UWCD: National Marine Fisheries Services rep to address steelhead trout
January 14, 2015
By Peggy Kelly
Santa Paula News
If just might be farmers versus environmentalists churning rough waters for the steelhead trout when a representative of the National Marine Fisheries addresses board directors of the United Water Conservation District (UWCD) Wednesday.
The January 14 meeting will start at 1 p.m. at district headquarters at the corner of East Main and 8th streets.
Anthony Spina, the Southern California Coast Branch Chief of the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), United States Department of Commerce (DOC), will be addressing the UWCD Board. The NMFS is a branch of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Agenized as a National Marine Fisheries Service Outreach
Information item, the UWCD Board of Directors will hear from Spina regarding the federal Endangered Species Act compliance effects to the District.
Reportedly, Wednesday’s meeting is the first time that UWCD Directors will be addressed by the NMFS publicly.
United has been at odds for years with federal authorities regarding the California steelhead trout, an endangered species introduced into local waters for fishing purposes in the late 1800s.
United has had to balance diminishing water supplies with the demands that area waterways, notably the Freeman Diversion Fish Ladder, maintain a population of steelhead trout.
That population has failed to materialize although the local agency has been butting heads with the federal government over spending millions more on steelhead trout related projects.
The rules are so tight that other federal agencies - such as the Army Corps of Engineers - must consult with the NMFS when any action the agency carries out, funds, or authorizes (such as through a permit) may affect a listed endangered or threatened species, including the steelhead trout.
National Marine Fisheries Services is the agency that oversees the compliance of others with the Endangered Species Act.
No action is listed following Spina’s presentation but the agenda notes board directors and members of the public will have the opportunity to ask questions of and provide input to the NMFS representative.
The meeting at UWCD - located at 106 N. 8th St. - will be held in the Board Room.
For more information call 805-525-4431.
