California Central Valley Salmon

California Central Valley
Salmon
Status and Stakeholders Recovery Proposal
Fall Run Salmon Crash
The chart shows the dramatic crash of the fall-run. From a return and
harvest count of 1,488,000 in 2002, the returns steadilyy dropped
pp 97%
to 39,500 in 2009. 2010 shows a slight recovery but the run remains
at serious low levels. The 2010 recovery evidence appears to indicate
that trucking around the Delta and improved ocean conditions were the
primary factors in turning the steady collapse around
around. This fish also
gets some benefit from the biological opinion that cuts Delta pumping in
the spring. If the biological opinion is compromised this fish will be
seriously impacted along with the listed runs.
This chart cries for action but very little is being done. Since the fall-run
is not a listed species under the ESA, it does not get protections from
th fishery
the
fi h
agencies
i and
d it currently
tl gets
t no consideration
id ti iin upriver
i
water temperature and flow management. Ecosystem recovery is
extremely important for this fish and the fishing industry which relies on
it for jjobs and income.
Salmon Crash vs.
Pumping
This simple chart carries a big message. There is lots of
discussion of “other” stressors but the bank of science
clearly says that export pumping from the Delta is the
number one reason for the salmon declines. NMFS spent
six years studying salmon losses and concluded pumping
was the number one factor. Their data was p
peer reviewed
three times and then confirmed by the National Science
Foundation. When export pumping exceeds 4 to 5 million
acre feet per year smolt losses in the Delta reach as high as
92%. Only 8% of the smolts reach the ocean. There is no
way the runs can be recovered or even sustained at these
loss levels.
Weak 2011 Run Status
These figures
g
show the 2010 returns of the four separate
p
runs of Central
Valley salmon. The fall run is the only one that has shown any small
upturn. All the others show steady declines including the ESA listed
Winter and Spring runs. The Winter run is again approaching extinction.
Since its listing
g in 1991 when there were only
y 191 spawners
p
remaining,
g,
there have been intense efforts by the National Marine Fisheries Service
to recover this fish. The run reached a peak of 16,929 fish in 2006 but
since then has steadily declined.
The biggest impact on all of these runs came in 2004 when the politically
driven biological opinion lifted all pumping restrictions and allowed the
pumps to go to maximum. This continued until 2008 when the court
ruled the old biological opinion was inadequate and cut the pumping.
pumping
Poor ocean conditions for two years compounded the losses. If the 2009
biological opinions are compromised, the same thing will happen again
and extinctions are almost inevitable.
2011 Status of All Runs
Total Central Valley
y
High
Year
High Year
Returns
Fall Run
2002
1,490,468 *
Late Fall Run
2007
Spring Run
Winter Run
* Includes harvest
2010
Returns
Percent
Drop
133,014
91.1%
17,840
8,848
50.4%
2003
30,171
4,606
84.7%
2006
16 929
16,929
1 555
1,555
90 8%
90.8%
California Salmon
Industry
These figures show the size of the salmon industry as it was in 2007 by
different types of businesses. In 2008 and 2009, the Federal
Government provided disaster relief for businesses that were directly
impacted by the salmon season shut down. This relief held the industry
infrastructure in place pending recovery of the salmon in 2010. That
recovery did not taken place and in 2010 many businesses failed. More
are in serious jeopardy
jeopardy. The prediction was that 30% of the businesses
would fail. Many of these businesses have 60 to 80 percent of their
sales dependent on salmon. The biggest impact is with commercial
boats and retailers located near the Pacific Ocean. This impact is also
hitting hard in the smaller coastal communities where a high percentage
of the stores, lodges, camps and marine services are dependent on
salmon
The California Salmon
Industry 2007
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
1,200
,
Commercial Boats
500,000 Recreational Fishermen
131 Commercial Charters
11 Equipment Manufacturers
7 Equipment & 16 Fish Wholesalers
904 Retailers
150 River Guides
74 Marinas Serving Salmon Boats
30% Will Fail
F il With
Withoutt 2010 R
Recovery
Industry Economics
This slide shows the economic cost to California of the 2008 and 2009 salmon
season shutdown. It shows a cost of $1.4 billion each year and lost jobs at
23,000. The losses in Oregon from the California shutdown add approximately
50% to each of these figures.
This report was prepared by Southwick and Associates for the American
Sportfishing Association. Southwick is a leading economic analyst for outdoor
activities. The data used for this study was based entirely on government
reports The 2006 NMFS survey was used for the commercial sector
reports.
sector. The
recreational sector data was derived from the California Department of Fish and
Game Angler Day reports for salmon.
The slide
Th
lid also
l shows
h
the
h economic
i iimpact off a ffullll recovery off the
h C
California
lif i ffallll
run salmon. Full recovery is estimated to be a commercial catch of 15 to 20
million pounds with a related recreational catch. The figures indicate $5.7 billion
of economic impact and 94,000 new jobs.
Economics of Calif.
Calif Salmon
Economic Cost
of Current Shutdown
2008
2009
Jobs Lost
$1.4
$1
4 billion
$1.4 billion
-------------$2.8 billion
23,000
Annual Value at full Recovery
y
New jobs created
$5.7 billion
$
94,000
American Sportfishing Association by Southwick Associates
Failure Stories
Wil’s Bait Shop in Bodega Bay California opened in the early 1990s serving the recreational fishery in Bodega Bay. This port
was a thriving hub of commercial and recreational salmon fishing. When Wil Morrow, the owner, was diagnosed with cancer, he
sold the business to his two long term employees Judy and Bonnie Kendall. This was a dream come true for Judy and Bonnie.
Salmon fishing was good and supported 60 to 70% of their business
business. They purchased a charter boat to add to their business
business.
Things were fine until 2007 when the salmon populations first crashed. By 2008 they had lost everything and were destitute.
They lost their business, their house, their boat and their savings. They left town on a Greyhound bus to go live with relatives in
Oregon and Florida.
Peggy Beckett is the owner of Huck Finn Sportfishing in Half Moon Bay California. This is her story:
My husband and I opened our fishing business at the Pillar Point Harbor on Half Moon Bay in 1990. We run a retail tackle and
bait store and we take bookings for some of the charter boats that work out of this port. The business was successful until 2007
when the salmon populations in the ocean first crashed. Unfortunately my husband passed away last year. I am struggling to
survive. The 2008 and 2009 closures stopped nearly all our activity and 2010 has been equally as bad or worse. I have
struggled to find some part time work just to pay a few of the bills. This business is my only source of income and my age
precludes my changing careers. My prayers are that the government will soon fix the Central Valley problems that it has
caused. I have very little time left for my business to survive.
Steve Golsby is the Owner of Smalley’s Wholesale in Oakdale California.
Smalley’s is a wholesale distributor of fishing equipment. We have traditionally supplied the tackle needs of hundreds of salmon
fishing retailers in Northern California. On top of the devastating impact of the 2008 and 2009 closures, we now have a new
problem in 2010. Most of our customers have lost their credit lines and most of them are hurting badly in 2010 salmon
equipment sales. Consequently, they are unable to pay our bills. The result is that we are forced to cut off their shipments and
our cash flow has crashed. This is an extremely serious situation for us and for our customers. Our bank has cut off our credit
line. The financial infrastructure of the industry is spiraling downward. It is very upsetting to see the financial institutions
unwilling to make small business loans. We need government help in solving the Central Valley salmon problems and we need
it now.
Salmon Industry
y Business
Failures 2008-2010
Many salmon related businesses have already failed and many more are
hanging in the balance. This slide shows a sampling of the failures.
Reeds
R
d S
Sportt Sh
Shop – San
S Jose,
J
D
Delta
lt S
Sportt B
Boats-Antioch,
t A ti h C
Cope & McPheters,
M Ph t
Li
Livermore,
Wil’ Bait
Wil’s
B it
Shop- Bodega Bay, North River Boats-Redding, Berkeley Marina Bait Shop-Berkeley, Olympic
Boats-San Jose, Fishon Bait-Bodega Bay, West Marine-Palo Alto, Hammer Ski &Marine-Petaluma,
Salty’s Bait–Sausalito, Boats Unlimited-Modesto, The Fuel Dock-Fort Bragg, Gunther’s Marine-Santa
Rosa,, Olympic
y p Boats-Santa Rosa,, Barryy Paulsen’s-Sacramento,, Bayshore
y
Marine-Stockton,, Calif
Custom Marine-Redding, Cope & McPheters-Santa Clara, Marine Max-Sacramento, Olympic BoatsAntioch, North River Boats-Sacramento, Adams Marine-Suisun City, Aqua Marine-Yuba City, Auburn
Outboard-Penryn, Maximum Marine-Santa Rosa, Monterey Bay Marine-Santa Cruz, Pacific BoatOakley, M&M Marine-Lincoln, Marine Max-Santa Rosa, Olympic Boat-So San Francisco, Oasis
Marine Redding Cope & McPheters-Fairfield,
Marine-Redding,
McPheters Fairfield Pacific Marine-Madera,
Marine Madera Cope & McPheters-Rocklin,
McPheters Rocklin
Specialty Marine-Dunsmuir, Flagship Marine-Clear Lake, Connection Motor Sports-Sacramento,
Western Boat Shop-San Rafael, Galaxie Marine-Auburn, Olympic Boats-Livermore, Kevin’s MarineSacramento, Western Sport Shop- Santa Rosa, Tri Valley-Livermore, Cal’s Marine-Penryn
Resource Conclusions
•
The Central Valley salmon runs continue to slide towards
extinction but these trends can be reversed. The salmon
stakeholders have proposed science based emergency steps
which will reverse the slide if the government will adopt them
•
Three years of no salmon fishing has taken a terrible toll on the
industry, its people and the coastal communities where it
operates. Unemployment is 100%, homes, boats and life
savings are being lost, families are suffering severely and the
industry infrastructure is collapsing. These are correctable but
the state and federal governments must step up.
Salmon Stakeholders Top
p5
Priorities
1. Incorporate the Water Board Delta flow standards in the BDCP and
Delta Stewardship Council programs
2. Provide state support for the June 2009 Biological opinions
including their legal defense in court by the Attorney General
3. Provide full participation and partnership in the BDCP process for
salmon stakeholder representatives
4. Give the Department of Fish and Game the full responsibility and
resources for salmon and other fisheries management including
scientific
sc
e t ce
evaluation
a uat o p
project
oject de
development,
e op e t, p
project
oject management
a age e t a
and
d
funding.
5. Put ecosystem and salmon recovery as a high priority in
implementing
p
g the co-equal
q
g
goals and the CVPIA legally
g y mandated
salmon doubling requirements.
Delta Flow Standards
Science tells us that the Delta cannot remain in its current flow state and recover
salmon and other species. Even with pumping curtailed and the cross channel
gates closed in the spring,
g
p g unacceptable
p
fish kills continue to take p
place in the
Delta and the run counts continue to slip towards extinction. Delta outflows in
the springtime when smolts are migrating need to be increased if these fish are
to survive. At the request of the Legislature, the Water Board completed a
comprehensive study of the flows required for salmon and other species to
survive. There are many complex factors depending on wet or dry years and
other variables. In summary, the board indicated that Delta outflows must
increase from approximately 50% of unimpaired flows today to 75%. The
salmon stakeholders strongly support this action and request that the state
adopt these standards.
Using
g average
g conditions for dry,
y, normal and above normal water yyears it
appears Delta outflows between January and late June need to increase from
their present level by approximately 3 to 5 million acre feet per year. Currently
there are no significant flow restrictions for salmon after June. This should
continue The final flow figures on the exact changes by each type of
continue.
hydrological year should be made by the Delta Stewardship Council.
Action Item
#1
Implement
Delta Flow
St d d
Standards
to attain
75%
unimpaired
p
Delta
Outflows
Salmon Biological Opinion
The current salmon biological opinion for the State and Federal Water Projects
b
became
llaw iin JJune off 2009
2009. It requires
i
reduced
d
d pumping
i and
d iincreased
d water
t
flows through the Delta from mid December through June to allow the smolts
from the listed Winter and Spring run salmon to complete their migration to the
ocean rather than being pulled into the Central Delta where they perish. The
opinion also requires that the Cross Channel Gates at Walnut Grove be closed
during this same period to prevent 50% of the smolts migrating down the
Sacramento River from being sucked through the gates to their death. Finally,
the opinion
p
sets temperature
p
and flow requirements
q
in the upstream
p
Sacramento
River and its tributaries to allow conditions for successful salmon spawning and
downstream smolt migration.
This bi
Thi
biological
l i l opinion
i i iis th
the only
l thi
thing remaining
i i b
between
t
C
Central
t lV
Valley
ll salmon
l
survival and extinction. The salmon stakeholders request that the state accept
and support these opinions as the best available science and defend them in
court.
Action
Item #2
Provide
State
Support
and Legal
Defense of
the
Biological
O i i
Opinion
BDCP Participation
The salmon
Th
l
stakeholders
t k h ld
h
have nott b
been iinvited
it d tto
participate in the BDCP activities in the past. When we
have offered comments,, theyy have been ignored.
g
We
consider ourselves the ultimate stakeholders in that the
water policies which have prevailed over the last several
years have resulted in the total shutdown of our industry
industry.
The salmon industryy requests
q
that salmon stakeholder
representatives have full participation and partnership in
the BDCP process
Action #3 Full Salmon
Stakeholder BDCP
Participation
BDCP Requests and Concerns
•
•
•
•
•
Requestt full
R
f ll participation
ti i ti b
by salmon
l
stakeholders
t k h ld
Request full participation and approvals by the fishery
agencies
Concerned with screen design and potential for failure
Concerned with compliance with science based flow
requirements
Concerned with compliance with CVPIA and state salmon
doubling requirements
Salmon Stakeholder Short
Term Priorities
1. Improve and expand trucking of smolts around the Delta and
acclimating them in pens
2. Attain full salmon production at the Mokelumne hatchery by closing
the cross channel gates during peak adult migrations
3. Install upriver temperature and flow standards for the fall run in the
Sacramento, Feather and American Rivers
4. Implement the water board fishery improvements in the stalled
FERC Feather River and Oroville relicensing case
5 Run all salmon hatcheries at mitigation capacity and implement
5.
hatchery practices which will allow the wild runs to rebuild
Expand
p
Trucking
g
Trucking of hatchery smolts around the Delta is the salmon stakeholders number
one priority for early recovery steps to rebuild a fishery. It is low cost and
effective Recent studies of coded wire tag results show encouraging data that
effective.
trucking to net pens is yielding more smolts to the ocean. Trucking works
because it avoids the heavy losses currently experienced by smolts in the Delta.
Under the worst Delta pumping conditions this loss can reach 92% of the
migrating smolts
smolts. Trucking avoids this
this. Currently only 25% of the hatchery
smolts are trucked. NMFS has indicated a willingness to undertake a scientific
study to improve trucking. The stakeholders request $2.5 million for this study.
Short Term Trucking Around
the Delta
•
Recentt d
R
data
t shows
h
th
thatt ttrucking
ki off h
hatchery
t h
smolts
lt around
d th
the D
Delta
lt
is improving ocean results. The stakeholders request $2.5 million for
a scientific study to improve the trucking operations.
Preliminary Harvest Results
Landings per 100,000 tagged fish released
Smolts Released In Basin
•
•
•
•
Coleman Hatchery
Feather River Hatchery
Nimbus Hatchery
Mokelumne Hatchery
Calif. DFG Data 03/04/2011
3.43
2 95
2.95
0.00
5.65
Smolts Trucked to Net Pens
20.43
21 95
21.95
7.29
6.10
Restore Mokelumne
Hatchery to Capacity
•
The M
Th
Mokelumne
k l
Ri
River salmon
l
h
hatchery
t h
iis th
the mostt modern
d
and
d efficient
ffi i t
hatchery in the state. It has been virtually shut down by the Delta pumping
operations. In September and October the adult Mokelumne fish migrate
g the San Joaquin
q
River and then turn North up
p the North and South
through
branches of the Mokelumne. To reach the main stem Mokelumne, they must
turn right at the junction of the main stem and the Cross Channel Gates. At
that time of the year, the Mokelumne main stem is flowing at 80 cfs and the
Sacramento water coming through the Cross Channel Gates is flowing at
3,000 cfs. The adults are attracted to the heavy water flow and end up lost in
the Sacramento River as strays. In 2008 the Mokelumne hatchery received
only 49 female fall-run salmon. To meet its mitigation and production
requirements, it needs at least 2,000 females. This problem has had a huge
impact on the fishing industry and has been a significant part of the fall-run
loss. The stakeholders request state support for a 14 day gate closure in
October
Short Term
Cl
Close
the
th
Cross
Channel
Gates 14
Days in
October
Two Day
y 2010 Closure
•
The closure of the cross channel gates when the Mokelumne adult
salmon are trying to migrate is an excellent example of an early
ecosystem recovery step. It costs virtually nothing, is easy to
implement and produces up to 6 million salmon smolts to
considerably help salmon recovery.
•
Yet, in 2009 The Bureau and DWR refused to grant the request for a
14 day closure by Fish and Game, Fish and Wildlife, NMFS and East
Bay MUD. In 2010 they steadfastly refused again until Congress
intervened. At that point they finally agreed to a 2 day closure. The
graph show the dramatic result in fish migration following the short
closure
l
shown
h
b
by th
the grey b
bar.
•
The salmon stakeholders are requesting intervention at the State
Resource level to ensure this closure takes place on 2011.
600
Mokelumne River 2010 Chinook salmon returns compared to
DCC Closure
550
Partnership
p initiated p
pulse flows and DCC closure
Sum of Count
500
00
WIDD cf/s
2500
2000
450
400
1500
350
300
250
1000
200
150
500
100
50
0
0
California Department
of Fish & Game
East Bay
Municipal Utility
District
U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service
Short Term Upriver
p
Flows
and Temperatures
There are three areas that traditionally were the most important
spawning areas for the wild natural spawning fall run salmon. They
are the Upper Sacramento main stem, the American River and the
Feather. All three of these have been severely impacted by reservoir
withdrawl practices that move water to the Delta pumps without
considerations of the flow and temperature needs of salmon.
The chart shows the lethal temperature pattern of the American River
during the fall when the fall run salmon are trying to return to spawn.
The cold water behind Folsom dam was drained in the summer to
feed the pumps leaving lethal temperatures in the fall. The Feather
and the Sacramento exhibit some of these same problems. The
stakeholders request
q
implementation
p
of temperature
p
and flow
controls in these rivers to rebuild the wild spawning runs.