smelt are often blamed. Further, Delta smelt are under attack in Congress. Agricultural interests and members of Congress are seeking to undermine ESA protections and other environmental laws to benefit agribusinesses at the expense of the Delta smelt and other fish. We can provide substantial additional information about these ongoing efforts to weaken Delta smelt protections. Judge’s Score for Severity and Extent of Threat: Judge’s Final Score Please submit to [email protected] by July 29, 2016, and thank you for participating in the 2016 Top 10 Report. Please cite any substantiating scientific studies