Alastair Bland

By Alastair Bland Long ago, the quiet shores of southern San Francisco Bay featured rich wetlands, streams thick with salmon and steelhead, and a bounty of other fishes and invertebrates which fed wildlife and people alike. Perhaps more than anything else, there was clean water. But after nearly two centuries of Western occupation and the steady pollution that has become a signature of our time, the South Bay has become a toxic sink. Fish still live here, and people still […]

Scarce flows, hungry predators, warm water, and politics conspire against salmon in the Delta, but which is the dominant stressor?

Sacramento, CA (CalMatters)

Redding, CA (Shasta Scout)

Is a state plan to update Delta water rules double counting restoration of water and habitat? By Alastair Bland A historic effort to pump some life back into the San Joaquin River’s devastated salmon runs began more than 15 years ago as water users began releasing more water each year from Friant Dam for restoration purposes. Under the rules of the San Joaquin River Restoration Program, Friant water users are permitted to recapture that water downstream of the 153-mile project […]

By Alastair Bland Negotiations over how to manage the Delta’s water and fish species hit a boiling point in late January, when hundreds of members of the public, environmental groups, and Tribes pleaded for days on end with California water officials. They demanded that the State Water Resources Control Board go against the wishes of powerful farming districts and mandate that more water flows through the ailing estuary, lest its once prolific chinook salmon, sturgeon, and smelt cross thresholds of […]

Surfers are just, like, totally stoked to help, bro.

Lower efficiency makes the eco-friendly nets and ropes fall short. That’s a trade-off we might have to accept.

It may be avocado season in the Bay.

It may be avocado season in the Bay.