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California Estuary Monitoring Workgroup’s Estuary Portal

California Estuary Monitoring Workgroup’s Estuary Portal. Stephanie Fong State and Federal Contractors Water Agency sfong@sfcwa.org. Safe to Eat Fish. Home. Safe to Swim. Safe to Drink. Ecosystem Health. Stressors & Processes. Contact Us. Home  Eco Health  Estuaries

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California Estuary Monitoring Workgroup’s Estuary Portal

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  1. California Estuary Monitoring Workgroup’s Estuary Portal Stephanie Fong State and Federal Contractors Water Agency sfong@sfcwa.org

  2. Safe to Eat Fish Home Safe to Swim Safe to Drink Ecosystem Health Stressors & Processes Contact Us Home  Eco Health  Estuaries California Estuaries …………………………………..………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..……… • Cal/EPA • Natural Resources Agency • About the California Water Quality Monitoring Council ESTUARIES • Stressors • Laws, Regulations & Standards • Research • Monitoring Programs, Data Sources & Reports • Restoration & Management QUESTIONS ANSWERED • What are estuaries, and why are they important? • Where are California’s estuaries? • How healthy are California’s estuaries? • What’s being done to improve their health? • How can I be part of the solution? • What are estuaries? • Estuaries are partly enclosed bodies of water where fresh water coming down the rivers mixes with salt water fromthe sea. A range of coastal landforms fits this description, including bays, lagoons, harbors, inlets , and some wetlands. • There are many types of estuaries in Californiaincluding • bar-built, • open river mouths, and • perennially tidal estuaries. • Why are they important? • Estuaries and Ecosystems • Estuaries are among the most ecologically productive environments on earth. They provide rich feeding grounds for coastal fish and migratory birds and spawning areas for fish and shellfish. They are also important in maintaining the quality of coastal waters. • Estuaries and Humans • Estuaries are some of the most heavily populated areas throughout the world, with about 60% of the world’s population living along estuaries and the coast. As a result, estuaries face degradation from human impacts.

  3. Safe to Eat Fish Home Safe to Swim Safe to Drink Ecosystem Health Stressors & Processes Contact Us Home  Eco Health  Estuaries Where Where are California’s Estuaries? …………………………………..………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..……… • Cal/EPA • Natural Resources Agency • About the California Water Quality Monitoring Council ESTUARIES • Stressors • Laws, Regulations & Standards • Research • Monitoring Programs, Data Sources & Reports • Restoration & Management • Hundreds of estuaries are found in California, including Santa Monica Bay, Morro Bay, and San Francisco Bay among others. • It is the goal of this California Estuaries Portal to include comparable information on each of these estuaries. Initially, however, this Portal is focused on California’s largest estuary, the San Francisco Bay-Delta. QUESTIONS ANSWERED • Where are California’s estuaries? • SF Estuary • ? Estuary • ? Estuary • ? Estuary • ? Estuary • ? Estuary • ? Estuary • ? Estuary

  4. Safe to Eat Fish Home Safe to Swim Safe to Drink Ecosystem Health Stressors & Processes Contact Us Home  Eco Health Estuaries  Health How Healthy are California’s Estuaries? …………………………………..………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..……… • Cal/EPA • Natural Resources Agency • About the California Water Quality Monitoring Council ESTUARIES • Stressors • Laws, Regulations & Standards • Research • Monitoring Programs, Data Sources & Reports • Restoration & Management Water Living Resources Ecological Processes Stewardship Habitat QUESTIONS ANSWERED How healthy are California’s estuaries? Just as the health of the human body is dependent upon the health of its parts – the brain, the bones, the heart -- the health of California’s estuaries depends on the well-being of their parts. Those parts, also known as attributes, are defined by the authors of The State of the San Francisco Bay Report as water, habitat, living resources, ecological processes, and stewardship. How do we assess health? The initial focus of this Portal is on a robust evaluation of the health of Living Resources and Water for the SF Estuary. The remaining key attributes for the SF Estuary and all of the attributes for other California estuaries are under development. • How healthy are California’s estuaries? • SF Estuary Health • How do we determine the health of each attribute? • Water • Habitat • Living Resources • Ecological Processes • Stewardship

  5. STEP 1 Safe to Eat Fish Home Safe to Swim Safe to Drink Ecosystem Health Stressors & Processes Contact Us Ecological Processes Identify Key Attributes Water Habitat Stewardship LivingResources Home  Eco Health  Estuaries Health Concept Living Resources How do We Determine the Health of Living Resources? …………………………………..………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..……… • Cal/EPA • Natural Resources Agency • About the California Water Quality Monitoring Council ESTUARIES • Stressors • Laws, Regulations & Standards • Research • Monitoring Programs, Data Sources & Reports • Restoration & Management STEP 2 Food Web Base Fish Birds Define Focal Categories Phytoplankton Zooplankton Resident Migrant Group #1 Group #2 STEP 3 Species Composition (e.g. native v. exotic) Species Distribution Describe Health Indicators Abundance QUESTIONS ANSWERED STEP 4 Visualize Trends Native Richness over time Abundance over time Area occupied over time • How do we determine the health of each attribute? • Water • Habitat • Living Resources • Ecological Processes • Stewardship STEP 5 How do we determine the health of each attribute? Assessing the health of any one attribute can be a complicated process. Conceptual models, such as the one depicted above, can help us assess the health of each attribute by allowing us to identify important health indicators, their trends over time, and the types of drivers that cause changes in the health of the estuary. Entrainment Water (Quantity) Predation Habitat loss Water (Quality) Food Web Identify & Evaluate Drivers

  6. Safe to Eat Fish Home Safe to Swim Safe to Drink Ecosystem Health Stressors & Processes Contact Us Home  Eco Health  Estuaries Where  San Francisco  HealthLiving Resources Food Web What is the Base of the Food Web, and Why is It Important? …………………………………..………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..……… Insert clickable cartoon diagram of food web – To be developed Insert slide show with clickable images of examples of phytoplankton, zooplankton and benthic invertebrates. • Cal/EPA • Natural Resources Agency • About the California Water Quality Monitoring Council ESTUARIES • Stressors • Laws, Regulations & Standards • Research • Monitoring Programs, Data Sources & Reports • Restoration & Management The base of the SF Estuary food web includes the microscopic organisms, plants, and invertebrates that are food for fish, birds, and other wildlife. The diagram at the left shows a simplified version of the relationships between these organisms – in reality it is much more complex. The base of the food web is made up of organisms called primary producers, a group of organisms that includes microscopic aquatic plants (phytoplankton) and larger terrestrial and aquatic vegetation. Phytoplankton is consumed by microscopic aquatic animals (zooplankton) and larger terrestrial and aquatic invertebrates. The condition of the base of the food web is critical to the rest of the organisms in the food web. Changes in the abundance, distribution, or quality of key organisms at the base of the food web can affect those at the top, and changes in organisms at the top of the food web can in turn affect the abundance of organisms at the base. Food web conceptual model. [Click to navigate to other portal pages].

  7. Safe to Eat Fish Home Safe to Swim Safe to Drink Ecosystem Health Stressors & Processes Contact Us Home  Eco Health Estuaries  Protection What is Being Done to Protect California’s Estuaries? …………………………………..………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..……… • Cal/EPA • Natural Resources Agency • About the California Water Quality Monitoring Council ESTUARIES • Stressors • Laws, Regulations & Standards • Research • Monitoring Programs, Data Sources & Reports • Restoration & Management QUESTIONS ANSWERED • What’s being done to protect California’s estuaries? • SF Estuary Protection • Other Estuaries What’s being done to protect them? The initial focus of the Portal is on an evaluation of the restoration activities for the SF Estuary. Information on restoration activities in other California estuaries is under development.

  8. Safe to Eat Fish Home Safe to Swim Safe to Drink Ecosystem Health Stressors & Processes Contact Us Home  Eco Health Estuaries  Solution How Can I Be Part of the Solution? …………………………………..………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..……… • Cal/EPA • Natural Resources Agency • About the California Water Quality Monitoring Council ESTUARIES • Stressors • Laws, Regulations & Standards • Research • Monitoring Programs, Data Sources & Reports • Restoration & Management QUESTIONS ANSWERED • How can I be part of the solution? • SF Estuary Solutions • Other Estuaries How can I be part of the solution? Information about how you can get involved with restoring and protecting the SF Estuary is currently available. Information on activities in other California estuaries is under development.

  9. Safe to Eat Fish Home Safe to Swim Safe to Drink Ecosystem Health Stressors & Processes Contact Us How healthy is the SF Estuary? Home  Eco Health  Estuaries Where  San Francisco What is the San Francisco Bay Estuary, and Why is it Important? …………………………………..………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..……… • Cal/EPA • Natural Resources Agency • About the California Water Quality Monitoring Council ESTUARIES • Stressors • Laws, Regulations & Standards • Research • Monitoring Programs, Data Sources & Reports • Restoration & Management What is the SF Estuary, and why is it important? What are issues of concern in the SF Estuary? (content in development) What’s being done to protect the SF Estuary? < • What is the San Francisco Bay Estuary? • Like all estuaries, the San Francisco Bay Estuary (SF Estuary) is a wide river mouth flooded by the sea. Salty water brought in by the tides through the Golden Gate mixes with fresh water carried into the estuary from the surrounding rivers. The estuary is fed by two of California’s largest rivers, the Sacramento River and the San Joaquin River. The Sacramento begins near Mount Shasta in the Cascade Mountain Range, while the San Joaquin begins in the snows of the Sierra Nevada. The two rivers meet in the Delta, about 40 miles northeast of San Francisco. • The water then flows into Suisun Bay, through the Carquinez Strait into San Pablo Bay, and finally into San Francisco Bay itself. These three bays and five others--Honker, Richardson, San Rafael, San Leandro, and Grizzly--make up the rest of the estuary. • The SF Estuary is the largest estuary on the Pacific Coast making it one of the world's great natural resources. • Why is it important? • Ecology • The continual mixture of salt and fresh water provides the foundation of the biological richness of the estuary, which provides food and shelter for more than 750 species of plants, fish, and other wildlifeincluding several endangered or threatened ones. Two-thirds of the State’s salmon pass through the estuary on their way upstream to lay their eggs. • Hundreds of thousands of birds migrating between the Arctic and South America, about half of the Pacific Flyway migratory water birds, use the wetlands, mudflats, and shoreline areas in the estuaryto rest and feed. Over a million birds visit the area each year. Other mammals such as harbor seals and various reptiles make their home in the estuary too. • Economics • The region attracts and supports a vibrant economy. The visually striking shorelines and beautiful bays and beaches make it one of the country’s most desirable places to live as well as a global tourist destination for both water and land recreation including boating, fishing, surfing, swimming, hiking, and biking. • The estuary also supports other parts of the regional economy including commercial and recreational fisheries, diverse agricultural production that helps feed California and the rest of the world, three large commercial ports, and important water supply infrastructure. The SF Estuary provides drinking water to upwards of 30 million Californians and irrigation water to 4.5 million acres of farm land. • Even though the SF Estuary is such a valuable resource, it is confronted with a broad range of challenges. Knowledge about the SF Estuary is developing at a rapid pace to confront those challenges, and a list of critical documents is availablefor interested readers. [links to what?] > QUESTIONS ANSWERED QUESTIONS ANSWERED What is being done to improve the health of the SF Estuary? (content in development) How can I be part of the solution? (content in development) • What is the SF Estuary, and why is it important? • How healthy is the SF Estuary? • What’s being done to protect the SF Estuary? • How can I be part of the solution?

  10. Safe to Eat Fish Home Safe to Swim Safe to Drink Ecosystem Health Stressors & Processes Contact Us Home  Eco Health Estuaries  Where San Francisco  Health How Healthy is the SF Estuary? …………………………………..………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..……… • Cal/EPA • Natural Resources Agency • About the California Water Quality Monitoring Council ESTUARIES • Stressors • Laws, Regulations & Standards • Research • Monitoring Programs, Data Sources & Reports • Restoration & Management How healthy is the SF Estuary? Water Living Resources Water Living Resources Ecological Processes Stewardship Habitat Ecological Processes Habitat QUESTIONS ANSWERED QUESTIONS ANSWERED How healthy is the SF Estuary? Just as the health of the human body is dependent upon the health of its parts – the brain, the bones, the heart – so too does the health of the SF Estuary depend on the well-being of its parts. Those parts, as defined by the authors of The State of the San Francisco Bay Report, are water, habitat, living resources, ecological processes, and stewardship. The initial focus of this Portal is on a robust evaluation of Living Resourcesand Water. The remaining key attributes are under development. • How healthy is the SF Estuary? • Water • Habitat • Living Resources • Ecological Processes • Stewardship Stewardship

  11. Safe to Eat Fish Home Safe to Swim Safe to Drink Ecosystem Health Stressors & Processes Contact Us Home  Eco Health  Estuaries WhereSan Francisco  Health  Living Resources What are SF Estuary Living Resources? …………………………………..………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..……… • Cal/EPA • Natural Resources Agency • About the California Water Quality Monitoring Council ESTUARIES • Stressors • Laws, Regulations & Standards • Research • Monitoring Programs, Data Sources & Reports • Restoration & Management What are SF Estuary living resources? Pictures of living resources that you can click on to get to details Phytoplankton Zooplankton Fish Benthic Organisms < > QUESTIONS ANSWERED QUESTIONS ANSWERED What are SF Estuary living resources? Healthy estuaries support diverse and resilient populations of living resources, dominated by native species and broadly distributed across different habitats. These living resources include birds, fish,benthic organisms, and the base of the food web—phytoplankton, and zooplankton. How do you evaluate the health of living resources? To evaluatethe health of living resources, scientists have identified health indicatorsfor the SF Estuary. Learn more about the most recent evaluation of the state of the SF Bay. (link to SOTB Report 2011) • What are SF Estuary living resources? • Phytoplankton • Zooplankton • Benthic Organisms • Fish • Birds Birds

  12. Safe to Eat Fish Home Safe to Swim Safe to Drink Ecosystem Health Stressors & Processes Contact Us Home  Eco Health  Estuaries  Where  San Francisco  Health  Living Resources  Phytoplankton What are Phytoplankton, and Why are They Important? …………………………………..………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..……… • Cal/EPA • Natural Resources Agency • About the California Water Quality Monitoring Council ESTUARIES • Stressors • Laws, Regulations & Standards • Research • Monitoring Programs, Data Sources & Reports • Restoration & Management What are phytoplankton, and why are they important? How and where are phytoplankton sampled? What are SF Estuary phytoplankton trends? Where are phytoplankton in the food web? • What are phytoplankton? • Phytoplanktonare small organisms that can be found floating in most water bodies. Like plants, they are primary producers, meaning that they convert light energy from the sun and carbon dioxide into the living matter of their bodies through photosynthesis. Phytoplankton from the SF Estuary fall into four broad categories: cyanobacteria, diatoms, green algae, and various flagellate groups. • Why are they important? • Phytoplankton are the foundation of the aquatic food web. They feed everything from microscopic, animal-like zooplankton to multi-ton whales. Small fish and benthic organisms also graze on these creatures, and then those smaller animals are eaten by bigger ones. Changes in phytoplankton populations in the SF Estuary can have reverberations that are felt throughout the food web. • Phytoplankton can also affect elements of water quality, including • pH, • Dissolved oxygen, • Color, taste, and odor, and • Algal blooms (toxic and non-toxic). • Monitoring changes in phytoplankton can be useful in assessing water quality trends. It is important to note, however, that because of the transient and free-ranging nature of phytoplankton, their use as water quality indicators is limited and should be interpreted in conjunction with physiochemical and other biological data. • Learn more about how phytoplankton are measured in the SF Estuary. QUESTIONS ANSWERED QUESTIONS ANSWERED What is being done to improve the health of phytoplankton in the SF Estuary? (content in development) What are issues of concern in the SF Estuary? (content in development) • What are phytoplankton, and why are they important? • How and where are they measured in the SF Estuary? • What are their trends in the SF Estuary? • What’s being done about it?

  13. Safe to Eat Fish Home Safe to Swim Safe to Drink Ecosystem Health Stressors & Processes Contact Us Phytoplankton Monitoring Stations Home  Eco Health  Estuaries  Where  San Francisco  Health  Living Resources Phytoplankton Measured How and Where are Phytoplankton Measured in the SF Estuary? …………………………………..………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..……… • Cal/EPA • Natural Resources Agency • About the California Water Quality Monitoring Council ESTUARIES • Stressors • Laws, Regulations & Standards • Research • Monitoring Programs, Data Sources & Reports • Restoration & Management What are phytoplankton, and why are they important? How and where are phytoplankton sampled? What are SF Estuary phytoplankton trends? Where are phytoplankton in the food web? • How and where are phytoplankton measured? • Phytoplankton are monitored as part of the IEP’s Environmental Monitoring Program (EMP)by the California DWR’s Phytoplankton Study. Changes in their densities and distribution are documented in the SF Estuary, from San Pablo Bay east through the upper Estuary. 22 sites are currently sampled monthly. They represent a wide range of habitats of varying sizes and physical conditions, including different types of water quality. Sites range from narrow, freshwater channels in the Delta to broad, estuarine bays. • Phytoplankton density estimates are calculated in two ways, either by counting phytoplankton cells under a microscope or by measuring concentrations of chlorophyll a in the water. Scientists can use chlorophyll a, the most common green pigment in all photosynthetic organisms, as a proxy measure of phytoplankton biomass. Chlorophyll a is relatively easy to measure and is a fairly accurate estimate of phytoplankton volume. • In the animation above, the size of the monthly mean chlorophyll measurements is represented by the relative size of the circles. • Learn more about the methods used to measure phytoplankton. • Where are the data? • More information on phytoplankton monitoring can be found in the Phytoplankton Study Meta Data. QUESTIONS ANSWERED QUESTIONS ANSWERED What is being done to improve the health of phytoplankton in the SF Estuary? (content in development) What are issues of concern in the SF Estuary? (content in development) • What are phytoplankton, and why are they important? • How and where are they measured in the SF Estuary? • What are their trends in the SF Estuary? • What’s being done about it?

  14. Safe to Eat Fish Home Safe to Swim Safe to Drink Ecosystem Health Stressors & Processes Contact Us Home  Eco Health  Estuaries Where San Francisco  Health  Living Resources PhytoplanktonTrends What are SF Estuary Phytoplankton Trends? What are SF Estuary phytoplankton trends? Phytoplankton populations in the SF Estuary have been decreasing since 1985, particularly in Suisun Bay and in parts of the Central Delta. Larger phytoplankton, including some kinds of diatoms, are an important food source for the zooplankton that are favored by native fish, including delta smelt. In many parts of the SF Estuary, diatoms have either decreased or larger, single-celled phytoplankton have been replaced by smaller, chain-forming species that are not as nutritious for fish. Cyanobacteria, some of which can produce toxins that make humans and pets sick, have been increasing in portions of the SF Estuary. Learn more about phytoplankton trends in the SF Estuary. …………………………………..………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..……… • Cal/EPA • Natural Resources Agency • About the California Water Quality Monitoring Council ESTUARIES • Stressors • Laws, Regulations & Standards • Research • Monitoring Programs, Data Sources & Reports • Restoration & Management Chlorophyll a Trends (1975-2011) QUESTIONS ANSWERED • What are phytoplankton, and why are they important? • How and where are they measured in the SF Estuary? • What are their trends in the SF Estuary? • What’s being done about it? • This graph depicts the downward trend in chlorophyll a concentrations from 1975 to 2011 in 10 regions of the SF Estuary averaged by year. Phytoplankton Species Composition Trends • Text for this chart, • Text for this chart. • Text for this chart, • Text for this chart

  15. Safe to Eat Fish Home Safe to Swim Safe to Drink Ecosystem Health Stressors & Processes Contact Us Home  Eco Health  Estuaries Where San Francisco  Health  Living Resources PhytoplanktonTrends What are SF Estuary Phytoplankton Trends? …………………………………..………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..……… • Cal/EPA • Natural Resources Agency • About the California Water Quality Monitoring Council ESTUARIES • Stressors • Laws, Regulations & Standards • Research • Monitoring Programs, Data Sources & Reports • Restoration & Management Chlorophyll a Trends (1975-2011) QUESTIONS ANSWERED • What are phytoplankton, and why are they important? • How and where are they measured in the SF Estuary? • What are their trends in the SF Estuary? • What’s being done about it? • This graph depicts the downward trend in chlorophyll a concentrations from 1975 to 2011 in 10 regions of the SF Estuary averaged by year. Decreasing chlorophyll a concentrations means less phytoplankton available for zooplankton, benthic organisms, and fish to eat. Chlorophyll a Trends (1975-2011) – Rivers Chlorophyll a Trends (1975-2011) – Mid-Delta Chlorophyll a Trends (1975-2011) - Upstream • This graph depicts the downward trend in chlorophyll a concentrations over time in the lower Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers averaged by year. There has been a recent upward trend since 2011. • This graph depicts the downward trend in chlorophyll a concentrations averaged by year over time in the South Delta and the stable trend in concentrations in the North Delta. • This graph depicts the downward trend in chlorophyll a concentrations over time in the central Delta averaged by yearand the fluctuations in concentrations in the eastern Delta Chlorophyll a Trends (1975-2011) - Downstream Chlorophyll a Trends (1975-2011) – Low Salinity Zone • This graph depicts the downward trend in chlorophyll a concentrations averaged by year over time in areas downstream of the Delta. • This graph depicts the recent upward trend in chlorophyll a concentrations in the low salinity zone. Data are averaged by year over time.

  16. Safe to Eat Fish Home Safe to Swim Safe to Drink Ecosystem Health Stressors & Processes Contact Us Home  Eco Health  Estuaries Where San Francisco  Health  Living Resources PhytoplanktonTrends What are SF Estuary Phytoplankton Trends? …………………………………..………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..……… • Cal/EPA • Natural Resources Agency • About the California Water Quality Monitoring Council ESTUARIES • Stressors • Laws, Regulations & Standards • Research • Monitoring Programs, Data Sources & Reports • Restoration & Management QUESTIONS ANSWERED • What are phytoplankton, and why are they important? • How and where are they measured in the SF Estuary? • What are their trends in the SF Estuary? • What’s being done about it? Pie charts showing annual species composition change with bar graphs that show seasonal change (Tiffany Brown’s idea, see note section below) would go here. Phytoplankton Species Composition Trends • Text for this chart, • Text for this chart. • Text for this chart, • Text for this chart

  17. Safe to Eat Fish Home Safe to Swim Safe to Drink Ecosystem Health Stressors & Processes Contact Us How and where are zooplankton measured? Home  Eco Health  Estuaries Where San Francisco  Health  Living ResourcesZooplankton What are Zooplankton, and Why are they Important? Slide show – SF Estuary zooplankton species …………………………………..………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..……… • Cal/EPA • Natural Resources Agency • About the California Water Quality Monitoring Council ESTUARIES • Stressors • Laws, Regulations & Standards • Research • Monitoring Programs, Data Sources & Reports • Restoration & Management What are zooplankton, and why are they important? What are SF Estuary zooplankton trends? Where are zooplankton in the food web? • What are zooplankton? • Zooplankton are tiny, drifting or weakly swimming animals found in aquatic environments. The most common ones in the SF Estuary include copepods, cladocerans, rotifers, and mysids. Some zooplankton are native to the Delta, while others have been introduced. (link to each species page) • Why are they important? • Zooplankton are important food sources for larval, juvenile, and small fish including delta smelt, juvenile salmon, striped bass, and small splittail. Different zooplankton species prefer various salinity zones, from freshwater to brackish to salty environments. Thus their presence and abundance can indicate water types. • Learn more about how zooplankton are measured in the SF Estuary. (link to zooplankton measuring page (next slide)). QUESTIONS ANSWERED QUESTIONS ANSWERED What is being done to improve the health of zooplankton in the SF Estuary? (content in development) What are issues of concern in the SF Estuary? (content in development) • What are zooplankton, and why are they important? • How and where are they monitored? • What are their trends in the SF Estuary? • What’s being done about it?

  18. Safe to Eat Fish Home Safe to Swim Safe to Drink Ecosystem Health Stressors & Processes Contact Us How and where are zooplankton measured? Zooplankton Monitoring Stations Home  Eco Health  Estuaries Where San Francisco  Health  Living ResourcesZooplankton  Measured How and Where are Zooplankton Measured in the SF Estuary? …………………………………..………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..……… • Cal/EPA • Natural Resources Agency • About the California Water Quality Monitoring Council ESTUARIES • Stressors • Laws, Regulations & Standards • Research • Monitoring Programs, Data Sources & Reports • Restoration & Management What are zooplankton, and why are they important? What are SF Estuary zooplankton trends? Where are zooplankton in the food web? QUESTIONS ANSWERED QUESTIONS ANSWERED What is being done to improve the health of zooplankton in the SF Estuary? (content in development) What are issues of concern in the SF Estuary? (content in development) • What are zooplankton, and why are they important? • How and where are they measured in the SF Estuary? • What are their trends in the SF Estuary? • What’s being done about it? • How and where are zooplankton measured? • Zooplankton are monitored as part of the IEP’s Environmental Monitoring Program (EMP) by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s Zooplankton Study. Changes in their composition, abundance, density, and distribution are documented within the SF Estuary, from San Pablo Bay east through the upper Estuary. • 19 stations are currently sampled monthly, including 17 fixed stations and 2 floating entrapment zone stations. Three additional stations are sampled in the Carquinez Strait and San Pablo Bay during high outflow periods. Since 1972, 12 of the 19 stations have been sampled. An additional two have been sampled consistently since 1974. Three nets are used with a range of mesh sizes to capture zooplankton species of different sizes. • Learn more about the methods used to measure zooplankton. • Where are the data? • More information on zooplankton monitoring can be found in the study Meta Data.

  19. Safe to Eat Fish Home Safe to Swim Safe to Drink Ecosystem Health Stressors & Processes Contact Us How and where are zooplankton measured? Home  Eco Health  Estuaries  Where  San Francisco  Health  Living Resources Zooplankton  Trends What are SF Estuary Zooplankton Trends? Zooplankton Trends in the SF Estuary - 1974 to 2011 …………………………………..………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..……… • Cal/EPA • Natural Resources Agency • About the California Water Quality Monitoring Council ESTUARIES • Stressors • Laws, Regulations & Standards • Research • Monitoring Programs, Data Sources & Reports • Restoration & Management What are zooplankton, and why are they important? Limnoithona abundance trends (log CPUE) 1979 to 2011, spring sampling period. There was a significant increase in the early 1990’s. Click for the full story and to see other seasons What are SF Estuary zooplankton trends? Where are zooplankton in the food web? EurytemoraaffinisandPseudodiaptomusforbesiabundance trends (log CPUE) 1974 to 2011, summer sampling period. Eurytemora saw a significant decrease at the same time that Pseudodiaptomousappeared in the SF Estuary. Click for the full story and to see other seasons QUESTIONS ANSWERED QUESTIONS ANSWERED What is being done to improve the health of zooplankton in the SF Estuary? (content in development) What are issues of concern in the SF Estuary? (content in development) • What are zooplankton, and why are they important? • How and where are they measured in the SF Estuary? • What are their trends in the SF Estuary? • What’s being done about it? The abundance of the most common calenoid copepods (including Eurytemora and Pseudodiaptomous) changes between seasons in the SF Estuary, as shown here for 2011. Click for the full story What are zooplankton trends? There have been big changes in zooplankton abundance and species diversity in the SF Estuary. In general, there has been a decrease in zooplankton abundance and biomass (that is, a decrease in the availability of zooplankton as food for fish). At the same time, native species have decreased and nonnative invasive species have increased in most parts of the Estuary in most seasons and in most years. More information

  20. Safe to Eat Fish Home Safe to Swim Safe to Drink Ecosystem Health Stressors & Processes Contact Us Photo ofLimnoithonatetraspina, found in the Low Salinity Zone, a nonnative species that was first detected in 1993 Photo of Limnoithonasinensis, found in the freshwater zone, a nonnative species that was first detected in 1979 Photo of Eurytemoraaffinis, found in the Low Salinity Zone, a native species that used to be the dominant source of fish food Photo of Pseudodiaptomusforebsi, found in the Low Salinity Zone, a nonnative species that was first detected in 1987 Home  Eco Health  Estuaries  Where  San Francisco  Health  Living Resources Zooplankton  Trends  More What are SF Estuary Zooplankton Trends? More information …………………………………..………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..……… • Cal/EPA • Natural Resources Agency • About the California Water Quality Monitoring Council ESTUARIES • Stressors • Laws, Regulations & Standards • Research • Monitoring Programs, Data Sources & Reports • Restoration & Management There have been big changes in zooplankton abundance and species diversity in the SF Estuary, as shown here with the Department of Fish and Wildlife’s Zooplankton Study of the Delta, Suisun, and San Pablo Bay. In general, there has been a decrease in zooplankton abundance and biomass (that is, a decrease in the availability of zooplankton as food for fish). At the same time, native species have decreased and nonnative invasive species have increased in most parts of the Estuary in most seasons and in most years. The introduced L. tetraspinahas become the most abundant copepod, replacing the slightly larger L. sinensis. Despite high numbers of L. tetraspinain the upper SF Estuary, it may be too small to be a viable food source for visual predators like delta smelt. Other copepods, cladocerans, rotifers, and mysids have generally declined overall. Figure 1 shows the trends in seasonal (spring, summer and fall) abundance between 1979 and 2011 of two nonnative species of cyclopoid copepods, Limnoithonatetraspina , which first appeared in 1993, and Limnoithonasinsensis, which first appeared in 1979. These two species have been increasing since 1979 during all seasons and are now typically two of the most abundant species of zooplankton sampled. They are smaller and are considered lower quality than the native species that were the dominant source of food for native fish in the past (including Eurytemoraaffinis, Figure 2). The two lines represent sampling results from two different size sampling nets. Abundance is indicated on the Y axis, as catch per unit effort (CPUE) on a log scale. [link to definitions] Figure 2 shows the trends in seasonal (spring, summer and fall) abundance between 1974 and 2011 of two species of calenoid copepods found in the Low Salinity Zone, Eurytemoraaffinis, a native species that was historically the dominant source of fish food, and Pseudodiaptomousforbesi, a nonnative species first observed in 1987. Since its introduction,Pseudodiaptomous, the nonnative, has been 10 to 100 times more abundant than Eurytemora in summer and fall (see also Figure 3). Figure 3 shows the abundance of the most common calenoid copepods during each month of 2011 (including EurytemoraaffinisandPseudodiaptomousforbesi , Figure 2). In this graph, the native species are Eurytemora (dark red) and Acartia (green); the remainder are nonnatives. Natives were dominant only in winter; the rest of the year was dominated by Pseudodiaptomous (light blue) and Acartiella(dark blue).

  21. Safe to Eat Fish Home Safe to Swim Safe to Drink Ecosystem Health Stressors & Processes Contact Us How and where are benthics measured? Home  Eco Health  Estuaries  Where  San Francisco  Health  Living ResourcesBenthics What are Benthic Organisms, and Why are They Important? …………………………………..………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..……… • Cal/EPA • Natural Resources Agency • About the California Water Quality Monitoring Council ESTUARIES • Stressors • Laws, Regulations & Standards • Research • Monitoring Programs, Data Sources & Reports • Restoration & Management What are benthic organisms, and why are they important? Pictures of benthic organisms that you can click on to get to details What are SF Estuary benthic trends? Where are benthics in the food web? < > QUESTIONS ANSWERED QUESTIONS ANSWERED What is being done to improve the health of benthics in the SF Estuary? (content in development) What are issues of concern in the SF Estuary? (content in development) • What are benthic organisms, and why are they important? • How and where are they measured? • What are their trends in the SF Estuary? • What’s being done about it? • What are benthic organisms? • Benthic organisms are small animals that live in or on the bottom of water bodies. They include a number of familiar species such as clams, shrimp, and crabs and other less recognized ones including segmented and unsegmented worms, various crustaceans, and aquatic insects. Some of these invertebrates — they have no backbone — live in or on the soft mud of the Estuary, while others attach themselves to rocks and other hard surfaces. • Many benthic organisms are filter feeders. They pump immense volumes of water through their bodies or through holes they have burrowed in the mud in order to catch food suspended in the water. Others graze on food they find in and on the surface of the bottom. Both types of benthics eat plankton, phytoplanktonand zooplankton, other benthic organisms, and/or decaying organic debris washed in from the surrounding watershed. • Why are they important? • Benthic organisms are important part of the estuarine food web. They consume and are consumed by other creatures. Every winter during low-tides, thousands of migrating shorebirds feast themselves upon uncovered clams, crabs, and worms found in the mudflats. Humans, as well, take advantage of the low-tides to harvest their own feast. • Historically, bay shrimp supported a large commercial fishery in the Bay, and California’s commercial crab fishery still depends upon crabs that spend the first two years of their life growing in the SF Estuary. • Changes in benthic organisms’ populations also can be indications of larger changes in the physical conditions of the SF Estuary, including alterations in freshwater inflows, salinity, and sediment composition. These changes can then affect other living things and general water quality. • More research is needed to better understand the role of these bottom dwellers in the larger estuarine ecosystem. • Learn more about how benthic organisms are measured in the SF Estuary.

  22. Safe to Eat Fish Home Safe to Swim Safe to Drink Ecosystem Health Stressors & Processes Contact Us How and where are benthics measured? Benthic Organism Monitoring Stations Home  Eco Health  Estuaries Where San Francisco  Health  Living ResourcesBenthicsMeasured How and Where are Benthic Organisms Measured in the SF Estuary? …………………………………..………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..……… • Cal/EPA • Natural Resources Agency • About the California Water Quality Monitoring Council ESTUARIES • Stressors • Laws, Regulations & Standards • Research • Monitoring Programs, Data Sources & Reports • Restoration & Management What are benthic organisms, and why are they important? What are SF Estuary benthic trends? Where are benthics in the food web? • How and where are benthic organisms measured? • Benthic organisms are monitored as part of the IEP’s Environmental Monitoring Program (EMP)by the California DWR’s Benthic Organisms Study. Changes in their composition, abundance, density, and distribution are documented within the SF Estuary, from San Pablo Bay east through the upper Estuary to the mouths of the Sacramento, Mokelumne, and San Joaquin Rivers. • Ten sites are currently sampled. Because different benthic species live in different parts of the Estuary, the sites represent a wide range of habitats of varying sizes and physical conditions, including different types of salinity and sediment composition. Sites range from narrow, freshwater channels in the Delta to broad, estuarine bays. • Samples are collected monthly using a hydraulic winch and Ponar dredge. From 1975 to 1979, biannual sampling was conducted in late spring and fall. Monthly sampling started in June 1980 and ended in October 2003. Samples were collected quarterly from October 2003 through October 2005, after which monthly sampling was resumed. Sediment samples are also collected at each site for sediment analysis. • Learn more about the methods used to measure benthic organisms. • Where are the data? • Benthic Dictionary- list of all species of macro-benthic organisms identified and the total number of individuals counted • Sediment composition data is provided to the program by the DWR Soils Laboratory in the form of monthly written reports. These data are then entered monthly by DWR Personnel into EMP’s benthic database. For more information regarding the sediment data please contact Heather Fuller. • More information on benthic organism monitoring can be found in the study Meta Data and the Benthic BioGuide. QUESTIONS ANSWERED QUESTIONS ANSWERED What is being done to improve the health of benthics in the SF Estuary? (content in development) What are issues of concern in the SF Estuary? (content in development) • What are benthic organisms? • How and where are they measured? • What are their trends in the SF Estuary? • What’s being done about it?

  23. Safe to Eat Fish Home Safe to Swim Safe to Drink Ecosystem Health Stressors & Processes Contact Us How and where are benthics measured? Where are their trends? There have been important changes in benthic organism abundance (how many?) and species diversity (what types?) in the SF Estuary since monitoring began in 1975. Both shrimp and crab abundances have increased during the last 15 years, and over 85 percent of those populations are native species. Several invasive benthic species have also been introduced to the Estuary. Most notably is the Asian clam that was introduced to the environment in the eighties, probably as larvae in ballast water used to keep ships balanced in the ocean. In any estuary, environmental conditions have to be right in order for an introduced species to become an invasive one, and the conditions in the SF Estuary have been ideal for the clams. Since their introduction, they have covered large swaths of the bay’s bottoms, displacing other benthic organisms and feeding on phytoplankton and zooplankton. Their effects on the estuarine food web are still being studied, but phytoplankton abundances have declined since the mid-eighties. Such declines may have negative impacts on the zooplankton that eat these phytoplankton and the fish that feed on the zooplankton. Home  Eco Health  Estuaries  Where San Francisco  Health  Living ResourcesBenthics Trends What are Benthic Organism Trends in the SF Estuary? …………………………………..………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..……… • Cal/EPA • Natural Resources Agency • About the California Water Quality Monitoring Council ESTUARIES • Stressors • Laws, Regulations & Standards • Research • Monitoring Programs, Data Sources & Reports • Restoration & Management What are benthic organisms, and why are they important? What are SF Estuary benthic trends? Where are benthics in the food web? QUESTIONS ANSWERED QUESTIONS ANSWERED What is being done to improve the health of benthics in the SF Estuary? (content in development) What are issues of concern in the SF Estuary? (content in development) • What are benthic organisms, and why are they important? • How and where are they measured? • What are their trends in the SF Estuary? • What’s being done about it? Abundance of Crabs in the SF Bay (1980-2010) Abundance of Shrimp in the SF Bay (1980-2010) Benthic Organism Trends (1975-2011) • Graph from monitoring data. • Show Asian clam, other crabs, etc.? • Particularly important years: • Before mid-eighties (1977 or so), • Around mid-eighties (1986 or 87), • Mid-nineties (1995 or so) • More recently (2010 or 2011) • Overall crab abundance has generally increased over time in the SF Bay. • Overall shrimp abundance has increased over time in the SF Bay.

  24. Safe to Eat Fish Home Safe to Swim Safe to Drink Ecosystem Health Stressors & Processes Contact Us Home  Eco Health  Estuaries Health Living Resources Fish What are Types of Fish in the SF Estuary, and Why are They Important? …………………………………..………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..……… Insert slide show with clickable images of the different types of fish. • Cal/EPA • Natural Resources Agency • About the California Water Quality Monitoring Council ESTUARIES • Stressors • Laws, Regulations & Standards • Research • Monitoring Programs, Data Sources & Reports • Restoration & Management Non-native • What are the types of fish in the SF Estuary? • The diverse habitats of the SF Estuary support over 100 native and non-native fish. The region is home to • resident fish, Fish that, for the most part, complete (or can complete) their entire life cycle in or very close to the estuary.   • marine fish that lay their eggs (spawn) and/or rear in bay habitats, and • migratory fishthat must transition between freshwater and marine habitats beyond the Estuary to complete their life cycle. • (link: resident species, link: bay species, link: migratory species, respectively) • Pressures on California’s native fish are typified in the Estuary, including diversion of freshwater for human uses, deterioration of water quality, extensive habitat alteration and degradation, introduced species, and climate change. Some of the area’s most abundant fisheries have either been driven to extinction or are threatened or endangered. • Why are they important? • Fish in the SF Estuary are important for economic, recreational, and ecological reasons. Economically important fish include Chinook salmon and Pacific herring. Sport fish like striped bass and sturgeon are popular among local and tourist fishermen. Other ecologically important fish such as delta smelt are also present. • Because fish populations are responsive to environmental conditions in the Estuary, measuring theirpopulations can be useful for monitoring changes within the Estuaryin these conditions. Also, a large, diverse fishcommunity that is distributed broadly throughout the Estuary and dominated by native species is a good sign of a healthy estuary. < > QUESTIONS ANSWERED • What are types of fish in the SF Estuary, and why are they important? • How and where are fish surveyed in the SF Estuary? • What are SF Estuary fish trends? • What’s being done to protect them ?

  25. Safe to Eat Fish Home Safe to Swim Safe to Drink Ecosystem Health Stressors & Processes Contact Us Home  Eco Health  Estuaries  Health  Living Resources  Fish Resident What are the Types of Fish in the SF Estuary, and Why are They Important? …………………………………..………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..……… • Cal/EPA • Natural Resources Agency • About the California Water Quality Monitoring Council ESTUARIES • Stressors • Laws, Regulations & Standards • Research • Monitoring Programs, Data Sources & Reports • Restoration & Management • What are resident fish? • Many fish use the SF Estuary for onlyparticular parts of their life cycle — as juvenile rearing ground or as migratorycorridors. Some species, however, reside here for all or most of their lives. These fish includesendemic species (those found nowhere else in the world) like Delta smelt and Sacramento splittail. Because they spend most oftheir lives within the Estuary, these species are particularly susceptible to changes in estuarine environment. The following species were chosen as indicator species of resident fish health. • Delta Smelt • Indicator: estuarine dependent, short-lived, open water resident • Delta smelt (Hypomesustranspacificus) are found only in the SF Estuary’s Delta and northern bays. They are protected as an endangered species under state and federal law. Delta smelt typically live one year, spawning in freshwater and rearing for several months in brackish waters.. They are found primarily in brackish, tidal and open water habitats of the Estuary. [link to appropriate habitat] [Picture: need link. All of these pictures would be clickable] • Longfin Smelt • Indicator: short lived, deep water? • Longfinsmelt (Spirinchusthaleichthys) are distantly related to Delta smelt. Theyare found in estuaries and coastal lakes from the SF Estuary up the Pacific Coast to Alaska. The species is listed as threatened under the California Endangered Species Act. They enter freshwater briefly to spawn and migrate to brackish or marine environments to rear [link to brackish open water habitat]. They are found primarily in deep open water environments, where they feed on zooplankton. These fish are presented as indicators of resident fish health because they represent a short-lived species dependent completely on the estuary for their survival. [Picture: need link] • Sacramento Splittail • Indicator: floodplain indicator? • Sacramento splittail(Pogonichthysmacrolepidotus) are an endemic minnow species that spawn and rear in floodplains and shallow freshwater marsh environments [link to habitat] before migrating to shallow freshwater and brackish environments as juveniles. Splittail are a popular sport fishery and are important prey for fish and bird predators in the shallow waters of the marshes [link to habitat]. [Picture: need link] • Young Striped Bass (Non-native) (Migratory) • Indicator: estuarine dependent juveniles • Striped bass (Moronesaxatilis) were introduced to the SF Estuary from the Atlantic in 1879. A sought after sportfish, these predators are an important indicator of estuarine conditions. Although adults migrate between fresh and saltwater habitats, juvenile striped bass (age 0) are estuarine dependent so have been included in the resident fish section. A sought after sportfish, these predators are an important indicator of estuarine conditions. “Declines in the striped bass population were the driving force for changes in water management operations in Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers and the Delta in the 1980s. Until the mid-1990s, State Water Resources Control Board-mandated standards for the estuary were aimed at protecting larval and juvenile striped bass.” (Ecological Scorecard reasoning for including striped bass) • [link to open-water brackish habitat] [Picture: need link] • Learn more about how resident fish are surveyed. (link to resident fish monitoring page) Insert map with distribution for each species? QUESTIONS ANSWERED Imagesof species • What are types of fish in the SF Estuary, and why are they important? (this top question link would take you back to the main fish summary page. The rest link you to their specific pages.) • What are resident fish? • What are bay fish? • What are migratory fish? Imagesof species Let’s get a photo of YOY if keeping in this section

  26. Safe to Eat Fish Home Safe to Swim Safe to Drink Ecosystem Health Stressors & Processes Contact Us Home  Eco Health  Estuaries Health Living Resources Fish Marine/Bay What are the Types of Fish in the SF Estuary, and Why are They Important? …………………………………..………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..……… • Cal/EPA • Natural Resources Agency • About the California Water Quality Monitoring Council ESTUARIES • Stressors • Laws, Regulations & Standards • Research • Monitoring Programs, Data Sources & Reports • Restoration & Management • What are bay/marinefish? • Fish in the SF Estuary represent a mixture of marine, brackish, and freshwater species. They are found along a salinity gradient from the Delta (largely freshwater) to the Central and South Bays (marine habitats). Here we consider marine fish to be those that are ocean going fish that use the estuary (either obligately or non-obligately) as an important rearing habitat. • There are more than 100 species living in the San Francisco Bay. The Estuaries Portal initially presents four species that capture a broad assemblage of ecological diversity and life history traits as representatives of bay fishes. • Pacific Herring • Indicator: marine open water, (winter/spring?or flatfish?) • Pacific herring (Clupeapallasii) spawn in San Francisco (Central) and Richardson Bays from October through April. They live in shallow estuarine substrates and gradually migrate to deeper estuarine waters and finally to the ocean as they mature. Their populations support a commercial roe fishery, and they are important prey for marine fish and bird predators. [Picture here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Clupea_pallasii_by_OpenCage.jpg]. • Northern Anchovy • Northern anchovy (Engraulismordaxnanus ) are an important forage fish for bird and fish predators in the SF Estuary and along the California coast. They historically migrated into the brackish waters of Suisun Bay, but their range within the estuary appears to have shifted (Kimmerer 2006).[Picture here: http://www.fishwatch.gov/seafood_profiles/species/anchovy/species_pages/northern_anchovy.htm] • Starry Flounder • Indicator: Upper estuary fish • Starry flounder (Platichthysstellatus) are bottom dwelling predatory fish that are dependent on estuarine environments for rearing. Young flounder rear in the Estuary before migrating back into the ocean. Starry flounder are a sport fishery in California. [pictures here: http://www.fishbase.org/summary/4249] • English Sole • Pacific Halibut • Shiner Perch • Indicator: marine open water, (spring/summer? Or surfperches?) • Learn more about how bay fish are surveyed. (link to bay fish monitoring page) • Kimmerer, W.J. 2006. Response of anchovies dampens effects of the invasive bivalve Corbulaamurensis on the San Francisco Estuary foodweb. Marine Ecology Progress Series 324: 207–218. [where to put this reference?] Distribution mapof species? Imagesof species QUESTIONS ANSWERED • What are types of fish in the SF Estuary, and why are they important? • What are resident fish? • What are bay fish? • What are migratory fish? Imagesof species Imagesof species

  27. Safe to Eat Fish Home Safe to Swim Safe to Drink Ecosystem Health Stressors & Processes Contact Us Home  Eco Health  Estuaries Health Living Resources FishMigratory What are the Types of Fish in the SF Estuary, and Why are They Important? …………………………………..………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..……… • Cal/EPA • Natural Resources Agency • About the California Water Quality Monitoring Council ESTUARIES • Stressors • Laws, Regulations & Standards • Research • Monitoring Programs, Data Sources & Reports • Restoration & Management • What are migratory fish? • Many estuarine fish migrate to habitats with different depths or salinities during their life cycles. Some fish must migrate between fresh and saltwater to complete their life cycle. Anadromous fish spawn in freshwater and rear in marine environments and must ,”Species that undergo their greatest growth at sea and which, prior to the attainment of maturity, migrate into rivers where spawning subsequently occurs.” Elliot et al. 2007whereas catadromous species spawn in marine environments and rear in freshwater. Both native and introduced fish are present in the Estuary. • Many of the native and non-native anadromous fish abundance indices have declined precipitously in the latterpart of the 20th century. For example, among the four formerly robust runs of Chinook salmon spawning in the Central Valley, all are classified as endangered, threatened, or species of concern. However, tThe Sacramento fall-run Chinook is still abundant enough to support sport and commercial fisheries in most years. • Anadromous Fish (more info on each of these, like with the residence and bay fish sections) • Chinook Salmon • Chinook salmon – rest of text • Steelhead • Steelhead – rest of text • Green andWhite Sturgeon • Green and white sturgeon – rest of text • Pacific Lamprey • Pacific lamprey – rest of text • Striped Bass • Striped bass Bass (Non-native) (Migratory) • have been important fisheries since their introductions in the late 1800s. Rest of text. Striped bass on this page and on bay page? • American Shad • American shad Bass (Non-native) (Migratory) • have been important fisheries since their introductions in the late 1800s. Rest of text • Catadromous Fish • Learn more about how migratory fish are surveyed.(link to migratory fish monitoring page, also need to pick whether we’re calling it fish monitoring or fish surveying) QUESTIONS ANSWERED • What are types of fish in the SF Estuary, and why are they important? • What are resident fish? • What are bay fish? • What are migratory fish? Imagesof species Imagesof species Imagesof species Imagesof species

  28. Safe to Eat Fish Home Safe to Swim Safe to Drink Ecosystem Health Stressors & Processes Contact Us Home  Eco Health  Estuaries Health Living Resources FishMeasured How and Where are Fish Surveyed in the SF Estuary? …………………………………..………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..……… • Cal/EPA • Natural Resources Agency • About the California Water Quality Monitoring Council ESTUARIES • Stressors • Laws, Regulations & Standards • Research • Monitoring Programs, Data Sources & Reports • Restoration & Management QUESTIONS ANSWERED How and where are fish surveyed? Add generic info that applies to all three. Learn more about how resident, bay, and migratory fish are surveyed in the SF Estuary. (link to resident surveying page, bay fish surveying page, and migratory fish surveying page respectively) • How and where are fish surveyed in the SF Estuary? (this top question link would take you back to the main fish summary page. The rest link you to their specific pages.) • How are resident fish surveyed? • How are bay fish surveyed? • How are migratory fish surveyed?

  29. Safe to Eat Fish Home Safe to Swim Safe to Drink Ecosystem Health Stressors & Processes Contact Us Home  Eco Health  Estuaries Health Living Resources FishMeasured  Resident How and Where are Fish Surveyed in the SF Estuary? …………………………………..………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..……… • Cal/EPA • Natural Resources Agency • About the California Water Quality Monitoring Council ESTUARIES • Stressors • Laws, Regulations & Standards • Research • Monitoring Programs, Data Sources & Reports • Restoration & Management QUESTIONS ANSWERED • How and where are resident fish surveyed? • Resident, open-water (pelagic) fish are monitored in the Delta and Bays by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife as part of the IEP.The Fall Midwater Trawl Survey (FMWT) has sampled annually from September to December since 1967, with the exceptions of 1974 and 1979. The FMWT initially determined the relative abundance and distribution of age-0 striped bass in the estuary, but the sample data have also been used for other upper estuary open-water species, including Delta smelt, longfin smelt, threadfin shad, American shad, and Sacramento splittail. • (IEP links to http://www.water.ca.gov/iep) • Many estuarine resident fish historically made use of the SF Estuary’s extensive inter-tidal and sub-tidal marshes [link to habitat]. The largest fragments of those habitats that still remain are found in Suisun Marsh, north of Suisun Bay. The aquatic community of the Marsh, the largest freshwater-brackish marsh in western North America, has been sampled monthly since 1980 by researchers at the University of California Davis. The Suisun Marsh sampling program thus provides one of the longest continuous sampling records available for any estuarine marsh system in the world. • Learn more about resident fish trends. (link to resident fish trends page) • Where are the data? • Fall Midwater Trawl Survey (FMWT) Summary (link to http://www.dfg.ca.gov/delta/projects.asp?ProjectID=FMWT) • FMWT Abundace Indices (link to http://www.dfg.ca.gov/delta/data/fmwt/Indices/index.asp) • UC Davis data available upon request. Contact TeeJayO’Rear (link to taorear@ucdavis.edu) or Peter B. Moyle (link to pbmoyle@ucdavis.edu). • State of San Francisco Bay 2011 - Appendix F LIVING RESOURCES - Fish Indicators and Index - Technical Appendix ( link to http://sfep.sfei.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/7AppendixF_TASOB2011.pdf) (keep this link?) • How and where are fish surveyed in the SF Estuary? • How are resident fish surveyed? • How are bay fish surveyed? • How are migratory fish surveyed?

  30. Safe to Eat Fish Home Safe to Swim Safe to Drink Ecosystem Health Stressors & Processes Contact Us Home  Eco Health  Estuaries Health Living Resources FishMeasured  Bay How and Where are Fish Surveyed in the SF Estuary? …………………………………..………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..……… • Cal/EPA • Natural Resources Agency • About the California Water Quality Monitoring Council ESTUARIES • Stressors • Laws, Regulations & Standards • Research • Monitoring Programs, Data Sources & Reports • Restoration & Management QUESTIONS ANSWERED • How and where are fish surveyed in the SF Estuary? • How are resident fish surveyed? • How are bay fish surveyed? • How are migratory fish surveyed? • How and where are bay fish surveyed? • Since1980, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife has conducted a year-round, estuary-wide fish and mobile crustacean (shrimp and crabs) sampling program known as The Bay Study. 52 fixed sampling locations are in each of the Estuary’s main bays (South, San Francisco, San Pablo, and Suisun Bays) and the Delta. • Stations are sampled monthly with two types of gear — amidwatertrawl and an otter (bottom) trawl. The otter trawl collects bottom-feeding fish, shrimp, and crabs. The mid-water trawl collects open-water (pelagic) fish. Fish and mobile crustaceans are identified and counted for each net trawl. These data are reported as catch-per-unit effort based on the estimated or measured volume of water sampled in each net tow. • Learn more about bay fish trends. (link to bay fish trends page) • Where are the data? • San Francisco Bay Study (link to http://www.dfg.ca.gov/delta/ProjectDescription.asp?ProjectID=BAYSTUDY) • State of San Francisco Bay 2011 - Appendix F LIVING RESOURCES - Fish Indicators and Index - Technical Appendix ( link to http://sfep.sfei.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/7AppendixF_TASOB2011.pdf) (keep this link?)

  31. Safe to Eat Fish Home Safe to Swim Safe to Drink Ecosystem Health Stressors & Processes Contact Us Home  Eco Health  Estuaries Health Living Resources FishMeasured  Migratory How and Where are Fish Surveyed in the SF Estuary? …………………………………..………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..……… • Cal/EPA • Natural Resources Agency • About the California Water Quality Monitoring Council ESTUARIES • Stressors • Laws, Regulations & Standards • Research • Monitoring Programs, Data Sources & Reports • Restoration & Management QUESTIONS ANSWERED • How and where are fish surveyed in the SF Estuary? • How are resident fish surveyed? • How are bay fish surveyed? • How are migratory fish surveyed? • How and where are migratory fish surveyed? • The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) have a role in monitoring salmon populations in the Central Valley. The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) also has management responsibility for the fish in their marine environment. Throughout their range, salmon are protected under the Endangered Species Act. Salmon surveys are performed at various points in their life cycles including juvenile monitoring in rivers and throughout the Delta, marine harvest monitoring, and carcass and weir surveys of adults returning to spawn. • Learn more about migratory fish trends. (link to migratory fish trends page) • Where are the data? • U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Stockton) - Anadromous Fish Restoration Program (link to http://www.fws.gov/stockton/afrp/overview.cfm) • Link to the CDFW data (spent a few minutes looking for it and couldn’t find it, add in later) • State of San Francisco Bay 2011 - Appendix F LIVING RESOURCES - Fish Indicators and Index - Technical Appendix ( link to http://sfep.sfei.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/7AppendixF_TASOB2011.pdf) (keep this link?)

  32. Safe to Eat Fish Home Safe to Swim Safe to Drink Ecosystem Health Stressors & Processes Contact Us Home  Eco Health  Estuaries Health Living Resources Fish Trends What are SF Estuary Fish Trends? …………………………………..………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..……… • Cal/EPA • Natural Resources Agency • About the California Water Quality Monitoring Council ESTUARIES • Stressors • Laws, Regulations & Standards • Research • Monitoring Programs, Data Sources & Reports • Restoration & Management QUESTIONS ANSWERED What are SF Estuary Fish Trends? Add generic info that applies to all three. Learn more about resident, bay, and migratory fish trends in the SF Estuary. (link to resident trend page, bay fish trend page, and migratory fish trend page respectively) • What are SF Estuary fish trends? (this top question link would take you back to the main fish summary page. The rest link you to their specific pages.) • What are resident fish trends? • What are bay fish trends? • What are migratory fish trends?

  33. Safe to Eat Fish Home Safe to Swim Safe to Drink Ecosystem Health Stressors & Processes Contact Us What are Resident/PelagicFish Trends? Home  Eco Health  Estuaries Health Living Resources Fish Trends Resident What are SF Estuary Fish Trends? …………………………………..………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..……… The FMWT abundance indices for Delta smelt, longfin smelt, age-0 striped bass, and threadfinsplittailshad are presented below. Abundance trends vary among these species; however, the abundance indices for all four species rapidly declined to record low levels around 2002. In 2005, the IEP formed a Pelagic Organism Decline (POD) Management Team to evaluate the potential causes of the declines. Learn more about the POD. (link to http://www.water.ca.gov/iep/pod/) • Cal/EPA • Natural Resources Agency • About the California Water Quality Monitoring Council ESTUARIES • Stressors • Laws, Regulations & Standards • Research • Monitoring Programs, Data Sources & Reports • Restoration & Management • Delta Smelt • A substantial decline in this fish led to its listing under the federal Endangered Species Act in 1993. Since that time, declines have continued to levels that are barely detectable in long-term community sampling programs. • Longfin Smelt • Once among the most abundant fish in the estuary, longfin smelt have experienced one of the most severe population declines of any species in the estuary. Population abundance is strongly correlated over the long and short term with springtime flows of freshwater out of the Delta (Jassby et l. 1995; Kimmerer 2002; Kimmerer et al. 2009; Mac Nally et al. 2010; Thompsonet al. 2010). • Sacramento Splittail • Extreme fluctuations in abundance characterize this species and make long-term trends difficult to detect. Populations increase explosively following years with extensive floodplain inundation in the spring. Populations decline precipitously during long dry spells when reproductive opportunities are rare and as older fish reach their maximum life spans QUESTIONS ANSWERED • What are SF Estuary fish trends? • What are resident fish trends? • What are bay fish trends? • What are migratory fish trends? Trend Graph • Age-0 Striped Bass(Non-native) (Migratory) • Despite its long success in the Estuary, production ofjuvenile striped bass has declined substantially over the past two decades. • Threadfin Shad • Need text here.

  34. Native/Non-native Fish? Safe to Eat Fish Home Safe to Swim Safe to Drink Ecosystem Health Stressors & Processes Contact Us • What are Marine/Bay Fish Trends? • The State of the San Francisco Bay Report (2011) summarized fish indicators associated with the health of the San Francisco Bay and said the following: • “Based on the Fish Index and its component indicators, the health of the San Francisco Bay has declined since the 1980s in all regions except Central Bay, near the Golden Gate. The decline is most severe in Suisun Bay, the upstream region of the Estuary heavily influenced by the amounts, timing and quality of freshwater inflows from the Bay’s Sacramento-San Joaquin watershed. • Since 1993, when the CCMP (Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan) called for recovery of and reversing the declines of estuarine fish and wildlife species, none of the Bay fish communities in any part of the Bay have improved. Instead six native fish species that rely on the Bay have been listed under the federal and/or state Endangered Species Acts. Home  Eco Health  Estuaries Health Living Resources Fish Trends Bay What are SF Estuary Fish Trends? …………………………………..………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..……… • Cal/EPA • Natural Resources Agency • About the California Water Quality Monitoring Council ESTUARIES • Stressors • Laws, Regulations & Standards • Research • Monitoring Programs, Data Sources & Reports • Restoration & Management • Northern Anchovy • Northern anchovy populations have declined in each SF Estuary bay since at least the mid-1990’s (SOTB 2011). Kimmerer (2006) attributed the decline in the upper (less saline) portions of the estuary to a decline in available prey. (this is a driver. Keep?) • Pacific Herring • Though the commercial catch of Pacific herring has dropped substantially since early in the last century, trends over the last several decades are not statistically significant. A long-term decline in the median age of herring is of concern and has been attributed to intensive fishing (Pew 2013 ). • Starry Flounder • Population trend is variable through time but significantly correlated with freshwater flow out of the Delta in late spring (Kimmerer 2002). QUESTIONS ANSWERED Trend Graph • What are SF Estuary fish trends? What are resident fish trends? • What are bay fish trends? • What are migratory fish trends? Trend Graph Trend Graph

  35. Native/Non-native Fish? Safe to Eat Fish Home Safe to Swim Safe to Drink Ecosystem Health Stressors & Processes Contact Us What are Migratory/Anadromous Fish Trends? Migratory fish, particularly anadromousspecies, of interest in the SF Estuary include commercial, sport and regulated fish. Many of these native and non-native anadromous species populations abundance indices have declined precipitously in the latter part of the 20th century. Among the four runs of Chinook salmon spawning in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River system, all are classified as endangered, threatened, or species of concern. Estimated yearly natural production and in river escapement are presented below for fall-run, spring-run, and winter-run Chinook salmon (source: CDFW Grand Tab; Mills and Fisher [CDFW 1994]). Learn more about migratory fish trends. (link to http://www.fws.gov/stockton/afrp/overview.cfm. Right link?) Home  Eco Health  Estuaries Health Living Resources Fish Trends Migratory What are SF Estuary Fish Trends ? …………………………………..………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..……… • Cal/EPA • Natural Resources Agency • About the California Water Quality Monitoring Council ESTUARIES • Stressors • Laws, Regulations & Standards • Research • Monitoring Programs, Data Sources & Reports • Restoration & Management • Sacramento River Fall Run Chinook • Indicator: ______ • Major long-term declines are obscured because official counts began after construction of major dams that had already eliminated much of this fish’s historical habitats. Estimates suggest that this run regularly produced hundreds of thousands to over a million fish each year. Recent major declines led to the unprecedented closing of California’s commercial salmon fishery in 2008, 2009 and most of 2010. • Sacramento River Winter Run Chinook • Completion of Shasta dam in 1945 blocked access to this endemic and genetically unique population’s historic spawning grounds in the far northern watersheds of the Sacramento River. Habitat created by cold-water releases from Shasta Reservoir has declined over time, and the population has experienced another catastrophic decline over the past several decades. This species is listed as endangered under state and federal Endangered Species Acts. • Central Valley Spring Run Chinook • Believed to be the most abundant Chinook salmon population historically, spring run populations have declined by 99%-99.9%. This once widespread fish is now hardly found in the San Joaquin Drainage where it used to flourish. Spring run are now found predominantly in the small tributaries to the Sacramento River that originate on the slopes of Mt. Lassen. • San Joaquin River Fall Run Chinook • Friant Dam blocks this fish from reaching the cool, upstream environment of the San Joaquin River. This population has continued to decline as habitat and necessary, fresh, cold water flows have declined on the San Joaquin’s three major tributaries (the Merced, Tuolumne, and Stanislaus). QUESTIONS ANSWERED • What are SF Estuary fish trends? • What are resident fish trends? • What are bay fish trends? • What are migratory fish trends?

  36. Safe to Eat Fish Home Safe to Swim Safe to Drink Ecosystem Health Stressors & Processes Contact Us Home  Eco Health  Estuaries WhereSan Francisco  Health  Water Why is Water a Key Attribute? …………………………………..………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..……… • Cal/EPA • Natural Resources Agency • About the California Water Quality Monitoring Council ESTUARIES • Stressors • Laws, Regulations & Standards • Research • Monitoring Programs, Data Sources & Reports • Restoration & Management Water related pictures that you can click on to get to details (?) < > QUESTIONS ANSWERED • Why is water a key attribute? • Water is a key attribute for any aquatic ecosystem, especially estuaries. The quantity, timing of flows, and the quality of the water have direct affects on the health of an estuary. • The SF Estuary is dependent on: • Freshwater inflow from rivers that drain the western slope of the Sierra Nevadas • Salt water inflow from the Pacific Ocean • The variation in these inflows and their interaction has resulted in the formation of a unique and diverse ecosystem. • How do you evaluate the health of water? • Learn more about the most recent evaluation of the state of the SF Bay. (link to SOTB Report 2011) • Why is water a key attribute? • What is water quantity, and why is it important? • What is water quality, and why is it important?

  37. Safe to Eat Fish Home Safe to Swim Safe to Drink Ecosystem Health Stressors & Processes Contact Us Home  Eco Health  Estuaries WhereSan Francisco  Health  Water  Quantity What is Water Quantity, and Why is it Important? …………………………………..………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..……… • Cal/EPA • Natural Resources Agency • About the California Water Quality Monitoring Council ESTUARIES • Stressors • Laws, Regulations & Standards • Research • Monitoring Programs, Data Sources & Reports • Restoration & Management Water quantity related pictures that you can click on to get to details (?) – dams, diversions, snow pack, etc. < > What is water quantity? Water quantity is impacted by natural, seasonal, and annual climatic variations as well as by diversions and discharges by water users. [need more text here] Why is it important? [need text here] QUESTIONS ANSWERED • What is water quantity, and why is it important? • How and where is water quantity measured in the SF Estuary? • What are trends in water quantity in the SF Estuary?

  38. Safe to Eat Fish Home Safe to Swim Safe to Drink Ecosystem Health Stressors & Processes Contact Us Home  Eco Health  Estuaries WhereSan Francisco  Health  Water  Quantity  Measured How and Where is Water Quantity Measured in the SF Estuary? …………………………………..………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..……… • Cal/EPA • Natural Resources Agency • About the California Water Quality Monitoring Council ESTUARIES • Stressors • Laws, Regulations & Standards • Research • Monitoring Programs, Data Sources & Reports • Restoration & Management Water quantity related pictures that you can click on to get to details (?) – dams, diversions, snow pack, etc. < > • How and where is water quantity measured in the SF Estuary? • Water quantity is impacted by natural, seasonal, and annual climatic variations as well as by diversions and discharges by water users. Water quantity is measured with a series of tools including • A Water Year Hydrologic Classification Index has been created for both the Sacramento Valley and for the San Joaquin Valley to help us determine water year classifications, based off current hydrologic conditions, and forecast future runoff assuming normal precipitation for the remainder of the water year. • Unimpaired Runoff and theNet Delta Outflow Index help us understand the impacts of dams and diversions on the SF Estuary. QUESTIONS ANSWERED • What is water quantity, and why is it important? • How and where is water quantity measured in the SF Estuary? • What are trends in water quantity in the SF Estuary?

  39. Safe to Eat Fish Home Safe to Swim Safe to Drink Ecosystem Health Stressors & Processes Contact Us What is the Water Year Hydrologic Classification Index? Home  Eco Health  Estuaries WhereSan Francisco  Health  Water  Quantity  Measured  Water Year How and Where is Water Quantity Measured in the SF Estuary? …………………………………..………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..……… 2011 Sacramento River Water Year Classification • Cal/EPA • Natural Resources Agency • About the California Water Quality Monitoring Council ESTUARIES • Stressors • Laws, Regulations & Standards • Research • Monitoring Programs, Data Sources & Reports • Restoration & Management • The Sacramento Valley Index is used to characterize WY type for the current water year (October 1 of the proceeding calendar year through September 30 of the current water year) for the sum of the following locations: Sacramento River above Bend Bridge, near Red Bluff; Feather River, total inflow to Oroville Reservoir; Yuba River at Smartville; American River, total inflow to Folsom Reservoir. • The San Joaquin Valley Index is used to characterize WY type for the current water year (October 1 of the proceeding calendar year through September 30 of the current water year) for the sum of the following locations: Stanislaus River, total flow to New Melones Reservoir; Tuolumne River, total inflow to Don Pedro Reservoir; San Joaquin River, total inflow to Millerton Lake. QUESTIONS ANSWERED 2011 San Joaquin River Water Year Classification • How and where is water quantity measured in the SF Estuary? • What is the Water Year Hydrologic Classification Index? • What is Unimpaired Runoff? • What is the Net Delta Outflow Index?

  40. Safe to Eat Fish Home Safe to Swim Safe to Drink Ecosystem Health Stressors & Processes Contact Us Home  Eco Health  Estuaries WhereSan Francisco  Health  Water  Quantity  Measured  Unimpaired How and Where is Water Quantity Measured in the SF Estuary? What is Unimpaired Runoff? …………………………………..………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..……… • Unimpaired Runoff represents the natural water production of a river basin, unaltered by upstream diversions, storage, and the export of water to, or the import of water from, other basins. It is measured in Million Acre Feet per year (Dayflow 2011). • Cal/EPA • Natural Resources Agency • About the California Water Quality Monitoring Council ESTUARIES • Stressors • Laws, Regulations & Standards • Research • Monitoring Programs, Data Sources & Reports • Restoration & Management Yearly Average Unimpaired Runoff (1997-2011) QUESTIONS ANSWERED • How and where is water quantity measured in the SF Estuary? • What is the Water Year Hydrologic Classification Index? • What is Unimpaired Runoff? • What is the Net Delta Outflow Index?

  41. Safe to Eat Fish Home Safe to Swim Safe to Drink Ecosystem Health Stressors & Processes Contact Us Home  Eco Health  Estuaries WhereSan Francisco  Health  Water  Quantity  Measured  Net Delta How and Where is Water Quantity Measured in the SF Estuary? What is the Net Delta Outflow Index? …………………………………..………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..……… • The Net Delta Outflow Index is determined by subtracting net delta consumptive use and delta exports from delta inflow. Much of this outflow occurs during late winter and early spring. • Currently, the location of X2 is used as the primary indicator in managing Delta outflows. • Cal/EPA • Natural Resources Agency • About the California Water Quality Monitoring Council ESTUARIES • Stressors • Laws, Regulations & Standards • Research • Monitoring Programs, Data Sources & Reports • Restoration & Management Replace this one with one showing 5 or 10 years of record QUESTIONS ANSWERED • How and where is water quantity measured in the SF Estuary? • What is the Water Year Hydrologic Classification Index? • What is Unimpaired Runoff? • What is the Net Delta Outflow Index?

  42. Safe to Eat Fish Home Safe to Swim Safe to Drink Ecosystem Health Stressors & Processes Contact Us Home  Eco Health  Estuaries WhereSan Francisco  Health  Water  Quantity  Measured  X2 How and Where is Water Quantity Measured in the SF Estuary? What is X2, and why is it important? …………………………………..………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..……… • The meeting of the ocean and the rivers creates a dynamic balance between freshwater and saltwater in the estuary. This creates a biologically rich “mixing zone” referred to as X2 in the Delta. • The location of X2 is the calculated distance in kilometers from the Golden Gate Bridge to the place in the estuary that has a defined mix of saltwater and freshwater (called the 2 psuisohaline). Upstream of the X2, water becomes fresher and downstream of the X2 water becomes more brackish until it reaches the ocean. • X2 is important because phytoplankton, zooplankton, benthic organisms, larval fish, and many of the Delta’s fishhave direct relationships with Delta outflows. • Cal/EPA • Natural Resources Agency • About the California Water Quality Monitoring Council ESTUARIES • Stressors • Laws, Regulations & Standards • Research • Monitoring Programs, Data Sources & Reports • Restoration & Management QUESTIONS ANSWERED • How and where is water quantity measured in the SF Estuary? • What is the Water Year Hydrologic Classification Index? • What is Unimpaired Runoff? • What is the Net Delta Outflow Index?

  43. Safe to Eat Fish Home Safe to Swim Safe to Drink Ecosystem Health Stressors & Processes Contact Us What are water quantity trends in the SF Estuary? Home  Eco Health  Estuaries  Where  San Francisco  Health  Water  Quantity  Trends What are Water Quantity Trends in the SF Estuary? …………………………………..………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..……… Few sentences of text here? • Cal/EPA • Natural Resources Agency • About the California Water Quality Monitoring Council ESTUARIES • Stressors • Laws, Regulations & Standards • Research • Monitoring Programs, Data Sources & Reports • Restoration & Management • Freshwater flows into the Bay are reduced by about 50% on average, dramatically increasing the number of years in which native species experience extreme droughts (FIGURE 1 or 5). Figure 1. Trends in the mean, minimum, and maximum percentage of unimpaired flow that becomes actual delta outflow across 8 decades QUESTIONS ANSWERED • What is water quantity, and why is it important? • How and where is water quantity measured in the SF Estuary? • What are trends in water quantity in the SF Estuary? • Spring flows in the San Joaquin Valley are reduced by approximately 70% on average and more than 90% in some years (FIGURE 2). Figure 2. Horizontal lines indicate average for each period. Over time percentage of winter-spring runoff available in the SJ basin that has reached the delta has declined. Have a similar graph for Sac River at Verona. [shorten this] • Spring flows in the Sacramento Valley are …… Figure 3. Trends in the mean, minimum, and maximum percentage of unimpaired flow that becomes actual delta outflow across 8 decades • With increasing frequency, the net flow of water in some Delta waterways is away from the Bay and towards export pumps (FIGURE 4). Figure 4. Days of reverse flow at OMR

  44. Safe to Eat Fish Home Safe to Swim Safe to Drink Ecosystem Health Stressors & Processes Contact Us Home  Eco Health  Estuaries WhereSan Francisco  Health  Water  Quality What is Water Quality, and Why is it Important? …………………………………..………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..……… • Cal/EPA • Natural Resources Agency • About the California Water Quality Monitoring Council ESTUARIES • Stressors • Laws, Regulations & Standards • Research • Monitoring Programs, Data Sources & Reports • Restoration & Management Water quality related pictures that you can click on to get to details (?) – pH, algal blooms, etc. < > • What is water quality? • Water quality is impacted by natural seasonal and annual climatic variations, land uses, as well as diversions and discharges by water users. Water quality parameters can include “Vital Sign” indicators such as • temperature, • conductance, • pH, • dissolved oxygen, and • contaminants, such as nutrients, pesticides (e.g. DDT, dieldrin, chlordane & pyrethroids) and heavy metals (e.g. mercury and selenium). • Why is it important? • [text] QUESTIONS ANSWERED • What is water quality, and why is it important? • Where is water quality monitored in the SF Estuary? • What are water quality trends in the SF Estuary?

  45. Safe to Eat Fish Home Safe to Swim Safe to Drink Ecosystem Health Stressors & Processes Contact Us Home  Eco Health  Estuaries WhereSan Francisco  Health  Water  QualityMonitored Where is Water Quality Monitored? …………………………………..………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..……… • Cal/EPA • Natural Resources Agency • About the California Water Quality Monitoring Council ESTUARIES • Stressors • Laws, Regulations & Standards • Research • Monitoring Programs, Data Sources & Reports • Restoration & Management Map of where water quality is monitored? • How and where is water quality monitored? • Monitoring of water quality can include • discrete (grab) sampling (fixed locations with no permanent gage house), or • continuous sampling (fixed locations with a gage structure housing instruments that automatically record specific indicator parameters) • Discrete water quality monitoring happens at 24 active locations in the Delta for the D-1641 mandated sites. Continuous monitoring happens at 13 fixed locations with a gage structure housing instruments that automatically record specific indicator parameters. • Overall, DWR operates 10 monitoring programs, 171 monitoring stations and compiles up to 21 physical and chemical parametersin addition to weather and biological constituents that effect water quality throughout the SF Estuary. • This monitoring by DWR is only a part of the entire set of monitoring networks that in the SF Estuary (insert Regional Monitoring map, (the one used above). QUESTIONS ANSWERED • What is water quality, and why is it important? • How and where is water quality monitored in the SF Estuary? • What are water quality trends in SF Estuary?

  46. Safe to Eat Fish Home Safe to Swim Safe to Drink Ecosystem Health Stressors & Processes Contact Us Home  Eco Health  Estuaries Health Habitats How Can You Determine the Status of Habitats? …………………………………..………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..……… • Cal/EPA • Natural Resources Agency • About the California Water Quality Monitoring Council ESTUARIES • Stressors • Laws, Regulations & Standards • Research • Monitoring Programs, Data Sources & Reports • Restoration & Management QUESTIONS ANSWERED • Why are ecological processes important? • What ecological processes are being measured in the SF Estuary? • How are SF Estuary ecological processes trending? • What are the issues of concern in the SF Estuary? • What is being done to improve ecological processes in the SF Estuary?

  47. Safe to Eat Fish Home Safe to Swim Safe to Drink Ecosystem Health Stressors & Processes Contact Us Home  Eco Health  Estuaries Health EcoProcesses How Can You Determine the Status of Ecological Processes? …………………………………..………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..……… • Cal/EPA • Natural Resources Agency • About the California Water Quality Monitoring Council ESTUARIES • Stressors • Laws, Regulations & Standards • Research • Monitoring Programs, Data Sources & Reports • Restoration & Management QUESTIONS ANSWERED • Why are ecological processes important? • What ecological processes are being measured in the SF Estuary? • How are SF Estuary ecological processes trending? • What are the issues of concern in the SF Estuary? • What is being done to improve ecological processes in the SF Estuary?

  48. Safe to Eat Fish Home Safe to Swim Safe to Drink Ecosystem Health Stressors & Processes Contact Us Home  Eco Health  Estuaries Health Stewardship What Types of Stewardship Support a Healthy Estuary? …………………………………..………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..……… • Cal/EPA • Natural Resources Agency • About the California Water Quality Monitoring Council ESTUARIES • Stressors • Laws, Regulations & Standards • Research • Monitoring Programs, Data Sources & Reports • Restoration & Management QUESTIONS ANSWERED • Why are habitat location, type, quality, and quantity important? • How can habitat be measured in the SF Estuary? • What are SF Estuary habitat trends? • What is being done to improve habitats in the SF Estuary?

  49. Safe to Eat Fish Home Safe to Swim Safe to Drink Ecosystem Health Stressors & Processes Contact Us Home  Eco Health  Estuaries Laws Regulations & Standards What Laws, Regulations, and Standards Protect the SF Estuary? Laws regulations and policies that protect estuaries include those that are associated with freshwater (click to connect to Streams Rivers & Lakes portal [http://www.waterboards.ca.gov/mywaterquality/eco_health/streams/improvement/]), surrounding land, including tidal wetlands, managed and seasonal wetlands, and riparian habitat (click to connect with Wetlands Portal: [http://www.waterboards.ca.gov/mywaterquality/eco_health/wetlands/improvements/regulations.shtml]), coasts and oceans (click to connect with Oceans portal). California’s estuaries, and the organisms that live in them, are protected by many federal and state laws, regulations, and policies designed to prevent further degradation and destruction. Regulations protect ecological services and benefits derived from estuaries as well as protecting special status fish, wildlife and plants and their habitats, vegetation communities, wetland extent, water quality, and beneficial uses. Each law and regulation has been put into place over many decades to address different resource and habitat protection needs, with responsibility for enforcement assigned the appropriate government agencies. Understanding the different laws and the agencies that enforce them is necessary for a complete picture of estuary protection in California and the United States. Water quality standards are an effective tool available to protect the overall health of estuaries in California and the functions they provide, including shoreline stabilization, nonpoint source runoff filtration, wildlife habitat, and erosion control, which directly benefit adjacent and downstream waters. Water quality standards, including designated uses, criteria, and anti-degradation policies can provide a sound legal basis for protecting estuarine resources through State water quality management programs. Other regulations protect wetlands within the estuaries from damage, filling, or destruction through planned construction activities. Several additional programs safeguard estuarine integrity, whether directly and indirectly, by preventing changes to important populations of plant and animal species and their habitats. In addition to enforcing regulations, the United States and California have set an overarching goal to prevent further decline of wetlands through a “no net loss” approach, a goal recommended by the National Wetlands Policy Forum in 1987 and adopted in 1989. Other mechanisms for wetland protection include acquiring land in high priority areas, integrating knowledge of wetland resources into land use planning, mitigating the effects of construction activities (wetland creation or restoration in one area to account for destruction in another area), and creating disincentives for conversion of wetlands to other land uses. For example, state transportation agencies, such as Caltrans, are required to be in compliance with regulations pertaining to wetlands and to implement the state and federal policies of "no net loss" of wetlands. As a result of these policies, disturbances or impacts to wetlands due to transportation projects are compensated through the creation, restoration, enhancement, and/or preservation of wetlands. While government regulatory efforts are important, they cannot protect the majority of California’s remaining wetlands alone. Partnerships have developed among nonprofit organizations, private landowners, and federal, state, tribal, and local governments to manage whole watersheds (large land areas where water drains to a common point). The goal of these partnerships is to comprehensively protect all of the connected waterways in a given watershed, including wetlands. Education and volunteer wetland restoration efforts are also helping to speed wetland recovery and increase appreciation of wetland functions and values among the public. …………………………………..………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..……… • Cal/EPA • Natural Resources Agency • About the California Water Quality Monitoring Council ESTUARIES • Stressors • Laws, Regulations & Standards • Research • Monitoring Programs, Data Sources & Reports • Restoration & Management Click for information on San Francisco Estuary – specific laws regulations and policies QUESTIONS ANSWERED • What is an estuary? • Where are California’s estuaries? • How healthy is the SF Estuary? • What is being done to restore the SF Estuary? • How can I be part of the solution?

  50. Safe to Eat Fish Home Safe to Swim Safe to Drink Ecosystem Health Stressors & Processes Contact Us Home  Eco Health  Estuaries Laws Regulations & Standards Federal What Federal Laws, Regulations, and Standards Protect the SF Estuary? Federal Endangered Species Act Clean Water Act Clean Water Act, Section 404 Farm Bill Rivers and Harbors Act, Section 10 Coastal Zone Management Act Other Federal Agency Programs Executive Order 11990, "Protection of Wetlands" Executive Order 11988, "Floodplain Management" Click for information on San Francisco Estuary – specific laws regulations and policies …………………………………..………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..……… • Cal/EPA • Natural Resources Agency • About the California Water Quality Monitoring Council ESTUARIES • Stressors • Laws, Regulations & Standards • Research • Monitoring Programs, Data Sources & Reports • Restoration & Management Click here for more detailed information on these Federal Programs QUICK LINKS • California State Laws, Regulations, and Policies to Protect Estuaries • San Francisco Estuary – specific Laws, Regulations, and Policies

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