House Passes Denham Amendment to Require Predator Fish Suppression
Visual
“In the Central Valley, predator fish represent a constant threat to native populations such as steelhead and salmon,” said Rep. Denham. “While we’re spending millions trying to save the lives of these fish, which play a huge role in the allocation of water, we must also be working to eliminate the threat that predator fish pose. My amendment would require the NOAA to prioritize controlling non-native predators so we can save salmon and steelhead.”
Predation has long been recognized as a source of significant mortality for endangered and threatened species. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), non-native species are cited as a cause of endangerment for 48 percent of the species listed under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. Numerous federal and state agencies have agreed that non-native predator species a negative impact on the health of native fish in California.
For example, in 2009, the National Marine Fisheries Service found protection of salmon and steelhead required “significantly reducing the nonnative predatory fishes,” and that reducing the number of non-native predatory fishes was necessary to “prevent extinction or to prevent the species from declining irreversibly.”
Based upon its findings, in 2010 the National Marine and Fisheries Service (NMFS) asked the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) to propose regulation directed at reducing the effect of non-native fish on Federally-protected salmon and steelhead. Although CDFW did propose changes to bag and size limits for striped bass, those recommendations were rejected by the California Fish and Game Commission.
The State Water Resources Control Board of California has recommended that state and federal fish agencies pursue programs to determine the impacts of predation by non-native fish on salmon and steelhead as far back as their 1995 water quality control plan for the Bay-Delta. Despite calls for such programs, none currently exist in California.
Full amendment text is available here.
+