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Scientists to meet to examine mystery fish die-off in Delta

Associated Press

STOCKTON, Calif. – Scientists will begin meeting over the next four
months to examine possible explanations for a mysterious fish die-
off in the Delta.

The $2 million research plan that’s part of the CalFed Bay-Delta
water management program calls for new studies, stepped up
monitoring, examination of fish livers and a more thorough analysis
of existing data.

“In my view, some of this work should have been done long ago,” said
Tina Swanson, a senior scientist at the Bay Institute.
When researchers analyzed new data in January, they discovered an
unexplained, rapid decline in all of the Delta’s open-water fish
populations. The population of Delta smelt, a small fish that’s
considered indicative of the health of the Delta, is at its lowest
level ever.

“While several of these declining species … have shown evidence of
a long-term decline, there appears to have been a precipitous ‘step-
change’ to very low abundance during 2002-2004,” according to the
science report.

Prime suspects for the decline include pesticides and herbicides,
invasive species, and the effect of pumping trillions of gallons of
water from the Delta each year to the Central Valley and Southern
California. Scientists say it’s likely there’s more than one cause.
—
Information from: Contra Costa Times