Download Delta Smelt - Endangered Species Coalition

Endangered Species Coalition 2016 Top 10 Report Nominating Form
General Information
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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
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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
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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
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Public Engagement Questions (Please explain why the species is interesting, why it matters, why decision-makers + the public should care.)0
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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
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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?
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How can individuals help? Please be specific.
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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
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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:
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Describe the specific threat(s) to the species.
What are the greatest impacts?
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Detail the current and projected decline of
the species.
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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
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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