Fish Restoration Program Agreement Implementation Strategy for Habitat Restoration and Other Actions for Listed Delta Fish

California Department of Water Resources (DWR) | March 6th, 2012

The Fish Restoration Program Agreement (FRPA) (Appendix A), between the Department of Fish and Game (DFG) and the Department of Water Resources (DWR), was signed on Octob

The Fish Restoration Program Agreement (FRPA) (Appendix A), between the Department of Fish and Game (DFG) and the Department of Water Resources (DWR), was signed on October 18, 2010. FRPA addresses specific habitat restoration requirements of the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) biological opinions (Biological Opinions) for State Water Project (SWP) and Central Valley Project (CVP) operations. FRPA is also intended to address the habitat requirements of the DFG Longfin Smelt Incidental Take Permit (ITP) for SWP Delta operations. The primary objective of the FRPA program is to implement the fish habitat restoration requirements and related actions of the Biological Opinions and the ITP in the Delta, Suisun Marsh, and Yolo Bypass and is focused on 8,000 acres of intertidal and associated subtidal habitat to benefit delta smelt, including 800 acres of mesohaline habitat to benefit longfin smelt, and a number of related actions for salmonids. DFG and DWR intend that habitat restoration actions implemented in compliance with the USFWS biological opinion that also meet the habitat restoration requirements of the ITP will operate to satisfy the acreage requirements of the ITP. The purpose of this Implementation Strategy is to describe the process by which DWR and DFG will implement the FRPA program, and to satisfy Section B of FRPA. Section B of FRPA requires DWR, with assistance from DFG, to develop an Implementation Schedule that will identify restoration actions, estimated costs, targeted acreage, and a timeline for DWR’s implementation of restoration actions to satisfy DWR’s obligations under the Biological Opinions and ITP. Appendix B lists the specific habitat restoration requirements of FRPA, the Biological Opinions, and the ITP that pertain to this program. This document lays out the strategy to address these requirements. In addition, DWR and DFG will complete the necessary environmental compliance documents to implement site specific habitat restoration projects; this may include tiering from existing programmatic documents where appropriate. Pursuant to FRPA, DFG will work cooperatively with and assist DWR in establishing the management and financial framework necessary to implement the FRPA program. DWR, with assistance from DFG, will begin a process to fund, plan, and implement actions, including aquatic habitat restoration to benefit delta smelt, longfin smelt, and winter-run and spring-run Chinook salmon (hereafter referred to as Covered Fish Species) to mitigate impacts to these species caused by the SWP Delta operations. Specifically, these actions include: • Delta Smelt Biological Opinion Reasonable and Prudent Alternative (RPA) Component 4; • NMFS Biological Opinion RPA Actions 1.2.6 and 1.6.2 in partnership with the US Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation); • NMFS Biological Opinion RPA Action Suite 1.6 and 1.7. FRPA will not be lead, but will provide funding and technical support assistance only; • ITP Condition 7. DWR’s obligations focus on delta smelt, longfin smelt, and winter-run and spring-run salmon, and may also benefit steelhead, sturgeon, and other native fish species.

Fishes, Hydrology, and Ecology of the Klamath River Basin

National Academy of Sciences (NAS) | February 11th, 2008

The Klamath River basin in southern Oregon and northern California is the focus of a prominent conflict over competing uses for water in the American West. Management mea

The Klamath River basin in southern Oregon and northern California is the focus of a prominent conflict over competing uses for water in the American West. Management measures for the protection of threatened and endangered fish species in the basin that have left less water available for irrigation have increased tensions among farmers and other stakeholders and brought into question the scientific justification of these measures. Two National Research Council studies evaluate a series of federal scientific assessments and recommend scientifically justified approaches to the problem.

Floodplain farm fields provide novel rearing habitat for Chinook salmon

PLOS | June 7th, 2016

When inundated by floodwaters, river floodplains provide critical habitat for many species of fish and wildlife, but many river valleys have been extensively leveed and f

When inundated by floodwaters, river floodplains provide critical habitat for many species of fish and wildlife, but many river valleys have been extensively leveed and floodplain wetlands drained for flood control and agriculture. In the Central Valley of California, USA, where less than 5% of floodplain wetland habitats remain, a critical conservation question is how can farmland occupying the historical floodplains be better managed to improve benefits for native fish and wildlife. In this study fields on the Sacramento River floodplain were intentionally flooded after the autumn rice harvest to determine if they could provide shallow-water rearing habitat for Sacramento River fall-run Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha). Approximately 10,000 juvenile fish (ca. 48 mm, 1.1 g) were reared on two hectares for six weeks (Feb-March) between the fall harvest and spring planting. A subsample of the fish were uniquely tagged to allow tracking of individual growth rates (average 0.76 mm/day) which were among the highest recorded in fresh water in California. Zooplankton sampled from the water column of the fields were compared to fish stomach contents. The primary prey was zooplankton in the order Cladocera, commonly called water fleas. The compatibility, on the same farm fields, of summer crop production and native fish habitat during winter demonstrates that land management combining agriculture with conservation ecology may benefit recovery of native fish species, such as endangered Chinook salmon.

Flow Augmentations Modify an Estuarine Prey Field

University of California, Davis (UC Davis) | June 15th, 2023

Franks Tract Futures

Delta Stewardship Council (Delta Council) | April 26th, 2022

Goodbye to “Rough Fish”: Paradigm Shift in the Conservation of Native Fishes

American Fisheries Society (AFS) | July 21st, 2021

Goodbye to “Rough Fish”: Paradigm Shift in the Conservation of Native Fishes

American Fisheries Society (AFS) | July 21st, 2021

While sometimes difficult to admit, perspectives of European and white males have overwhelmingly dominated fisheries science and management in the USA. This dynamic is ex

While sometimes difficult to admit, perspectives of European and white males have overwhelmingly dominated fisheries science and management in the USA. This dynamic is exemplified by bias against “rough fish”—a pejorative ascribing low-to-zero value for countless native fishes. One product of this bias is that biologists have ironically worked against conservation of diverse fishes for over a century, and these problems persist today. Nearly all U.S. states retain bag limits and other policies that are regressive and encourage overfishing and decline of native species. Multiple lines of evidence point towards the need for a paradigm shift. These include: (1) native species deliver critical ecosystem services; (2) little demonstration that native fish removals deliver intended benefits; (3) many native fishes are long-lived and vulnerable to overfishing and decline; and (4) fisher values and demographics shifting towards native fish conservation. Overall, existing native fish policies are unacceptable and run counter to the public trust doctrine where government agencies manage natural resources for public use. We encourage agencies to revisit their policies regarding native fishes and provide suggestions for developing more holistic, protective, and inclusive conservation policy.

Guidelines for salmonid passage at stream crossings

National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) | August 20th, 2013

This document provides guidelines for design of stream crossings to aid upstream and downstream passage of migrating salmonids. It is intended to facilitate the design of

This document provides guidelines for design of stream crossings to aid upstream and downstream passage of migrating salmonids. It is intended to facilitate the design of a new generation of stream crossings, and assist the recovery of threatened and endangered salmon species. These guidelines are offered by the National Marine Fisheries Service, Southwest Region (NMFS-SWR), as a result of its responsibility to prescribe fishways under the Endangered Species Act, the Magnuson-Stevens Act, the Federal Power Act, and the Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act. The guidelines apply to all public and private roads, trails, and railroads within the range of anadromous salmonids in California.

Habitat-Specific Foraging by Striped Bass (Morone saxatilis) in the San Francisco Estuary, California: Implications for Tidal Restoration

University of California, Davis (UC Davis) | December 1st, 2022

Non-native predatory fish strongly affect aquatic communities, and anthropogenic habitat alterations can exacerbate their effects. Loss of natural habitat, and restorati

Non-native predatory fish strongly affect aquatic communities, and anthropogenic habitat alterations can exacerbate their effects. Loss of natural habitat, and restoration actions that reverse habitat loss, can modify relationships between non-native predators and prey. Predicting how these relationships will change is often difficult because insufficient information exists on the habitat-specific feeding ecology of non-native predators. To address this information gap, we examined diets of non-native Striped Bass (Morone saxatilis; 63 to 671 mm standard length; estimated age 1 to 5 yrs) in the San Francisco Estuary during spring and summer in three habitat types—marsh, shoal, and channel—with the marsh habitat type serving as a model for ongoing and future restoration. Based on a preyspecific index of relative importance, Striped Bass diets were dominated by macroinvertebrates in spring and summer (amphipods in spring, decapods and isopods in summer). In spring, diets were relatively consistent across habitats. In summer, marsh diets were dominated by sphaeromatid isopods and shoal/channel diets by idoteid amphipods and decapods. Striped Bass consumed a variety of native and non-native fishes, primarily Prickly Sculpin (Cottus asper) and Gobiidae. The highest importance of fish prey was in the marsh in spring (~ 40% prey weight), and fish prey comprised less than 25% prey weight in all other season/habitat combinations. Linear discriminant analyses suggested that marsh foraging was prevalent in Striped Bass collected in other habitats, mostly because of the predominance of marsh-associated invertebrates found in the stomachs of individual Striped Bass collected outside the marsh. Striped Bass diets differ across habitats, with marsh foraging important to Striped Bass regardless of collection location. This information can be used to forecast the potential utilization of restored habitats by this non-native piscivore.

Humboldt County | Near-Stream Recharge: Reconnecting Surface and Groundwater

Nature Conservancy | January 1st, 2019

Baker Creek, a tributary to the Mattole River, is a key stream for the federally and state protected coho salmon, however portions of the river were running dry

Baker Creek, a tributary to the Mattole River, is a key stream for the federally and state protected coho salmon, however portions of the river were running dry due to drought, impeding salmon migration and deteriorating habitat. A partnership of federal and state agencies, consultants and NGOs are working to increase groundwater levels with both instream and offchannel projects to ensure year-round water in the creek and floodplain wetlands for salmon habitat. Salmon now returning to the stream, with Phase 1 of the project complete, 1,300 juvenile coho have been counted in Baker Creek after the previous five years saw zero juveniles. Stream restoration in Baker Creek in the Mattole River watershed is an excellent example of a multi- benefit project recharging groundwater, as well as providing the instream coho salmon habitat that has been disappearing.