The House of Representatives approved legislation on Tuesday that U.S. Rep. Jeff Denham (R-CA) introduced to address conflicting statutes that endanger salmon in California.
The Save Our Salmon (SOS) Act, H.R. 4582, would strike a doubling provision for striped bass — a non-native predator of salmon — outlined in the 1992 Central Valley Project Improvement Act (CVPIA).
In the process, the bill would help curb non-essential water usage because millions of acre-feet of water have been flushed into local waterways to help salmon and other native species reach the ocean while striped bass simultaneously feed on them.
“One of the greatest threats facing the Central Valley is drought, and this bipartisan legislation would provide a common sense solution to wasteful fresh water usage,” Denham said. “Predation of endangered fish in California continues to be one of many factors in the complex equation of California drought. By eliminating this unnecessary provision that threatens our salmon and steelhead populations, native species will again thrive without wasting the massive amounts of fresh water and taxpayer dollars currently required to do so.”
Under the SOS Act, striped bass would be stricken from the CVPIA’s doubling requirement in an effort to give native fish like salmon and steelhead a better chance of survival without unnecessary water usage and tax dollar spending.
“In California, contradictory statutes have caused millions of dollars and billions of gallons of water to go to waste,” U.S. Rep. Rob Bishop (R-UT), the chairman of the House Committee on Natural Resources, said. “This is unacceptable, especially as Californians face historic drought conditions. This bill is an effort to prevent even more critical water resources from being needlessly wasted. I look forward to working with Rep. Denham to advance a companion bill in the Senate.”