The Bay-Delta is an estuary, which means that the whole system, from the High Sierras to the Golden Gate and beyond, needs water to be healthy. Water that flows to the Pacific is not wasted. It supports a complex food chain necessary for the health of multiple fish species and mammals, even Orca whales. Flows through the Delta and the estuary support California’s iconic Chinook salmon, on which a multi-million dollar commercial and recreational salmon fishing industry stretching north to Alaska depends. Dr. Jeffrey Michael of the University of the Pacific estimated that when California’s salmon fishery was closed in 2008 and 2009 due to collapsing fish populations, 1,823 jobs and over $118 million in income were lost.
← Why do we keep wasting water from the Delta by sending it out to sea?
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