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
676	Still no smoking gun as bizarre fish behavior spreads in Florida Keys	local10	2024-03-13	US
677	Californias salmon strategy includes tribal quest led by the Winnemem Wintu	CBC News	2024-03-14	US
678	DNREC Announces Take a Kid Fishing! Spring Events	einnews	2024-03-23	US
679	Редчайшую рыбу-свинью выловили в Чёрном море впервые за 60 лет	Тайны Океанов	2024-03-20	RU
680	Scientists continue to search for whats poisoning Lower Keys fish	wfit	2024-03-03	US
681	Mekong River fish face extinction as threats mount	gulfnews	2024-03-03	CG
682	Carp Diem: targeting the perfect invasive species one fishing competition at a time	theguardian	2024-03-06	AU
683	Teen catches aggressive creature in WA pond	thenewstribune	2024-03-07	US
684	Young Donegal fisherwoman pleads for future of family business	donegaldaily	2024-03-07	IR
685	Australias Great Barrier Reef, home to 1,500 species of fish, is dying	India Today Environment Desk	2024-03-08	IN
686	Migratory Amazonian catfish placed on the international protection list	mongabay	2024-03-08	US
687	Tragic loss for local community as iconic koi fish pond meets mysterious end	9now.nine	2024-03-09	AU
688	Scientists use underwater speakers to encourage coral growth on degraded reefs	hawaiipublicradio	2024-03-14	US
689	Ice fishing comes to a screeching halt in many areas	echopress	2024-03-16	US
690	26 people arrested for illegal elver fishing in N.S. this month	ctvnews	2024-03-18	CA
691	Alaska’s Yukon River residents say a new pact with Canada leaves them behind	newsfromthestates	2024-03-18	US
692	Parks Canada announces watercraft and angling restrictions for Waterton	lethbridgenewsnow	2024-03-19	CA
693	Salmon farms are increasingly being hit by mass die-offs	newscientist	2024-03-07	NO
694	Minnesota lake ice-out starts month early	echopress	2024-03-16	US
695	Scheme launched to tackle invasive carp populations	thefishsite	2024-03-11	US
696	Future of Maines lucrative baby eel industry to be decided by regulatory board	foxnews	2024-03-14	US
697	The history of the red tilapia	farmersweekly	2014-04-02	ZA
698	Secrets of the deep – how fish scales could confound counterfeiters	newatlas	2024-02-26	SG
699	One of the worlds smallest transparent fish roars as loud as a gunshot	interestingengineering	2024-02-27	DE
700	Men caught illegally snatching prehistoric creatures from Oregon bay	thenewstribune	2024-02-27	US