Bay-Delta longfin smelt off the hook for federal protection

SACRAMENTO
April 8, 2009 10:40am

The Bay-Delta population of longfin smelt does not meet the legal criteria for protection as a species subpopulation under the Endangered Species Act, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service says.

The FWS simultaneously announced that it is seeking additional information for a broader assessment of the longfin smelt that could lead to future action, although no decision can be made before reviewing any new information.

The determination came in response to a petition seeking protection under the ESA as a “distinct population segment” for only the longfin smelt population in the Bay-Delta. Longfin smelt live in estuaries along the Pacific Coast from the Bay Area to Alaska.

The FWS says that, because some Bay-Delta longfin smelt migrate into the Pacific Ocean and can travel up the coast to breed with longfin further north, they fail to meet the criteria for protection as a distinct population segment. Under existing policy, for designation as a DPS the population segment must be “markedly separated from other populations” of the species.

“Based on the best scientific and commercial information available, the San Francisco Bay-Delta population of the longfin smelt is not markedly separated from the other populations,” the FWS says.

Longfin smelt is fish, up to 5 inches long, that tolerates wide ranges of salinity. It generally has a two-year life cycle, spawning from November to June in the Sacramento River and down to Suisun and San Pablo bays, which are the principal nurseries for larvae. Longfin smelt counts in the Delta have been low since 2000.

Another Delta species, the delta smelt, already is protected under the ESA as “threatened.” Delta smelt do not swim as well as the longfin and are found exclusively in Delta waters. Recent survey data for both species show record and near-record lows.

The broader longfin smelt assessment will look at the species throughout its range: Alaska, British Columbia, Washington, Oregon, and California. The Fish and Wildlife Service is requesting information regarding taxonomy, genetics, distribution, habitat selection, population density and trends, habitat trends, effects of management, dispersal and migratory capabilities or patterns of dispersal, and potential threats to the longfin smelt.