Obama Admin Decreases Protections for Nearly Extinct Delta Smelt: [View All]

[amborin]

Obama Administration Uplists Delta Smelt from Threatened to Endangered

Agency Says In Spite Of Threat of Extinction, It’s Business As Usual!

by Dan Bacher

A news release issued by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Sacramento on April 2 regarding the uplisting of Delta smelt from “threatened” to “endangered” is one of the most bizarre releases I’ve ever read.
“The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today announced that, based on accumulated scientific data, the delta smelt warrants uplisting from ‘threatened’ to ‘endangered’ under the Endangered Species Act but that uplisting at this time is precluded by the need to address higher priority species first,” the release states.

What the heck? The fish is right on the abyss of extinction, but there are other “higher priority” species that need to be addressed first? What species are these? Westlands growers or Southern California water agency officials?
“The finding of ‘warranted but precluded’ will have no practical effect on protections for the delta smelt, existing federal actions, or water flows in the delta smelt habitat,” the release goes on.

So what they’re saying is that they aren’t going to do anything more, even though the smelt has been changed from “threatened” to “endangered” – threatened with imminent extinction! What bizarre kind of circular logic is this?
“The Service is still unable to determine with certainty which threats or combinations of threats are directly responsible for the decrease in delta smelt abundance,” the release continued. “However, the apparent low abundance of delta smelt in concert with ongoing threats throughout its range indicates that the delta smelt is now in danger of extinction throughout its range.”
Actually, the threats to Delta smelt have been pinpointed by a team of state and federal scientists, the Pelagic Organism Decline team. The causes of the decline are led by increases and changes in water exports, followed by toxics and invasive species. Ammonia releases from sewage treatment plants are also a potential factor.

Bob Simms, host of the KFBK Outdoor Show, described this document as the “worst press release I’ve ever read.” His assessment is right on – and I’ve seen some really bad press releases come out of state and federal government offices over the years.

This just goes to show you that the “Change” that President Obama promised is just more of the same old dirty corporate politics that caused Central Valley salmon, Delta smelt, longfin smelt, green sturgeon, threadfin shad, juvenile striped bass, American shad and Sacramento splittail populations to collapse to record levels"

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http://blogs.alternet.org/danbacher/2010/04/03/1667/