Category: Conservation Concerns

Information on conservation issues that effect fly fishing waters and fish stock..

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NCCFFI Conservation Advocates

by Bob

Our club is a member of the Northern California Council Fly Fishers International. NCCFFI is one of many nationwide councils under the umbrella of Fly Fishers International. So what is NCCFFI and what do they do? Here’s some information that provides an overview from NCCFFI’s website.

Vision
“To educate current and future generations on the traditions of fly fishing, and to conserve and improve healthy aquatic watersheds.”

Mission
“We are a volunteer, non-profit educational and conservation organization dedicated to preserving our outdoor watersheds and fisheries. Our purpose is to inform the public about the benefits of the fly fishing traditions, and to fight for clean water, healthy watersheds and fisheries. We do this by supporting our member clubs through education, conservation advocacy and outreach on behalf of their members and communities.”

Purpose Statements
Work to preserve our fisheries and watersheds.
Educate the public that fly fishing is a sport/hobby for all ages.
Provide value to fly fishing clubs on issues they are interested in and cannot do alone.
Promote fly fishing clubs and support them on their projects.
Bring together clubs on important issues affecting fly fishing and conservation so we can speak with a loud, coordinated voice.
Reach out to clubs for input and guidance on important issues.

How does Santa Cruz Fly Fishing club benefit from being a member? FFI has a robust, structured fly casting development program. If you’ve been to any of our fly casting classes lately, those cones and rings you’ve been targeting with different casting strokes is part of the FFI casting playbook. Many of our members are taking advantage of the classes are improving, which is very encouraging to see. Another important benefit is our club is able to obtain insurance through our membership with FFI. There are numerous educational resources on all things related to fly fishing that are available, especially if you become an individual member at FFI.

And since we’re concerned with conservation, I want to highlight what role NCCFFI plays in conservation in Northern California. As noted above in their Vision, Mission and Purpose Statement, conservation is a large focus. Mark Rockwell has been VP of Conservation NCCFFI since 2021. You may recall he spoke to our club in September of 2024 about the effort to remove the dams on the Klamath River of which he has been involved since 2003. Mark has been active in several other conservation initiatives in Northern California. Below are a few examples.

Yuba River watershed enhancement and dam relicensing effort
Protection of the S.F. Bay-Deltawatershed and fishery
Update of the S.F. Bay-Delta Water Quality Control Plan & Voluntary Agreements
Toulomne River flow standards & SFPUC commitment to sustainable flow levels
South Santa Clara County watershed enhancement – FAHCE Agreement
Salmon & Steelhead recovery in Northern California rivers

As are many of us who are advocates for protecting and improving our fisheries, Mark is alarmed by the chaotic disregard for the environment by the the federal administration by stopping funding and eliminating jobs at the US Fish and Wildlife Service, NOAA Fisheries, U.S. Forest Service, Bureau of Reclamation, Bureau of Land Management and Bureau of Indian Affairs. This includes impact to ongoing work to restore the Klamath Basin. I encourage you to read Mark’s April 2025 report that describes the issues and expresses his outrage at what is taking place. I share his concerns as well.

https://mcusercontent.com/6c782b03fd5c840efe8ac5c88/files/bb810988-5577-71c1-ed4a-3e148d21a09f/April_2025_Conservation_Report.pdf

On a more positive note, did you know our own beloved Tom Hogye is NCCFFI 2nd Vice President? For those of you that are new to SCFF, Tom was our president for many years and filled other roles, including Conservation Chair. I the latest NCCFFI newsletter, Tom has an article titled “Conservation Motivation” where he talks about what steps were taken at SCFF to expand our membership with an emphasis on younger members. He also offers some ideas on reaching out and encouraging new ideas and perspectives on what will make a club thrive. If we feel we are valued, it’s a wonderful feeling that is a great beginning taking ownership in improving the club and developing friendships.  It has been said that each converted fly fisher is on the path to learning about and becoming a conservationist. For a link to Tom’s article, to the link below.

https://mcusercontent.com/6c782b03fd5c840efe8ac5c88/files/7441814a-0fea-f41e-d1e2-80974c9f2f51/Youthinism.pdf

If you are interested in learning about the benefits of becoming a member of FFI, go to:
https://www.flyfishersinternational.org/Join-Renew

 

Posted on April 24th, 2025

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A Free Flowing Eel River? Let’s Hope So!

by Bob Garbarino

As I write this article, I’m hopeful I’ll make a trip to the Eel River to fish for steelhead before the season ends the end of March. This will be my first time to fish this river and I’m looking forward to learning about this fishery. I remember driving past the Eel many years ago when I lived in the Arcata/Eureka area and being struck by its beautiful deep green color. Not only am I excited about the prospect of getting up there and experiencing the natural beauty of the area, I’m also encouraged by the progress being made to improve the health of the river.

Eel River History
The Eel River once supported the third largest runs of salmon and steelhead in California. Salmon were so plentiful canneries operated on the river in the late 1800s and early 1900s. But, over the years a number of factors have contributed to a severe decline to a small fraction of historical numbers:
Commercial overfishing
Erosion from clear cut timber harvesting, cattle ranching and road building
Introduction of invasive pikeminnow
Floods and drought
Water quality issues
Dam construction
Water diversions

Dam Removal
One of the key developments that have experts encouraged is the planned license surrender and decommissioning of the Scott and Cape Horn Dams by PG&E. This will open the opportunity to completely remove the dams. The result will be to open up 288 miles of spawning and rearing habitat for salmon and steelhead all the way to the river headwaters. The removal of the dams is currently projected to begin in 2028.

Water Diversion to the Russian River
The other related aspect of the dam removal is what to do with the water diversion tunnel at Cape Horn Dam. This is a tunnel that has been sending water to the Russian River watershed since 1908. Earlier this year, a complex Memorandum of Understanding was established by numerous stakeholders: California Department of Fish and Wildlife, California Trout, Eel-Russian Project Authority, Humboldt County, Mendocino County Inland Water and Power Commission , Round Valley Indian Tribes, Sonoma County Water Agency, and Trout Unlimited. This memorandum defines the requirements and infrastructure to allow water to be diverted from the Eel River to the the Russian River. One of the key requirements outlined in this document is that diversions will not negatively impact fish restoration progress. Let’s hope that is the case.

Santa Cruz Fly Fishing provides contributions to Cal Trout, Trout Unlimited and Friends of the Eel River—all of whom have been instrumental in having a positive impact on helping the Eel River making a comeback.

For more insight into the Eel River restoration, have a look at Cal Trout’s Vision Book

and Friends of the River.

Posted on March 26th, 2025

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Profile-The Osprey

by Bob Garbarino

Last year when the SCFF conservation committee was looking for new ideas for our support, The Osprey caught my attention. First of all, naming your organization after such an amazing bird is a great start. So, other than a cool name, what is it about The Osprey that is a good fit for our club?
The Osprey describes itself: “International Journal of Salmon and Steelhead Conservation is a scientific journal published by a consortium of like-minded conservation organizations: The Conservation Angler, Fly Fishers International, World Salmon Forum, Wild Steelhead Coalition, Steelhead Society of British Columbia, and Skeena Wild.” The journal is published three times a year by a team consisting of an editorial committee and a group of of scientific advisors. The focus of the articles is on Pacific salmon and steelhead science, recovery and management. They are devoted advocates of conserving existing wild steelhead and salmon and recovery of diminishing populations. They identify some primary threats to their survival include climate change, population growth, ill-advised dams and hatchery projects.
By going to the website https://www.ospreysteelhead.org/, you can access their archive of publications. Some of the articles get pretty deep into the science, but it shows they are committed to understanding the fundamental basis for decisions and recommendations involving that benefit to the fish.
Here’s a sample of article titles from the fall 2024 issue:
Rewilding the Lower Snake River
Life history Diversity Emerges in Salmonids Repopulating Tributaries of the Undammed Elwha River
Native Resident Trout Policy: An Opportunity to Properly Acknowledge Gaps in Managing Resident Wild Steelhead in Washington State
Reflections on American Conservation and Economic History in Relation to Wild Salmon and Steelhead
Articles like these demonstrate the authors have a sound understanding of the science and history of the challenges these fish have endured.  It also show their commitment to the fish and rivers they care deeply about.
Not only does support for The Osprey help with the journal publication, it also helps to get the journal into the hands of wild fish conservation decision-makers and influencers including scientists, fisheries managers, politicians, and wild fish advocates.
In the fall 2024 issue, the new editor, John McMillian suggests other sources of information about wild steelhead and salmon:
Research and peer-reviewed papers by John McMillan: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/John-Mcmillan-8
John McMillan’s Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/rainforest_steel/
An informative podcast about science, angling and conservation called The Deep Wade Podcast: https://thedeepwadepodcast.buzzsprout.com/

Posted on January 23rd, 2025

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Profile–California Sportfishing Protection Alliance

by Bob Garbarino

California Sportfishing Protection Alliance (CSPA) is a collection of committed activists with extensive experience and expertise in the trenches of the administrative, and judicial processes affecting fisheries, water rights, and water quality. These are these arenas in which defenders of the public interest and the public trust win or lose the battles to protect the fisheries and water quality of our waterways.
California has many laws protecting fisheries and water quality but a poor track record of enforcing them. CSPA monitors the water rights and water quality processes, and where necessary, enforces laws enacted to protect the aquatic environment. They have developed working relationships with state and federal agencies and legislators, and they closely collaborate with other fishing and environmental organizations. CSPA’s work covers the following important areas affecting California’s fisheries.
Clean Water Law Enforcement—This includes stopping stormwater pollution, wastewater pollution and agricultural pollution.
Balance the Water Budget—Areas of focus are reforming water rights, stopping the Sites Reservoir project, enforcing state doctrines and planning for drought.
Save the Bay-Delta Estuary—Priorities are stopping the Delta Tunnel, restoring the rule of law and completing the Bay-Delta Plan.
Protect Rivers from Hydropower Dams—Key strategies are leveraging hydropower licensing, removing obsolete dams and protecting the Clean Water Act Section 401.
Improve Fisheries Management—CSPA states that 83% of California’s native fisheries are at risk of extinction. To combat the fisheries decline, CSPA is working to increase natural production, modernize hatcheries and promote equitable access.
Through the hard work and commitment of the staff at CSPA, we can know that they are acting on our behalf to help to restore healthy habitats for native fish—including Chinook salmon and steelhead.

Go to  https://calsport.org/  for more in-depth information on CSPA.

Posted on December 27th, 2024

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Profile – Friends of the Eel River

by Bob Garbarino

This month we have a look at another conservation organization SCFF supports: Friends of the Eel River

Friends of the Eel River works for the recovery of the Wild and Scenic Eel River, its fisheries, and communities. A top goal is to decommission and remove PG&E’s two aging dams in the Eel River headwaters and drastically reduce and/or shift the water diversion to the Russian River. In 2017, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission began the lengthy project relicensing process. In 2018, PG&E announced its intent to auction the project (known as the Potter Valley Project) off. And in 2019, PG&E announced it was withdrawing its license renewal application. The latest proposal is to begin removal of the dams in 2028.

Why Remove the Dams?

Fish populations in the Eel River have severely declined. The Eel River once saw some of the largest salmon runs in California. with estimated annual runs of more than 1 million salmon and steelhead, including some 800,000 Chinook. Now those fish populations are between 1% and 3% of their historic numbers. The river’s salmon and steelhead populations are all listed as threatened under the Federal Endangered Species Act. Water quality throughout the Eel River is listed as impaired under the Clean Water Act because of excessive sedimentation and high temperatures. The river’s mainstem and estuary are also negatively affected by a lack of floodplain connectivity and habitat loss from agricultural land conversions, the introduction of non-native pikeminnow, and poor water quality. Cape Horn Dam has a poorly functioning fish ladder, and 12 miles upstream, Scott Dam, which creates Lake Pillsbury, has no fish passage at all.  The result is 288 miles of potential salmon and steelhead spawning and rearing habitat is blocked.  Scott Dam is the largest barrier to native salmon habitat on the north coast of California.   It blocks access to high elevation, climate change resilient habitat in Mendocino National Forest and Snow Mountain Wilderness.

Other Programs Friends of the Eel River is engaged in:
Public Lands—FOER works to improve and enhance access to public lands and to support new designations promotes access in the Eel River watershed.

Estuary and the Lower River—Restoring the Eel estuary is key to reviving healthy populations of migrating native salmonids. To achieve this, they work to implement effective groundwater management and preparing for climate change and sea level rise.

Water Quality—Instream flow protection and point source pollution violation enforcement are two efforts FOER supports.

The Santa Cruz Fly Fishing club conservation committee enthusiastically supports Friends of the Eel River because of their dedication to restore the health of the Eel River watershed. It is through their efforts that gives us hope for the future of this fishery.

Also worth noting is FOER is a member of a coalition of  Tribes, conservation groups, and businesses called Free the Eel. https://freetheeel.org/

For a brief overview of Friends of the Eel River and more insight into the organization, go to:
https://eelriver.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/FOER-One-Pager-Info-Sheet.pdf

This is an excellent article on the dam removal project:
https://therevelator.org/dams-eel-river/#:~:text=A%20report%20from%20fisheries%20biologists,beyond%20the%20next%2050%20years.%E2%80%9D

 

Posted on November 27th, 2024

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Profile–Restore the Delta

by Bob Garbarino

A year ago, I got an email from one of our members, Bob Ransdell, suggesting that our club consider supporting Restore the Delta. After taking a brief look at their website I decided to add this organization to our list of candidates for this year’s SCFF contributions. After learning about their mission, areas of focus and how they align with our club priorities, the SCFF conservation committee decided to support Restore the Delta with a cash contribution. The mission of Restore the Delta is “to ensure the health of the San Francisco Bay-Delta estuary and Delta communities”. Since 2006 they have worked in  areas of public education, program and policy development, and outreach to advance their vision to restore the Sacramento-San Joaquin Bay Delta. To achieve their goals, they interface with local, state and federal agencies. They also connect communities with the estuary and foster participation in government planning, community science and waterway monitoring. Their ongoing work includes:
Delta Tunnel—The current iteration of this plan—the Delta Conveyance Project—would divert up to 6,000 cfs of water from the north delta to large farming operations and water wholesalers south of the delta. Restore the Delta, along with their allies including the Bay Institute, California Indian Environmental Alliance, Golden State Salmon Association, San Francisco Baykeeper and the Shingle Springs Band of Miwok Indians have been engaged in legal action against the California Department of Water Resources to stop the DCP. In a recent press release by Delta Tribal Environmental Coalition (DTEC), Scott Artis, executive director for the Golden State Salmon Association stated “Extending water permits for 55 years isn’t a ‘minor change’—it’s a major blow to California’s already struggling salmon populations. The Delta Conveyance Project will devastate the fishing industry and Bay-Delta watershed that communities and tens of thousands of people and businesses rely on, all while bending the rules for big water interests.”
Policy and Advocacy—Restore the Delta has a Delta Policy Analyst that monitors and engages with the State Water Resources Control Board. She advocates for water quality standards that are protective of tribes, environmental justice communities, and Delta fisheries and ecosystems.
Water Quality—A priority is to understand the science behind and monitor harmful algal blooms (HABs). HABs pose a serious threat in the form of toxins released from blooms that can cause problems from skin rashes to liver problems. They can kill pets and deplete dissolved oxygen which can kill fish, impacting sustenance fishing and sport fishing.
There are other programs that this organization is involved with to protect and restore the delta. Together, these all contribute to further our club’s mission to conserve, protect and restore local, state and national fisheries. This is why the conservation committee supports Restore the Delta.

Posted on October 30th, 2024

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Profile–Eastern Sierra Land Trust

by Bob Garbarino

This month, we continue our profile series on one of the conservation organizations our club supports:  Eastern Sierra Land Trust

This organization is relevant in that the area affected by Eastern Sierra Land Trust’s efforts helps protect the fishery where one of our club fishouts takes place in the Mammoth Lakes and surrounding area. In fact several members of Santa Cruz Fly Fishing club will be there when this article is released.
Eastern Sierra Land Trust works with willing landowners to protect vital lands in the Eastern Sierra region for their scenic, agricultural, natural, recreational, historical, and watershed values. Rich in natural beauty, home to abundant wildlife, and steeped with history, the Eastern Sierra is a magnificent and complex region.  Wildlife habitat is plentiful and diverse, supporting fisheries, migrating deer herds, and important bird flyways. Historic working farms and ranches are scenic, productive, and an integral part of our local economy.
By partnering with forward-thinking landowners and conservation supporters like you, ESLT is able to permanently protect the land, water, and wildlife that make the Eastern Sierra so special. Since their founding in 2001, they have successfully conserved over 23,000 acres on 26 unique properties that provide important resources to wildlife and the local community.

What does a land trust do?
Land trusts work with private landowners and the public to conserve working farms and ranches, natural areas, and cultural and biological resources for the benefit of their communities. They may acquire lands through donation or purchase; set up voluntary land protection agreements (conservation easements) with willing landowners; or mediate land trades between landowners and public agencies.
Land trusts have existed for over 100 years; today, more than 1,300 are operating in the United States. Funded primarily by charitable donations and private or government grants, land trusts across the nation have cumulatively conserved more than 56 million acres – including scenic areas, hiking trails, critical wildlife habitats, farms and ranches, and historic landmarks. Most land trusts operate locally, providing crucial land-use tools for property owners and citizens concerned with conservation on private lands.

Working Farms & Ranches
The Working Farms and Ranches Program helps local families set up voluntary land conservation agreements that permanently protect their working lands from the threat of subdivision. The Eastern Sierra’s working farms and ranches are scenic, historic, and a vital part of the regional economy. They also offer important habitat to wildlife: many iconic or rare species use the Eastern Sierra’s irrigated meadows and open pastures as a place to roam, forage, and raise their young. Yet many families following the ranching traditions of their parents and grandparents are struggling. Rising pressures to subdivide are putting these productive lands at risk. They don’t want to see their land developed, but many are running out of options. Fortunately, conservation provides a solution – and a growing number of ranchers and farmers in the area are choosing to partner with Eastern Sierra Land Trust to conserve their land for the future. This is usually accomplished by using one of their primary conservation tools: the conservation easement. Under a conservation easement, landowners retain title and management of their property, while designating how their land may be used now and in the future. For example, landowners may want to protect their land’s current agricultural use in perpetuity by prohibiting any subdivision or land use that would compromise those protected qualities, while retaining all other property rights. Landowners also may benefit from significant tax advantages currently and for future generations.

Critical Habitats
Eastern Sierra Land Trust’s Critical Habitats Program helps protect and restore lands that wildlife need to survive – providing them with safe, healthy homes forever. As our population grows, poorly-planned development puts wildlife at risk. Subdivision of open lands chops up migration corridors, wetlands, and breeding grounds, leaving wild creatures with nowhere to go. The Critical Habitats Program helps ensure that the Eastern Sierra’s wild inhabitants will always have a place to thrive. They accomplish this through public education; habitat restoration and land stewardship; and legally-binding agreements, such as the conservation easement, that protect important habitat from the threat of future development. Concerned property owners in the Eastern Sierra are working with ESLT to conserve and restore wildlife habitat on their land. For example, in the community of Swall Meadows, several landowners have partnered with ESLT to protect a critical migration corridor for the Round Valley mule deer herd.

Community Connections
Eastern Sierra Land Trust’s Community Connections Program works to build bonds between families and the land. By getting people of all ages outdoors and educating them about the natural world, they cultivate a deep appreciation for our region and all that it offers.
At Eastern Sierra Land Trust, they know that preserving the Eastern Sierra goes beyond protecting land with legal tools. By introducing people of all ages to the value of conservation and by helping them develop deep bonds with this land, you’re ensuring that the work we do today will last long into the future. Outings such as the annual field trip to our local Mule Deer Migration Corridor, wildflower walks, birdwatching opportunities, and hands-on volunteer days get families out in nature, where they get to know the places and wildlife species that make the Eastern Sierra unique.

One recent activity was The Great Sierra River Cleanup—part of California Coastal Cleanup day. ESLT, Friends of the Inyo, and volunteers will remove trash along the Owens River on LADWP land near the Artesian Springs.

Posted on September 24th, 2024

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Conservation Profile–Saved By Nature

by Bob Garbarino

Before I present an introduction to this month’s profile of a new organization, I want to give you an update (see last month’s President’s Line in the newsletter) on recent accomplishments by our friends just south at Carmel River Steelhead Association. Each year during summer when the creeks feeding the Carmel River start drying-up, an ambitious group of well equipped and knowledgeable core leaders, with the assistance of helper volunteers hit the water with a mission. The goal is to capture as many as possible young-of-year and juvenile (1+ year) steelies from soon to be dried-up reaches of creek that is cut off from the Carmel River. As of this writing, they have rescued over 7,000 fish and inserted over 600 PIT tags. Scott Kitayama and I were able to make it down there to help a couple of times. Hopefully some more of our club members will be able to join-in sometime. It’s very gratifying to help give these iconic fish a chance.

Saved by Nature
https://www.savedbynature.org/

ABOUT SAVED BY NATURE
Founder Richard Tejeda worked with MBSTP (one of their community partners). They organize outdoor activities like hiking, fishing, backpacking, boat tours, camping for all ages including adult reentry for incarcerated people.
Their mission is to expose and connect people of all backgrounds, ethnicities, and abilities to the natural wonders & recreational opportunities of the outdoors. We collaborate with partners to ensure mental, physical, and spiritual healing in nature.  
Their vision is to create a world free of barriers and equitable access to nature for all. We inspire environmental and social justice and advocate for the protection of our earth through outdoor education.
Saved By Nature works within our parks and preserves to provide a variety of unique environmental programs that educate residents about climate change, and protecting the air that we breathe and water that we drink. Providing a cohesive system of support for Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, San Mateo, Alameda, Monterey, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, San Francisco, Solano, and Sonoma counties. Ensuring residents have a high quality, multilingual and multicultural outdoor nature experience.
Saved By Nature’s Dock of the Bay project is set to involve 600 individuals from underrepresented communities of color, across all age groups, in 20 exciting excursions along the breathtaking coasts of San Francisco and Monterey Bay. Participants will have the opportunity to partake in a diverse range of activities such as fishing, crabbing, kayaking, camping, boat tours, backpacking, kite flying, and hiking adventures.
This initiative has been carefully designed to bring people of different generations together, enabling them to explore and appreciate the scenic coastal region while empowering them with the necessary skills and confidence to become stewards of the area and engage in restorative practices that foster joy and healing.  A sampling of some activities this year included;
Santa Cruz Wharf – Halibut Fishing on Santa Cruz Wharf
Manresa State Beach – Hike In Tent Camping and Surf Fishing
Oyster Point Park – Pier fishing for Sturgeon and Bar-b-que
Cooley Landing Park – Bay Fishing for Shark and Bat Ray
The SCFF conservation committee believes that Saved By Nature, with their commitment to engaging all generations—including those that may have limited opportunities—to get out in nature and hopefully learn to be stewards of the environment—including our fisheries.

Posted on August 27th, 2024

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Profile–Restore the Delta

by Bob Garbarino

This month, as part of our mission to inform our membership about conservation organizations we support, we have a look into Restore the Delta.  https://restorethedelta.org/
Mission: To ensure the health of the San Francisco Bay-Delta estuary and Delta communities.

ABOUT RESTORE THE DELTA

Restore the Delta works in the areas of public education, program and policy development, and outreach so that all Californians recognize the Sacramento-San Joaquin Bay Delta as part of California’s natural heritage, deserving of restoration. They interface with local, state and federal agencies.
They envision the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta as a place where a vibrant local economy, tourism, recreation, farming, wildlife, and fisheries thrive as a result of resident efforts to protect our waterways. They seek water quality protections for all communities, particularly environmental justice communities and California tribes, as well as community protections from flood and drought impacts.
Their goal is to connect communities to regional rivers and to empower communities to become the guardians of the estuary through participation in government planning, community science and waterway monitoring, and a sustainable local economy. They work to build the next generation of water leaders by developing programs in science, land and water management, and the green economy. They work for a Delta with waters that are fishable, swimmable, and drinkable, and farmable. They envision improvements in the Delta as opportunities for Delta tribes, Delta farming communities, and environmental justice communities to gain greater equity in decision making and to share in the benefits from area natural resources management.
Based in the Delta, California, Restore the Delta has worked since 2006 in the areas of public education and outreach and has grown to over 75,000 regular followers throughout California.
PRIMARY AREA OF FOCUS
Delta Conveyance Project—The Delta tunnel has taken the form of previous water conveyance projects in the past, like the Peripheral Canal idea that was rejected by California voters way back in 1982 and California WaterFix that died in 2019. Currently known as the Delta Conveyance Project, the proposal would construct two new water intake facilities on the Sacramento River in the North Delta to fill a single tunnel that would divert freshwater flows. That water would be shipped to large farming operations and water wholesalers south of the Delta. The Delta Conveyance project would divert up to 6,000 cubic feet of water per second. The project is estimated to cost between $16-40 billion and won’t be completed until at least 2040. The California Department of Water Resources published the final Environmental Impact Report (FEIR) for the Delta Conveyance Project on December 8, 2023, and published a Notice of Determination (NOD) on December 21, 2023. The NOD is the final administrative published record for a proposed project by the lead agency, which in this case is the Department of Water Resources.
Reviewing the prior Draft EIR, Restore the Delta identified 17 significant and unavoidable impacts of the proposed tunnel project on the environment that were not accounted for in the Draft EIR. Among these impacts will be the loss of prime agricultural farmland, loss of local non-tribal cultural resources, transportation and air quality impacts, and painful loss of tribal cultural resources.
The recently certified final EIR still largely ignores the project’s impacts on Delta urban environmental justice communities, how construction will ruin small Delta farming towns, and the natural resources essential to the cultural and spiritual practices of Delta tribes.
On January 22, 2023, Restore the Delta with a coalition of environmental and Tribal organizations took legal action against the California Department of Water Resources following the certification and approval of the FEIR for its violation of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). The CEQA case includes 13 CEQA violations. The groups claim that after the approval of the project from the agency, it failed to consider the extensive, disparate effects the project would inflict upon communities and wildlife, such as Tribal and other historically marginalized communities and endangered fish species, including Chinook salmon and steelhead.
The groups taking legal action against the Department of Water Resources include The Bay Institute, California Indian Environmental Alliance, Golden State Salmon Association, Restore the Delta, San Francisco Baykeeper, and the Shingle Springs Band of Miwok Indians.
Because the delta is such crucial component that impacts the health of many the fisheries in California, in makes sense for SCFF to support Restore the Delta.  Thanks to member Robert Ransdell for suggesting that we consider Restore the Delta.

Posted on July 29th, 2024

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Profile: Carmel River Steelhead Association

by Bob Garbarino

Last month I started a series of profiles on conservation organizations Santa Cruz Fly Fishing Club is supporting this year with cash donations. The goal of these articles is to keep you all informed and hopefully inspires you to learn more about conservation. This month I will continue with another outfit that is new on our list this year— Carmel River Steelhead Association (CRSA). CRSA is a good fit because steelhead are listed as either threatened or endangered throughout most (if not all) of the Pacific coast, and it is local.

The mission of CRSA is the restoration and conservation of the federally threatened steelhead fishery on the Carmel River and its watershed. The primary goal is to return the Carmel River watershed to as natural a state as possible so that it will maintain an annual run of adult steelhead in excess of 2,000 fish.

The association was formed in 1974. It appears that Richard Hughett (a long-time SCFF member) and Ray Wermuth are principally credited with the formation of the association. They are primarily an important advocacy voice for steelhead recovery on the Carmel and contribute matching funds to some of Tim Frahm’s Trout Unlimited projects on the Carmel River.

CRSA focuses their work in three main areas to recover steelhead populations in the Carmel River—Fish Rescues, Water Advocacy and Habitat Improvement.

Fish Rescues—Every year parts of the Carmel River and most of its tributaries go dry because of excessive pumping of water to meet the needs of humans. When this happens fish stranded in these drying reaches will die without intervention by caring people. CRSA is very integral to an ongoing juvenile rescue program in the upper watershed. They have agreements with the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) who accompanies them to electroshock reaches which are drying back.  The captured juveniles are moved to the main stem. CRSA members have volunteered an average of 500 hours and rescued approximately 10,000 young steelhead per year.

Water Advocacy—While there are many reasons Carmel River Steelhead are endangered, lack of adequate water ranks number one. The Carmel River has been the primary source of water for the Monterey area resulting in over-pumping of the aquifer, thus drying the river. Similarly, local pumping for housing and vineyards results in the drying of most of the river’s tributaries.
With so many people wanting a portion of our limited amount of water, it has been a primary function of CRSA to be an advocate for adequate water for fish.

Habitat Improvement—In 1997 American Rivers listed the Carmel River as one of the 10 most endangered rivers in the United States. A lot has been done since that time to improve conditions on the Carmel River and a lot more must still be done. Whether it is a simple river trash removal or the installation of woody debris, CRSA has and will continue to work to improve the habitat from Los Padres Dam to the lagoon for steelhead.

For the SCFF conservation committee, Carmel River Steelhead Association is a great fit to complement our mission and worthy of our support. With their continued dedication and effort, we look forward to seeing some positive results in the recovery of our local steelhead.

For more information on CRSA, go to: https://www.carmelsteelhead.org/

Posted on May 29th, 2024

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Profile–Wild Steelheaders United

by Bob Garbarino

This year the Santa Cruz Fly Fishing Club board of directors approved an increase in the conservation budget from $3,000 to $4,000. This was made possible by our increase in memberships, your generous donations and fundraiser/raffle participation. I hope you all realize that you are helping conservation efforts that we believe are aligned with improving and protecting our fisheries. One of the goals this year put forth by our President, Scott Kitayama, is to encourage more participation in the club committees. As our club size increases, the board would appreciate some help.  I was fortunate to have Mary Hermansky, Dougald Scott and Rich Hughett help with putting together the conservation proposal for this year. They all have a lot of experience and provided some relevant perspective and fresh ideas.
For this month’s article, I’m going to provide a profile on one of the new additions to our list of organizations: Wild Steelheaders United.

Mission: Wild Steelheaders United (an organization within Trout Unlimited) was established to educate and mobilize the numerous wild steelhead advocates wanting to engage in the Initiative. It is a place where anglers can become more informed about wild steelhead biology and ecology, keep abreast of policy issues, and learn about TU’s conservation work.   Some of their projects in California:

Carmel River: San Clemente Dam Removal and River Re-route Project—Wild Steelheaders United and Trout Unlimited helped gain permits, approvals, and funding for the largest dam removal project in California’s history (so far). This project restored fish passage to more than 25 miles of mainstem and spawning tributaries in this once-productive wild steelhead river. A mere three years after the project’s completion, the winter steelhead run here increased significantly.

Carmel River: Rancho Canada land acquisition and conversion to regional park—Water rights experts from Wild Steelheaders United and Trout Unlimited played a key role in negotiating the terms of and obtaining funding for this landmark transaction, which converted an old 36-hole golf course to regional park land and keeps 300 acre-feet of water per year in the lower Carmel River to improve wild steelhead habitat and migration conditions in a reach that sometimes dries back.

Klamath River restoration—in 2016, Trout Unlimited joined the States of California and Oregon, tribes, federal agencies and other stakeholders in signing the amended Klamath Hydroelectric Settlement Agreement, which paves the way for removing four antiquated dams on this legendary steelhead fishery, resolving decades of stubborn water quality problems and re-opening more than 400 miles of good spawning and rearing habitat for salmon and steelhead. In 2018, the Klamath River Renewal Corporation submitted to the Federal Regulatory Energy Commission its Definitive Plan for taking over the license for these dams from the utility PacifiCorp and then removing them, while the State of Oregon issued its
certification under Section 401 of the Clean Water Act that the removal of JC Boyle Dam would not impair water quality upstream of the California-Oregon border.

Protecting steelhead habitat and water quality on public lands in northwest California— Eel and Trinity Rivers—TU and Wild Steelheaders United are the lead sportsmen’s groups working to permanently protect key steelhead habitats in the Eel and Trinity Rivers—two of the most famous steelhead streams in the West. These rivers flow largely through public lands. In 2018, Congressman Jared Huffman and Senator Kamala Harris introduced legislation to accomplish this goal, through a package of new land and water designations, forest and watershed restoration measures, development of new and enhanced recreational infrastructure, and restoration of illegal cannabis cultivation sites.

TU’s California Water Project completes fish passage and habitat restoration projects that benefit steelhead—In recent years TU and Wild Steelheaders United have led multiple restoration projects in coastal steelhead waters, including agricultural water supply solutions in the steelhead factories of Pescadero and San Gregorio Creeks; Mill and Yellowjacket Creeks (important spawning and rearing tributaries to the Russian River); and Pennington Creek, a steelhead stream that connects to Morro Bay near San Luis Obispo.

San Geronimo Creek/Lagunitas Creek restoration—In 2019 TU and Wild Steelheaders United partnered with the Trust for Public Land to acquire and begin restoration of a former golf course on San Geronimo Creek, an important tributary to Lagunitas Creek, which harbors the last best run of wild coho salmon in California and also supports steelhead. TU volunteers have played a lead role in restoration efforts on Lagunitas Creek for many years, and TU’s North Coast Coho Project will lead the San Geronimo Creek restoration work.

The information source for this article came from https://www.wildsteelheaders.org/. Check out this site for much more information. For a conservation atlas and a steelhead fishing trip planner, go to https://www.wildsteelheaders.org/our-work/conservation/.   Also, Tim Frahm and Christy Fischer of our local TU Steinbeck Country Chapter were primary forces in the success of many of the projects listed above.

Posted on April 24th, 2024

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Judge Decides in Favor of Fish in San Joaquin River Watershed

by Bob Garbarino

A Sacramento County superior court judge recently handed down a ruling upholding an important decision by the California State Water Board that impacts flows in the San Joaquin River and its three primary tributaries—the Tuolumne, Merced and Stanislaus Rivers.
Background:
In 2018, the State Water Resources Control Board issued a water quality plan for the San Joaquin River and the aforementioned tributaries that are part of the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta watershed. The plan called for increasing flows in the three tributaries to help increase severely decreasing populations of chinook salmon and steelhead trout. In order to increase flows, water diversions would need to be reduced. Diversions of over 80% of river flows are currently allowed. In 2022, a stretch of the Merced River was run dry. The 2018 plan was challenged with numerous lawsuits and claims by large agricultural water suppliers such as the Merced Irrigation District and Westlands Water District as well as municipal suppliers including the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission and the city of Modesto.
The Decision:
A total of 12 lawsuits and 116 claims were rejected in this ruling. If and when the standards are implemented, diversions during certain times of the year will be limited to 50%-70% of total river flows. This will result in a double in water flow in the rivers at certain times of the year. Also rejected was a challenge to a limit to salinity levels. It is expected that lawsuits will challenge the court decision.
Another Idea:
Another approach governor Newsom has promoted are so-called “voluntary agreements”. This approach, where parties come together to work out a comprehensive, multi-year solution that brings together dozens of water agencies with the state and federal governments to pool resources and take concrete actions to provide targeted river flows and expand habitat in the Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers and Bay Delta. These environmental improvements are supposedly guided by scientific monitoring and collaborative decision making. Many of the water agencies, including Westlands support the VA path. But, former Water Board chair Felicia Marcus says a voluntary agreement can be effective, regulatory requirements must be in place to enforce adequate water for the environment.
We will see how this saga plays out and if salmon and steelhead numbers bounce back sooner than later.

https://www.latimes.com/environment/story/2024-03-20/court-upholds-state-plan-to-require-more-water-in-california-rivers

 

Posted on March 27th, 2024

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The Good News and Not So Good News

by Bob Garbarino

The Good News from Marin County
In Marin County creeks, Central California federally endangered coho salmon return numbers were non-existent last year. This year, however is a different story. On Olema Creek near Point Reyes, 70 redds were found. On one day last December, 150 adult coho were counted, which makes this year the best in over 15 years. Fishery biologists say one of the significant reasons is the work done to improve the habitat in the streams. The monitoring team also sighted coho this year in Pine Gulch Creek and Cheda Creek which until 2020 had no fish counted in over a decade. Redwood Creek in Muir Woods has also seen an increase in redd counts, after habitat enhancement and a release of 4,000 hatchery-reared fish. In the 1940s the California coho salmon population was estimated to to be from 200,000-500,000 fish. Today, about 1% remain (2,000-5,000). For more information, see the source of this article: https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/endangered-coho-salmon-bay-area-comeback-18682993.php

The Not So Good News From Yellowstone Park
In a really interesting and sobering article that came by way of Hatch Magazine titled “Have we taken our love for native trout too far?”, the author looks at the history of fishery management in Yellowstone Park as far back as 1888—before it became a National Park. At that time, native westslope cutthroat trout and Arctic grayling thrived from both the Gibbon and Firehole, down through the Madison and beyond. Apparently that wasn’t enough fish for the man in charge from the U.S. Army. He was quoted as saying “I hope to see all of these waters so stocked that the pleasure-seeker in the Park can enjoy fine fishing within a few rods of any hotel or camp.” By 1935, the grayling had completely disappeared from the park, due to the introduction on non-native brown trout and brook trout. Rainbow trout were also planted. These fish all out-compete the grayling and westslope cutthroat. The brookie has apparently been the most harmful. The article expands with other examples throughout the west of human intervention with harmful effects on native fish populations. There are some ongoing efforts to restore native fish and control the non-natives in small areas. But for the most part, that is all that can be realistically accomplished. The other problem is the changing climate resulting in more hot weather and droughts (resulting in stream temperatures too warm to support healthy trout), and flooding. The warmer water trend is causing largemouth and smallmouth bass to move further up into reaches that were once void of these fish. At this point, It appears that our expectations will be that in many of these streams we should try to manage the reliable flow of cool water to support any wild trout. To sum up, I find this quote from the author of this article spot on: “Truth be told, we couldn’t have fouled up Western trout fisheries more effectively had we actually sought to do it. Our ignorance and our arrogance 140 years ago, coupled with our disdain for the natural function of rivers led us to this point.”

https://www.hatchmag.com/blog/have-we-taken-our-love-native-trout-too-far/7715867?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=weekly

Posted on March 1st, 2024

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The Resilient Steelhead and the Zayante Watershed

by Bob Garbarino

Since steelhead are for many of us on our “to-do fishing list” this time of year, I thought I’d include some interesting information about this fish that, despite the environmental challenges it faces, continues to instinctively fight back to survive as a species. What I find really interesting is that steelhead are the same species as rainbow trout. Their lifestyles differ in that steelhead are anadromous (they spend part of their life-cycle in the ocean) and rainbow trout spend their lives in freshwater. An interesting blog appeared this month from FISHBIO about the steelhead’s amazing ability to adapt to unfavorable environmental conditions. Dams are problematic in that they limit spawning and rearing habitat. They also disrupt natural stream flow and temperature patterns. Stream diversions, agriculture and urban development also have an negative impact. And because they move from river to ocean and back they face threats that are difficult to measure. The article expands on the methods and new ideas FISHBIO and other biologist employ to collect data that provide information to help develop plans to improve wild steelhead populations. For more details go to:
https://fishbio.com/sea-to-shining-sea-amazing-adaptable-steelhead/

In other news, our local Sempervirens Fund received a conservation easement donation to permanently restrict development of 67 acres of property in the Upper Zayante Watershed. The property has second-growth redwood trees and habitat for rare animal species and mountain lions. Isabel Upani creek, where coho and steelhead inhabit, passes through the property on its way to the San Lorenzo River. Although the property still belongs to the landowners, the agreement ensures that the protections are permanent. To read more, go to:
https://www.sfgate.com/california-parks/article/california-redwoods-private-land-18590110.php

Posted on January 25th, 2024

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The Tidewater Goby—Another State Fish

by Bob Garbarino

The California golden trout holds the well-deserved status of being California’s state fish. It’s arguably one of most beautiful fish…and it’s a trout, which we fly anglers hold in high esteem. There is another lesser known fish that is only found in and around coastal lagoons along California’s coast. Some of us fisher-types that know a little about our local streams have probably heard of the tidewater goby. Tidewater gobies only grow to about 2 inches in length. They are adapted to surviving in large variations of water salinity, temperature and dissolved oxygen level. While their reproduction cycle can occur all year long, peak success takes place during the summer when the estuary sand bar is intact. In spite of the their resilient nature, a number of environmental changes have led to the tidewater goby to be listed as endangered. Coastal development that alters the natural formation of estuaries is one primary example. Over a span of about 60 years beginning in the early 1950s, the goby was not found. The reason is thought to be the discharge of poorly treated sewage, extensive levee construction and channelization. In 2013 and 2014 FISHBIO did surveys at the Salinas lagoon and found that the goby was the second largest number of fish counted. Fish surveys have been taking place annually with encouraging results. Although I was not able to find what specific recovery measures were enacted for the Salinas River Lagoon, I expect some action was taken following the release in of the “Recovery Plan for the Tidewater Goby” published by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in 2005 to mitigate the above-mentioned stressors. Hopefully the improved conditions in the Salinas River lagoon will help other species populations grow as well!  For more details and information go to:
https://fishbio.com/a-true-but-endangered-californian-the-tidewater-goby/
And an interesting video on the survey on the Salinas river:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g1Qsfl06NoQ&t=5s

Posted on December 27th, 2023

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SCFF Volunteers Helping TU on Little Arthur Creek

by Bob Garbarino

Volunteers from Santa Cruz Fly Fishing club were out last month getting wet and dirty to help our local Trout Unlimited chapter. Tim Frahm, Central Coast Steelhead Coordinator for Trout Unlimited has been working on a project on Little Arthur Creek—a tributary of the Pajaro River—in an ongoing effort to improve and sustain steelhead habitat. Little Arthur Creek contains the best remaining spawning habitat for native steelhead in the upper Pajaro River system. One of the obstacles to steelhead moving upstream is a dam on the creek that is slated to be removed in 2024. The dam does have a crude retrofitted fish ladder that does not look to be effective. Another problem with the dam is that it collects debris on the upstream side—especially during heavy rain events. These two issues make it very difficult—if not impossible—for migration of steelhead further upstream.
Six of our club members showed up with shovels, picks, saws and other assorted tools to remove all sorts of wooden obstacles—small and large—to open up the flow of the stream for passage of fish beyond the dam prior to its removal. After a few hours of vigorous effort, we were able to accomplish our task. It was rewarding to spend the morning with my fellow fly anglers trying to help in a worthy cause to restore native fish in a local watershed. Thanks to Kevin Murdock, Kevin Morrison, Tommy Polito, Barry Burt and Jerry McKeon from Santa Cruz Fly Fishing. Also, thanks to Tim Frahm and Chris Fischer from Trout Unlimited Steinbeck Chapter for inviting us. I hope we can continue our our involvement in bringing back these iconic native fish. Trout Unlimited is one of the organizations our club supports with contributions thanks to your membership, raffle purchases and fundraiser participation.

Posted on November 29th, 2023

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SCFF Supports Organizations That Make a Difference

by Bob Garbarino

Two conservation organizations our club supports with annual donations—Alameda Creek Alliance and Caltrout—are working on a project to increase the habitat for Chinook salmon and steelhead on Alameda Creek. The goal of this project is to provide fish access to an additional 20 miles of the Alameda Creek watershed, into and above Sunol Regional Park. The obstacle to be addressed is a protective concrete pad over a main PG&E gas pipeline near the 680 freeway in Sunol Valley. The concrete crosses Alameda Creek at a level that blocks fish passage except during high streamflow events. The plan is to lower the pipeline 17 feet below the stream bed. Caltrout will be providing their resources to spearhead the project, and will lead stream monitoring after the obstacle is removed. This work builds on many projects on Alameda Creek over the years that resulted in Chinook salmon and steelhead being able to swim up into Niles Canyon in 2022—the first time in 50 years. Thank you SCFF club members for your support that enables us to pass along our success to organizations like Alameda Creek Alliance and Caltrout. To learn more about this, go to: http://www.alamedacreek.org/newsroom/pdf/media%20articles/2023/Cal%20Trout%209-18-23.pdf

Posted on October 26th, 2023

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Fly Fishing Conservation Best Practices

by Bob Garbarino

A few years ago, I posted an article in the newsletter with science-based conservation tips for fly anglers at: https://www.santacruzflyfishing.org/tag/november-2021/#post-3950. With the trend toward increased in angling pressure, drought and higher temperatures, I thought it would be a good time to revisit this subject. I found an article on the Fly Fishers International website that presents some great principles and practices for individual anglers that can help increase the survival rate of fish. Many of these were found in my previous article, but are certainly worth repeating. I must admit I haven’t always adhered to all these best practices, but I’m trying to be aware of them and become a better conservation-minded angler.

Fly Fishing Practices
Practice catch and release to help sustain and manage the fishery. This is especially important with all the challenges fish face. Land fish quickly. The longer the fish is played the more exhausted and stressed it becomes. Keep fish in the water. When removing the fly, keep the fish in the water so it can keep breathing. This is usually easier with a aid of a net.
Handle fish with care. Wet the fish and support it horizontally with both hands. Try not to squeeze too hard. This can be difficult when trying to control a slippery, lively fish. Avoid suspending the fish by its lip. Use barbless or crimped-barb hooks as they are easier/quicker to remove with less harm to the fish. It’s easier to remove a barbless hook from your body and clothing too!. A hemostat or other hook removal tool can be useful. If the fly is deep in the fish, cut the line off close to the fly as possible. When photographing fish, minimize time out of the water. Keep the fish in the water until the photographer says they are ready. When releasing, if the fish appears sluggish, gently hold it in the stream with its head facing into the current until it is ready to swim off. Carry a stream thermometer. When fishing for cold water fish—like trout—don’t fish when the water temperature approaches 70 degrees F.
Fly Fishing Gear and Flies
Use appropriate sized rod, reel, line and tippet that will allow landing your target species as quick as possible. Carry an effective hook removal tool. Use a rubber net whenever possible to help minimize damage to the fish’s skin and gills. Always use barbless or crimped barb hooks.
Protecting Fish, Water and Environment
Eliminate lead from the environment—BB weights and wire wrap for flies. Make sure you clean and dry (or other practical and effective method) equipment that contacts water when moving to a different watershed—especially when a body of water is known to have invasive critters like quagga mussels or New Zealand Mudsnails. Check local regulations for wading boot restrictions—felt soles are not permitted in some waters. Pack out all your trash, including tippet. Avoid stepping on spawning beds and redds. Don’t target actively spawning fish. Try to practice “leave no trace”.

For more details on this subject, go to: https://www.flyfishersinternational.org/Conservation/Ethos/Responsible-Fishing-Practices

Posted on September 26th, 2023

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Costly Columbia River Hatchery Program—Results Disappointing

by Bob Garbarino

In the May newsletter this year I wrote about a study that found introducing hatchery fish into streams with wild fish populations actually destabilized and reduced the wild fish population. This month I came across another article about how costly efforts to support and increase native salmon populations in the Columbia River has failed. This conclusion was based on a report published by an economics professor at Oregon State University and a biologist with the U.S. Geological Survey and the University of Washington. They analyzed data collected over 50 years with counts of native and hatchery salmon and steelhead return runs at Bonneville Dam. The data indicated hatchery fish numbers had increased slightly, while wild salmon and steelhead populations had not. In fact, the introduction of hatchery fish have in some cases been found to have a harmful effect on the wild population. They also reported that over the last four decades, about $9 billion have been spent by federal and state agencies to run and maintain about 200 salmon hatchery programs in the Columbia River Basin.
While overfishing and the construction of 14 dams are the primary contributors to the declining numbers, others are farming pollution and diversion of water for irrigation, climate change, as well as habitat loss from logging and mining. An average of 1.5 million salmon and steelhead have run up the Columbia over the last decade—far short of the goal of 5 million by 2025. State of Oregon officials are moving forward with a third-party investigation of the hatchery operations, including the cost vs benefits. The Conservation Angler, an organization that focuses on protection of wild Pacific anadromous fish populations throughout the Northwest, is active in reforming hatchery practices including those on the Columbia/Snake River basin. This is another example of an angling group getting involved in conservation.
For more information about this subject got to: https://www.opb.org/article/2023/08/05/columbia-river-salmon-habitat-spending-study/

Posted on August 24th, 2023

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Fall Creek Fish Ladder Improvement Project Begins

by Bob Garbarino

The San Lorenzo Valley Water District has announced that work has begun in Felton to improve fish migration up into Fall Creek—a tributary of San Lorenzo River. Early last year, our club submitted a letter in support of this project. This was in response to a request from one of our members, Carly Blanchard, who happens to be The San Lorenzo Valley Water District Environmental Programs Manager. The existing fish ladder—built thirty years ago—had steps too tall to allow the fish to easily move up the creek. The re-design incorporates lowering the ladder steps from eighteen to twelve inch steps. This is critical to make the trip upstream easier for steelhead and coho salmon. The water district has been working with the National Marine Fisheries Services and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife on the design to meet current accepted standards. The budget for the project is about $2.3 million with $1.1 million coming by way of a grant from the CDFW Watershed Restoration Grant Program. Completion date is expected to be October 2023.  Great work Carly!
By the way, there is a trail that follows Fall Creek in the Fall Creek Unit of Henry Cowell State Park that is beautiful, especially this year after all the rain. Check it out if you get a chance.
For more information, go to: https://www.santacruzsentinel.com/2023/07/10/fish-ladder-upgrades-underway-at-fall-creek-in-felton/

Posted on July 26th, 2023

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Tulare Lake is Back—For Now

by Bob Garbarino

Some of the expected outcomes of the onslaught of storms this year are the near record snowpack, reservoirs full to the brim and swollen rivers. With climate change, we can expect more drastic swings between flooding and drought in a feast-or-famine cycle. One event during heavy rain and snowpack years is the re-emergence of the “ghost lake”—Tulare Lake. Part of the complex history of man controlling water in California, Tulare has an interesting legacy. Tulare Lake was once the largest lake west of the Mississippi River, although its size varied between dry and wet periods. It was fed by the Kings, Tule, Kaweah and smaller rivers. During a typical year, the lake covered 650-700 square miles!
It provided habitat to a vast number of wildlife including thicktail chub (now extinct),  hitch, blackfish, Sacramento perch, pikeminnow, sucker, Tule Elk,  blackbirds, singing marsh wrens, geese, ducks white pelicans, black cormorants, herons, egrets, frogs, turtles, otters and beaver. Living off the abundance of wildlife were the indigenous Yokuts bands.
The demise of the Yokuts and Tulare lake can be traced to the appearance of European settlers. In the case of the Yokuts, malaria, smallpox, enslavement, genocide and the loss of their ancestral land were certainly devastating.
For Tulare Lake, after California became a State, the newly annexed “swamp and overflow” land in the area was subject to sale by the federal government for pennies. The conditions for sale were that the lake can be crossed in a boat and that the prospective buyer was willing to drain the lake for the purpose of farming. With this incentive, farmers engaged in constructing levees and other water containment measures to make the lake bed farmable. The final blow to the lake came in the first half of the 20th century with the influx of mega farming. These farmers had a hand in convincing the Army Corps of Engineers to spend millions of dollars building Pine Flat Dam on the Kings River as a flood control structure. Following shortly afterwards, dams on the Kaweah, Tule, and Kern Rivers were built. So, except during years when the snowmelt overwhelms the flood control infrastructure (1969, 1983, and 1997 and 2023) Tulare Lake does not exist. From a wildlife resurgence perspective, this year can be considered a wonderful event. Not to mention recharging much-depleted aquifers that have been over-drawn over the years. The downside is how all the water has disrupted and displaced residents in the region. Many of the residents are on the low end of the income scale, will loose farming jobs. Water managers in the area think that it may take a year or two to reclaim much of the lake for farming, costing the economy over a billion dollars.
While we will never return Tulare Lake to its historic glory, I can’t help from thinking if a scaled back version of the lake would be a compromise for the best interests for all stakeholders in California.

For an interesting read, see the following website:  https://californiawaterblog.com/2023/04/16/lake-tulare-and-its-fishes-shall-rise-again/

Posted on June 21st, 2023

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Klamath River Dam Removal—A Deep Dive

by Bob Garbarino

We’ve all been hearing about the decade-long effort to to get approval and funding to remove four dams on the Klamath River. The nation’s largest dam removal project is underway. The project cost estimate comes in at $500 million and is expected to have the river at a free-flowing state by the end of 2024.
So, what what is involved in a project like this?
Here are some numbers to give a sense of the scale. Remove 100,000 cubic yards of concrete, 1.3 million cubic yards of soil and 2,000 tons of steel. Fifteen million cubic yards of sediment that has accumulated behind the dams will be released.
What needs to happen prior to removal of the dams?
Seventeen million native plant seeds and 300,000 tree and shrub starts are being collected and prepared for planting the 2,000 acres that will be exposed after the reservoirs are drained. Invasive species are being removed. Water monitoring, wildlife surveys and barriers to protect fish in construction areas are being implemented. Endangered Lost River and short-nosed suckers will need to be relocated because they can’t survive in a flowing river. A new water line will need to be installed that is part of the delivery system to the town of Yreka. Some access roads will need to be widened and fortified to accommodate the heavy machinery required to demolish and remove the dam. Bridges will need to be reinforced. Nearby construction crew temporary housing needs to be provided. All this pre-demolition work need to take place before the dams can be removed.
The first dam to be demolished is Copco 2, the smallest of the four. This dam will have holes drilled and filled with dynamite. Hydraulic picks and other machinery will be used to break down the rubble into manageable chunks to be hauled away. While Copco 2 is being removed, the other three dams will be prepared for draw down and demolition.
This summary just touches the surface of all the details of this huge project. When all is said and done, the hope and expectation is that a healthy, free-flowing Klamath river will provide a much improved ecosystem. And with that, an extended reach of clean, cold habitat for re-establishing decimated Coho and Chinook salmon populations.
For more details and a deeper dive, see the excellent article found at: https://www.northcoastjournal.com/humboldt/undamming-and-restoring-the-klamath/Content?oid=26439802
The non-profit organization in charge of managing the project is Klamath River Renewal Corporation. Their website is: https://klamathrenewal.org/

Posted on May 31st, 2023

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The River’s End and Hatchery Fish

Hello fellow conservationists. Happy belated Earth Day. I hope you all are enjoying the spring weather and are getting out in nature, getting a line wet and finding some fish. I thought I’d cover two topics this month that are always pertinent to conservation: water and fish.

Earlier in April, I sent out a message letting you know about the documentary River’s End: California’s Latest Water War. I hope you had a chance to watch it. I found it to be very interesting and sobering…lots of history on this subject with an emphasis on the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta and shows how money, power and politics have directed the flow of water.   It provides a historical example of how in the early 1900s, the Owens Valley water was diverted to quench the thirst of the growing metropolitan area in Los Angeles. Now, the primary consumer of water in the state is big agriculture at 80%. High value crops (it takes one gallon of water to grow one almond) are distributed world wide. However dire the situation is as it pertains to our fisheries, there are solutions if we pay attention to the science and have the will to act. That is why our club supports organizations like the California Sport Fishing Alliance and the Bay Institute as they focus much of their efforts on the health of the S.F. Bay-Delta. If you haven’t seen River’s End yet, I urge you to do so.  You can find it here: https://tubitv.com/movies/704504/river-s-end-california-s-latest-water-war

On another topic, a study by a biology professor at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro reinforces claims that releasing hatchery-reared native fish to augment or rescue fish populations has a negative effect on the wild fish populations. In the article, a couple of scenarios were cited as examples. One of them is on watershed where fish populations are dwindling, the fundamental problem is habitat degradation (example: fish-killing dams). Adding more fish into a compromised environment does not improve the fishery. Another example cited is where otherwise healthy populations of wild fish are augmented with large releases of hatchery fish (example: Alaskan/Asian pink salmon), which may be attributed to crashes of zooplankton in the ocean. Zooplankton is a fundamental component of the food chain that impacts multiple fish.
As stated in the article, “In other words, population numbers, reproductive success and the overall health of the fishery was all over the map on streams where fish were regularly planted. “Control” streams that didn’t have hatchery “enhancements” sported fisheries that were generally healthier and more stable.”
For more details go to this interesting article: https://www.hatchmag.com/articles/more-evidence-releasing-hatchery-reared-native-fish-harmful/7715689

Posted on April 23rd, 2023

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2023 Commercial and Sport Chinook Season in Jeopardy

by Bob Garbarino

On March 10th the Pacific Fisheries Management Council adopted proposals that will close Chinook fishing for 2023. They will reconvene on April 7 and will vote to finalize their decision on the sport and commercial season for California marine and inland waters as well as off most of the Oregon coast. In addition, three organizations that represent commercial and sport fishing professionals are also recommending closing the season: Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Association, the Golden Gate Fishermen’s Association and the Northern California Guides and Sportsmen’s Association. Some members of these organizations predict the 2024 season will be closed as well. The last time fishing was cancelled was in 2008 and 2009. This year, only 169,767 adult Sacramento River fall run chinook are estimated to be offshore this year. Last year the estimate was 396,458. Ten years ago the numbers were in the 800,000 range. In 2022, only an estimated 61,850 fish made it to spawn in the Sacramento River—the 3rd lowest recorded. Hostile conditions, brought on by extreme heat, state and federal water control policies, thiamine deficiency—to name a few—all contribute to the low numbers of fish surviving.
I know many—if not all—of our club members are staying informed on important issues like this, and support many local, state and beyond conservation organizations. As you may be aware, our club allocates a substantial portion of our budget to support many organizations fighting for the future of out beautiful sport. Whenever you have an opportunity to weigh-in on issues such as the one in this article, I urge you to let your voice be heard. Thank you for all you do to support SCCF!

For more information on this article check out these sources:
https://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/news/regulators-signal-no-california-salmon-season-this-year-amid-dismal-return/
https://goldenstatesalmon.org/fishery-council-moves-to-close-california-and-parts-of-oregon-salmon-fishing-in-2023/
https://www.nrdc.org/bio/doug-obegi/biden-admin-takes-1st-step-undo-trumps-delta-destruction

Posted on March 30th, 2023

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California Chinook Salmon Facing a New Threat

by Bob Garbarino

In my January conservation article, I wrote about spawning Chinook being transported above Shasta Dam to the colder McCloud River. The main reason for doing this was to see if the health and survival of the fish would increase. The fish grew faster in this habitat and survival rates increased. This article discusses another challenge the Chinook faces. In addition to the well established threats to the survival of Chinook salmon, including dams, drought, extreme summer heat and wildfires, their primary food source is now found to be accelerating their decline. The abundance of anchovies in our ocean waters appears to be the favored forage fish of Chinook. Unfortunately, anchovies carry an enzyme—thiaminase— which causes a thiamine (vitamin B1) deficiency in the fish. Researchers are correlating the B1 deficiency with lower survival rates and numbers of salmon returning to their spawning water. 2022 was the worst winter run spawn on record. Scientists are trying to understand why there is such an abundance of anchovies and why Chinook are so heavily favoring them over other food sources that have historically been part of their diet. One interesting method is to analyze fish lenses to identify how and why the food source has changed over time. Meanwhile, egg bearing females are being injected with thiamin. The vitamin is also added to the water in the tanks where the fry are reared. Egg production is also being increased at the Feather River Fish Hatchery in Oroville. Let’s hope these and other efforts will improve the Chinook population throughout our state and beyond.
For more information and details, go to the following:

https://wildlife.ca.gov/News/feather-river-fish-hatchery-to-increase-production-of-fall-run-chinook-salmon-to-combat-impacts-of-drought-thiamine-deficiency

https://www.latimes.com/environment/story/2023-01-03/a-hunger-for-anchovies-is-killing-off-endangered-salmon

Posted on February 14th, 2023

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Monterey Bay Salmon and Trout Project Volunteer Opportunities

by Bob Garbarino

One of our club’s most valued local partners, Monterey Bay Salmon and Trout Project has some opportunities for us to help out and learn about this organization in a hands-on fashion. Please contact Bob Garbarino (rjgarbarino@gmail.com or 831-24-2045) if you want to participate in any of these activities.

1.  Hatchery—Come up on weekends for a few hours to feed fish, check intakes, etc.
or help with spawning at least one weekday a week through mid-February.  The hatchery is about 18 miles north of Santa Cruz.

2.  Fish Trap–  Interested in helping out with San Lorenzo River steelhead trapping for data collection?  MBSTP and the Santa Cruz Water Dept. are planning on operating the fish trap in Felton.  For trapping, it can be a “spur of the moment” kind of thing with flow conditions and inflation of the dam.  This is not a set-schedule volunteer event. The trap is run if river conditions are suitable and the dam is inflated, so volunteers have to be pretty flexible.  The hope is the window will open mid-January.

3.  Coho Release–As we move into spring, there will be a chance to help out with releasing fish (also, potentially an adult release to Pescadero in late January like we had last year).  Jerry McKeon, Jeff Gose and I participated last year and it was a really special experience.  There will probably be only 2-3 spots available as there were last year.

Posted on January 20th, 2023

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Two Conservation Organizations Helping California Rivers

by Bob Garbarino

This month we’ll look at two conservation organizations SCFF supports and current projects they are working on to improve habitat for fish in California

Western Rivers Conservancy “buys land along the West’s finest rivers and streams to conserve habitat for fish and wildlife, protect key sources of cold water and provide public access for all to enjoy”. Their motto is: “Sometimes to save a river, you have to buy it”. They look for opportunities to purchase key sections of rivers and convey them to partners with the goal of protecting fish and wildlife while providing public access permanently. One of their projects is to conserve the 4,344 acre Silva Ranch which includes a stretch of the Wheatfield Fork and a series of headwater creeks—all feeding the Gualala River in Sonoma County, California. The cold water in the river and creeks is healthy habitat for winter steelhead and Coho salmon. For more information, go to https://www.westernrivers.org/projects/ca/gualala-river.

Cal Trout engages in numerous projects with the goal of “Ensuring healthy waters and resilient wild fish for a better California”. One of their projects took place in northern Mendocino County last summer. A concrete dam was built on Cedar Creek, a tributary of the South Fork Eel River. The dam was part of an experimental fish hatchery that was decommissioned in 1964. Unfortunately, this eight foot dam impeded migration of native juvenile fish, including steelhead, Chinook and steelhead salmon. The cold water in the upper reaches of Cedar Creek is now available to these fish. Check out the details: https://caltrout.org/news/cold-water-refuge-unlocked-for-south-fork-eel-river-steelhead-and-salmon

Posted on January 17th, 2023

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Chinook Salmon in the McCloud River

by Bob Garbarino

Back in the 1940s, Shasta and Keswick Dams were constructed to achieve a number of objectives, including water storage and generating hydroelectric power.  However,  through an apparent lack of foresight, the welfare of wild fish spawning habitat wasn’t given priority.  Perhaps it was thought that the stretch of the Sacramento River below the Dams would provide sufficient spawning and rearing habitat for Chinook (King) salmon.  Prior to the construction of these dams, Chinook salmon had access to the McCloud river for spawning.  As a direct result of the dam construction, the Chinook runs have declined.  In 1994 these winter run salmon were federally listed as endangered.  In recent years, the fish counts have further diminished with severe drought and excessive warm water conditions.  Peter Moyle, a fish biologist at UC Davis who has studied Central Valley fish since the 1970s stated “The winter run is headed for extinction, no question, if we don’t develop an artificial system for keeping it going,”

In response, federal and state agencies embarked on an effort to transport adult chinook from the base of Keswick Dam to Battle Creek, about 50 miles southeast where the water is more consistently cool and clear and the fish can move upstream and back out to the ocean.  In addition, about 40,000 Chinook eggs were transported from a hatchery by truck and helicopter above Shasta Dam to the McCloud River.  As the McCloud river fish migrated back downstream,  the surviving smolt were captured and transported down below Keswick Dam to enable them to move down the Sacramento River.   For more information and insight on this interesting effort to prevent these amazing fish from disappearing from this watershed, go to:  https://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/news/saving-salmon-chinook-return-to-californias-far-north-with-a-lot-of-hum/

Posted on December 27th, 2022

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Klamath River Dam Removal Receives Federal Approval

by Bob Garbarino

In what has been a decades long saga, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission recently approved the removal of four dams on the Klamath River by issuing a License Surrender Order for the Lower Klamath River Hydroelectric Project.  This will be the largest dam removal project in US history.  The primary expected benefit of removing the dams is restoring the Chinook and Coho Salmon runs by expanding spawning area upstream of the dams and allowing unobstructed passage downstream to the ocean.  Pre-construction begins in spring 2023 with Copco dam #2 scheduled to be removed in late summer 2023 and the remaining 3 dams removed by October 2024.  Hopefully this will bring a brighter future for future generations of Native Americans, anglers and all who benefit from a healthy river system!

Press Release:
https://klamathrenewal.org/ferc-approves-license-surrender-and-decommissioning-of-the-lower-klamath-project-dams/

Article:
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/nov/17/us-dam-removal-endangered-salmon-klamath-river

Posted on November 28th, 2022

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Delta Smelt….Where are you?

by Bob Garbarino

Over period of seven years, surveys in the Delta Estuary have found zero Delta smelt during the month of September. Data is recorded every year from September through December. The last month and Delta smelt (2 fish) were caught was October 2017. See https://www.dfg.ca.gov/delta/data/fmwt/indices.asp
In order to ward off extinction of Delta smelt, UC Davis has raising them in a captive breeding program. Beginning late last year and continuing early 2022, the hatchery fish were released into the delta as part of an experiment.
Along with the Delta smelt, populations of longfin smelt, striped bass, American shad, threadfin shad and splittail have all declined catastrophically coinciding when the State Water Project went into operation in 1967. Other factors contributing to the decline are toxic chemicals, decreasing water quality and invasive species.
For more information, go to https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2022/11/3/2133402/-Breaking-Zero-Delta-smelt-found-in-Midwater-Trawl-Survey-for-seventh-September-in-a-row?utm_campaign=recent

Posted on November 28th, 2022