Delta pumps likely killed over half a million fish in two decades

Delta pumps likely killed over half a million fish in two decades

By Ari Plachta

Source: sacbee

5/23/2024

Credit: Paul Kitagaki Jr. pkitagaki@sacbee.com

Just east of the San Francisco Bay, a steel bucket holding 90 gallons of water is strained to rescue precious cargo. The metal roars as it spins, dispelling more and more water, to reveal, finally, a wriggling pair of juvenile Chinook salmon. These young, 2-inch long fish were drawn into danger by giant pumps that push water south to millions of Californians and farms. Saving them from likely peril has been the core purpose since 1968 of the John E. Skinner Delta Fish Protective Facility.

But the facility been the subject of considerable attention recently for a spike in fish deaths, drawing the ire of environmentalists and anglers. That’s not to say farmers are happy either, as pumps deliver less water despite a second year of drought-busting storms.

San Joaquin River

Steelhead Trout

Continue...

News Id		Source	Stamp	country
5126	Studies shed light on impact of virus on farmed Atlantic salmon in B.C.	THE CANADIAN PRESS	2019-03-13	CA
5127	Scientific experts say fish virus poses low risk to Fraser River sockeye	The Canadian Press	2019-03-08	CA
5128	Study gives scientists unprecedented data on young Atlantic salmon in East Coast rivers	The Canadian Press	2019-03-15	CA
5129	Consistent fishing on Arrow Lakes	Trail Times	2019-03-14	CA
5130	Province rolls out new fish and hunting licence system	CBC News	2018-11-28	CA
5131	Why the Amazon River Can't Be Crossed By Bridge	cntraveler	2018-04-09	BR
5132	23 Percent of Southern California Fish is Mislabeled	7SAN DIEGO	2019-03-09	US
5133	Fishing for black crappie a Holland River shell game	Yorkregion	2019-03-11	CA
5134	A Look at the Rainbow Trout of Kamloops	Kamloops	2019-03-01	CA
5135	Six new species of tentacle-faced fish discovered in Amazon	The Independent	2019-03-07	US
5136	British mackerel has sustainable status stripped after years of overfishing	independent	2019-03-06	UK

205 of [205 - pages.]