Address:
Email:
U.S. Geological Survey
jasonmay at usgs_gov
Placer Hall
lrbrown at usgs_gov
6000 J Street
Sacramento, CA 95819
Phone:
Fax:
(916) 278-3079
(916) 278-3071
(916) 278-3098
(916) 997-4209Also available on the Internet
at:
http://www.usgsgov/public/press/public_affairs/press_releases/index.html
Native Fish Still Common in Natural Streams,
Scarce in Canals
Native
resident fish species, such as the Sacramento sucker and tule perch, are still
commonly found in streams of the Sacramento River Basin in Northern California
according to a recent U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) report. Native fish
species are least often found in waters impacted by agricultural drainage, where
introduced species such as bass, sunfish, and catfish tend to dominate.
Native fish species are not as common in the San Joaquin River Basin to
the south, where introduced species tend to dominate the streams. The USGS
report attributes the abundance of native resident fish species in the
Sacramento River Basin at least partially to water management activities that
favor the delivery of water through natural streams rather than diversions into
canal systems.
"The
conditions in the Sacramento River Basin may provide a useful comparison case
for ongoing native fish species restoration efforts around the Nation," said
Jason May, primary author of the report. "Relations between native fish species
and their environment in the Sacramento Basin are especially relevant to the San
Joaquin River Basin and other highly modified river basins in the western United
States."
The report is based
on a study of 22 stream sites in the Sacramento River Basin during 1996–1998 and
is a part of the USGS' National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Program. Fish
monitoring conducted as part of the NAWQA Program has provided valuable
information to gauge the ecological health of streams in the Sacramento and San
Joaquin valleys and to help assess ongoing restoration efforts within
California's Central Valley.
"The protection of native resident fish communities in the Central Valley
is important in maintaining California's biodiversity. Also, monitoring these
communities can provide important information regarding the effects of actions
intended to restore or protect fish species such as Chinook salmon and steelhead
on general stream health" May said.
U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 00-247 Fish Community Structure
in Relation to Environmental Variables Within the Sacramento River Basin and
Implications for the Greater Central Valley, California, by Jason May and Larry
Brown is available at URL, http://ca.water.usgs.gov/rep/ofr00247/. Paper
copies are available from the U.S. Geological Survey, Earth Science Information
Center, Open-File Reports Section, Box 25286, MS 517, Denver Federal Center,
Denver, Co 80225 The price of the paper copy is $5.00; microfiche is $5.00. When
ordering, please mention the number and complete title of the report. Payment
(check, money order, purchase order, Visa or MasterCard information, including
expiration date and signature) in the exact amount, plus a $3.50 handling fee,
must accompany order. Make all drafts payable to U.S. Geological Survey,
Department of Interior. The report is available for inspection at the following
offices and libraries:
U.S. Geological Survey Library
U.S. Geological Survey
Room 4A100, National Center
Placer Hall
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Sacramento, CA
95819-6129
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Survey Library U.S.
Geological Survey
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Streets, NW
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Washington, DC 20240