As demonstrated in today’s UC Davis Center for Watershed Sciences blog, maintaining healthy fish populations can allow for more water management flexibility and reliability, especially in times of drought.
Diverting environmental flows to water users can lead to additional Endangered Species Act listings of native fish. This could require increased environmental flows to protect the listed species and jeopardize water diversions in the long run.
Progress in California water management and policy will require stakeholders to move beyond habitual conflicts and look toward their common long-term interests — for both water deliveries and the environment. Keeping native fish populations healthy may be the best long-term strategy for many water users.
Click to read the entire article on californiawaterblog.com.
As we stated in our March post on the drought, Water for Fish = Water for People, if we make the most of every drop and manage water supplies and storage responsibly, both fish and people can thrive.
