A drumbeat of climate-fueled heatwaves, compounded by water management practices, will likely kill nearly all juvenile chinook salmon in the Sacramento River, California wildlife officials warn. “It’s an extreme set of cascading climate events pushing us into this crisis situation,” California Dept. of Fish and Wildlife spokesperson Jordan Traverso told reporters. Salmon need river water […]
Join us for Shark Week July 11-18, 2021 as we celebrate one of the ocean’s top predators. Sharks play a key role in food web and help ensure the balance of ocean ecosystems. By NOAA NOAA Fisheries manages commercial and recreational shark fisheries in the Atlantic Ocean. We work with three regional fishery management councils to conserve and sustainably manage sharks in […]
On July 6, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife published an update on the status of federally and state protected winter-run Chinook salmon that warns “it is possible that nearly all in-river juveniles will not survive this season” as the cold water pool in Lake Shasta is depleted earlier than modeled because of increased downstream water deliveries during the hot […]
On the heels of being internationally recognized this year by the United Nations as a viable indigenous-led solution to the multitude of climate challenges California is facing, the annual Run4Salmon Prayer Journey of 300 miles is going virtual again in 2021 to ensure COVID safety. While the Winnemem Wintu Tribe will continue this journey privately, […]
In a big step toward the removal of four PacifiCorp dams on the Klamath River, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) today approved the transfer of the license for the Lower Klamath Hydroelectric Project (Project) from PacifiCorp to the Klamath River Renewal Corporation and the states of Oregon and California, as co-licensees. By Dan Bacher The approval […]
The already horrific juvenile fish kill on the Klamath River in this unprecedented drought year is getting even worse. On Friday, June 4, the Yurok Fisheries Department’s Fish Disease Monitoring Crew counted 361 dead juvenile Chinook salmon in a rotary screw trap on the Klamath River, near Weitchpec. By Dan Bacher “This is by far the single […]
Below is my brief testimony yesterday morning to the State Water Resources Control Board in support of the emergency water plan to save California salmon from extinction, submitted by the California Sportfishing Protection Alliance, California Water Impact Network and Save California Salmon. By Dan Bacher My name is Dan Bacher, an independent investigative journalist focusing […]
The 3rd District Court of Appeals will hear arguments for two California Water Impact Network (C-WIN) appeals on July 19, 2021A combined hearing has been set for the “Monterey Plus” and “Kern Water Bank” appeals, aka Central Delta Water Agency v. DWR and Center for Food Safety v. DWR, aka “Central Delta I” and “Central Delta II,” according to […]
The Gulf of California – a sea near the western border of the U.S. and Mexico – is home to some of the world’s most incredible underwater landscapes. It generates 60% of Mexico’s fish catch, but overfishing is threatening its marine ecosystems and the people who make a living off them. By Anastasia Quintana, University […]
Fish and other aquatic foods are integral to diets for more than 1 billion people worldwide. Most of these people live in low- and middle-income countries in Africa, Asia and the Pacific, close to rivers, lakes or the sea. Ben Belton, Michigan State University The Conversation In these regions, foods like fresh and dried fish […]
California’s State Water Resources Control Board has just issued this Notification of Submission of a Temporary Urgency Change Petition (TUCP) by the California Department of Water Resources (DWR)and the United States Bureau of Reclamation requesting changes to outflow requirements for the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and agricultural water quality requirements on the Sacramento River from June […]
Yurok Vice Chairman Frankie Myers joined the Yurok Fisheries Department’s fish disease monitoring team this weekend while they documented the catastrophic juvenile salmon kill on the Klamath River, according to a statement from the Yurok Tribe. By Dan Bacher “When we see our juvenile fish dying, it’s heartbreaking,” said Myers. “It’s heartbreaking because you know it’s […]
Here is a revised version of my brief presentation to the State Water Resources Control Board on March 4 regarding the Bureau of Reclamation’s temperature management that will devastate salmon populations on the Central Valley rivers: By Dan Bacher I’m Dan Bacher, an independent journalist that has been covering fish, water and environmental justice issues for over […]
Governor Gavin Newsom expanded his drought emergency declaration on Monday to 39 additional counties, including the Klamath River, Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and Tulare Lake Watershed counties where he said “accelerated action is needed to protect public health, safety and the environment.” By Dan Bacher A total of 41 counties are now under a drought state […]
San Francisco — Responding to requests by the Golden Gate Salmon Association (GSSA), the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) announced Wednesday that it is trucking all of its hatchery baby salmon to release sites in and around San Francisco Bay this year to minimize drought-related losses exacerbated by the draining of Central Valley Project and State Water Project reservoirs to supply irrigation water […]