The proposed habitat is over 90,000 acres and includes portions of Contra Costa, Napa, Sacramento, Solano and Sonoma counties.
By Alan Riquelmy
Federal officials this week will start the process of designating critical habitat for a distinct part of the longfin smelt population, a fish that last year received protections under the U.S. Endangered Species Act.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service plans on Wednesday to formally propose the designation of critical habitat for the San Francisco Bay-Delta longfin smelt — a fish that is is between 3.5- to over 4-inches long with a two- to three-year lifespan. Its population has declined mostly because of the loss of its habitat.
The potential disappearance of the longfin smelt would affect other animals that rely on them as a food source, the service has said.
“In total, approximately 91,630 acres … in California fall within the boundaries of the proposed critical habitat designation,” the service wrote in its proposal.
The proposed habitat would include essential parts of the estuary, with a focus on food availability, proper turbidity, adequate temperatures and water flow — all needed to support the spawning and rearing of the fish.
The area includes portions of Contra Costa, Napa, Sacramento, Solano and Sonoma counties.
The Bay-Delta longfin smelt received federal protection last summer. That means unpermitted possession, purchase, sale or take of it forbidden. It also offers consistency between California and national regulations, removing separate requirements on the two governmental levels.
The process of protecting essential habitat for the longfin smelt will begin Wednesday with a 60-day public comment period.
Comment is sought from other government agencies, Native American tribes, scientists, industry and any person interested in the proposed critical habitat.
People can learn how to submit comments at www.regulations.gov.
The service is looking for information about the longfin smelt’s biological and ecological requirements, like what it needs for shelter, and to feed and breed. It also wants to learn more about its current habitat and distribution.
Additionally, officials want to know how the designation could affect business, and they’re also looking for potential impacts to the economy and national security the designation might bring.
It’s possible a public hearing on the proposal could occur, but one has not yet been scheduled.
While the longfin smelt is found in bays and estuaries from Northern California to Alaska, the Bay-Delta species is specific to the San Francisco Bay estuary and nearby ocean. It has no apparent habitat outside of these locations, the service wrote.
“We are not currently proposing to designate any areas outside the geographical area occupied by the Bay-Delta longfin smelt because we have not identified any unoccupied areas that meet the definition of critical habitat,” it added.
The designated area is mostly water, and few if any developed areas with buildings or pavement are within it, according to the service.
“These habitat protections are a critical lifeline for a fish species whose decline portends the loss of our valuable salmon runs and potentially all of the Bay-Delta’s native fishes,” said Jeff Miller, a senior conservation advocate at the Center for Biological Diversity, in a statement.
Groups like the center began to petition for government protection as its population began to fall.
The California Fish and Game Commission in 2009 voted to place the longfin smelt under the state’s Endangered Species Act. Despite the service denying protection several times, the Bay-Delta longfin smelt secured its current federal status after a series of petitions and lawsuits.
The service said that the designation doesn’t automatically create a refuge or sanctuary, but it helps federal agencies comply with conservation standards. Agencies must work with the service to ensure any acts they take or fund do not damage or that habitat. A designation doesn’t enable the government or public to go onto private lands, nor does it force non-federal landowners to restore habitat.