Estuary News, February 1994

San Francisco Estuary Partnership (SFEP) | February 15th, 1994

Estuary News, June 2009

San Francisco Estuary Partnership (SFEP) | June 15th, 2009

Estuary News, June 2019

San Francisco Estuary Partnership (SFEP) | June 15th, 2019

Estuary News, March 2022

San Francisco Estuary Partnership (SFEP) | March 15th, 2023

In this special issue on fish, Estuary shares both the heroics of saving a fish near extinction as well as the secrets of some sturdier, healthier natives. Stories detail

In this special issue on fish, Estuary shares both the heroics of saving a fish near extinction as well as the secrets of some sturdier, healthier natives. Stories detail how South Bay fish are faring now that so much fish-food-producing marsh habitat has been restored; reveal how shreds of rubber from our car tires are poisoning Pacific Coast coho; and tally steelhead in urban and rural watersheds. Estuary doesn't forget, either, to drill down, once again, into the perpetual failure of the best-laid plans and policies to actually protect our beloved salmon, especially in drought when there isn’t enough water to go round.

Evidence of Landlocked Chinook Salmon Populations in California

North American Journal of Fisheries Management (Taylor & Francis) | November 10th, 2015

Natural reproduction of adfluvial Chinook Salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha has been documented in their native and introduced range but not in California, the southern end

Natural reproduction of adfluvial Chinook Salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha has been documented in their native and introduced range but not in California, the southern end of their native range. A combination of anecdotal evidence and survey data suggests that successful spawning by Chinook Salmon reared in California reservoirs could be common. The planted juveniles are often from different basins and are genetically distinguishable from local salmon populations below reservoirs. Consequently, the possibility of behavioral and genetic interactions may lead to complications of restoration efforts via trap and haul programs. The full extent of this phenomenon needs to be documented before trap and haul programs are initiated to reintroduce salmon above reservoirs.

Examining the causes and consequences of hybridization during Chinook salmon reintroductions: using the San Joaquin River as a restoration case study of management options

University of California, Davis (UC Davis) | June 15th, 2014

Successful salmonid restoration efforts depend upon an understanding of the evolutionary processes that historically shaped population diversity, as well as the realities

Successful salmonid restoration efforts depend upon an understanding of the evolutionary processes that historically shaped population diversity, as well as the realities of currently available, altered river systems. Habitat alterations over the past century have dramatically changed the ecological forces that shaped salmonid speciation and evolution, bringing formerly separate and distinct populations into contact and in some cases leading to hybridization. Hybridization can threaten the genetic diversity within salmonid species and may affect the outcomes of restoration efforts. Here we use the San Joaquin River Restoration as a case study to discuss some of the genetic challenges of Chinook salmon restoration in a newly reopened habitat. We discuss a range of genetic management strategies—from passive reintroduction to tightly managed, active reintroduction—and the strengths and weaknesses of each approach.

Feather River Salmonid Habitat Improvement Project Proposed Mitigated Negative Declaration

California Department of Water Resources (DWR) | October 6th, 2022

An initial study/proposed mitigated negative declaration (IS/MND) has been prepared to assess the proposed project’s potential effects on the physical environment and t

An initial study/proposed mitigated negative declaration (IS/MND) has been prepared to assess the proposed project’s potential effects on the physical environment and the significance of those effects. Based on the analysis conducted in the IS, DWR has determined that the proposed project would not have any significant adverse effects on the environment because environmental commitments and mitigation measures would be implemented to reduce impacts to a less-than-significant level.

Final Environmental Assessment Sacramento River Winter-Run Chinook Salmon Management Measures for Fisheries Managed under the Pacific Coast Salmon Fishery Management Plan

National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) | March 1st, 2018

Fish Bulletin 133. Ecological Studies of The Sacramento-San Joaquin Estuary Part 1: Zooplankton, Zoobenthos, and Fishes of San Pablo and Suisun Bays, Zooplankton and Zoobenthos of the Delta

California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) | September 9th, 1965

The Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers have a common estuary. These two streams meet in the center of California's central valley to form the Delta (Figure 1). A hundred y

The Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers have a common estuary. These two streams meet in the center of California's central valley to form the Delta (Figure 1). A hundred years ago the Delta was an extensive tidal marsh, but it has been almost entirely reclaimed for agriculture. The Delta now includes about 738,000 acres of land and water, 700 miles of navigable channels, and 30 large, below sea level islands. About 39,000 acres are covered by water. Some Delta channels are edged with narrow stretches of intertidal marsh but most of them have steep banks of mud or are covered with large cobbles to prevent erosion. They vary in width from a few hundred feet to a mile and are seldom more than 30 to 40 feet deep. In some areas there are small "waste" islands that flood during high tides. These waste islands and levees that surround all Delta channels are covered with an assortment of emergent aquatic plants, grasses, forbs, shrubs, and trees. Water heading toward the sea from the Delta passes through Suisun Bay, which is merely the wide combination of the Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers below the Delta. Thirty-six percent of Suisun Bay is flooded by less than 3 feet of water at mean lower-low tide, and at this stage about 3,000 acres of intertidal zone is exposed. Richard Painter (see p. 40) has included a map of the 6-foot contour. From Suisun Bay the water flows through the 6-mile long and up to 100 feet deep Carquinez Strait into San Pablo Bay. Almost 60 percent of San Pablo Bay's 73,000 acres is less than 6 feet deep at mean lower-low tide. San Pablo Bay has a much more extensive intertidal area than Suisun Bay. San Pablo Bay water flows into San Francisco Bay and then through the narrow Golden Gate into the Pacific Ocean. The investigations reported on in this bulletin were geographically limited to the upper and middle portions of the estuary—from the Delta through San Pablo Bay. We have not investigated below San Pablo Bay. McCarty et al (1962) described south San Francisco Bay, and Storrs, Selleck, and Pearson (1964) described north San Francisco Bay. Gillian (1957) wrote an interesting and useful popular account of the entire bay.

Fish Collections and Secondary Louver Efficiency at the Tracy Fish Collection Facility: October 1993 to September 1995

U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (USBR) | May 29th, 1998