Jeff Denham: “This amendment will help protect native salmon and steelhead species in California. My amendment would increase the…”

“This amendment will help protect native salmon and steelhead species in California. My amendment would increase the effectiveness of recovery plans for species of salmon and steelhead listed under the Endangered Species Act of 1973 by ensuring an appropriate focus on predation control efforts. Predation has long been recognized as a source of significant mortality for endangered and threatened species. In fact, according to NOAA, nonnative species are cited as a cause of endangerment for 48 percent of the species listed under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. This is especially true for marine species, and along the Pacific coast salmon and steelhead juveniles. Recently, the National Marine Fisheries Service found protection of salmon and steelhead required ``significantly reducing the nonnative predatory fishes,'' and that reducing the number of nonnative predatory fishes was necessary to ``prevent extinction or to prevent the species from declining irreversibly.'' In my own State, as far back as 1995, the State Water Resources Control Board recommended in its water quality control plan for the Bay Delta that the State and Federal fish agencies pursue programs to determine the impacts of predation by nonnative fish on salmon and steelhead. Unfortunately, despite such recognition, nothing has been done, and there are currently no programs in California to remove these nonnative predator fish.…”