Suckerfish lose

[HarleyK]

Drought in California. Waste water treatment plant needs to shut down for mandated maintenance regularly, and turns off water that feeds a creek. Having said that, they're prohibited from doing so because of another regulation that protects the endangered suckerfish downstream.
They still do, because the fine for one is tougher than the fine for the other.

Looks like being caught in between regulations really sucks for these poor little guys. Volunteers stray out to rescue suckerfish when the water gets turned off, or those caught in drying up pools, hold them in buckets, and put them back when water comes back on... Crazy.

From the article:
"We are caught between the federal Endangered Species Act and the Clean Water Act," said Stacey Aldstadt, general manager of the San Bernardino Municipal Water District.

"As a result, we're forced to decide which enforcement agency we can afford to offend worse, Fish and Wildlife or the Regional Water Quality Control Board, which could have us indicted, handcuffed and sent to jail," Aldstadt said. "Any reasonable person can see we are not the bad guys in this situation."


http://www.latimes.com/science/la-me-sucker-rescue-20160226-story.html

 

[isde02]

All I can say is wow

 

[Frank Castle]

yea, that's crazy....caught between a rock and hard place. These fish should be being farmed in hatcheries dug from the stream basin ....deeper channels dug into it would likely help create more stable pools when this happens or a lock system for raising and lowering water levels could prove beneficial.

 

[isde02]

yea, that's crazy....caught between a rock and hard place. These fish should be being farmed in hatcheries dug from the stream basin ....deeper channels dug into it would likely help create more stable pools when this happens or a lock system for raising and lowering water levels could prove beneficial.

Exactly, that makes better sense to me but what do I know?

 

[Frank Castle]

Exactly, that makes better sense to me but what do I know?

unfortunately some fish haven't been bred in captivity or farmed, but the best chance is by building the farm directly out of the exact environment they live in now. I have seen numerous streams and rivers dug out to form lakes and reservoirs ........I can see no bad really coming from something like this.

 

[HarleyK]

Good idea. But I bet there's yet another regulation that prohibits the use of a backhoe to dig pools in a stream that is home to an endangered species, even it's the only way to save it.
Bureaucrats.
This story really aggravated me.

 

[smitty03281964]

Just more bureaucratic b.s.. I am not sure what the solution is. But I am sure there is one. It is encouraging to see people having enough concern and drive to help minimize this man made problem.

 

[Kittiee Katt]

Volunteers stray out to rescue suckerfish when the water gets turned off, or those caught in drying up pools, hold them in buckets, and put them back when water comes back on...

Hats off to those guys for trying to help.. And a big high five as well!

 

[Oddball]

Years ago, I was involved in a joint aquarium society/F&W program to captive breed pupfish for repopulation of wild numbers. Another group of master points breeders were involved with breeding sticklebacks for the same reason. It would be great if this species would also have a promotion for breeders to help in raising spawns for repopulation.

 

[krichardson]

Drought in California.
From the article:
"As a result, we're forced to decide which enforcement agency we can afford to offend worse, Fish and Wildlife or the Regional Water Quality Control Board, which could have us indicted, handcuffed and sent to jail," Aldstadt said. "Any reasonable person can see we are not the bad guys in this situation."

That's easy,don't cross the feds lol.

Exactly, that makes better sense to me but what do I know?

One would think that F&W would already have such a program in place.