Authorizations and Permits for Protected Species (APPS)

• ESA Section 10(a)(1)(A) permit (Pacific fish/invertebrate research) - Expired

The sampling season for this activity would be for several seasons, including during the San Joaquin River Restoration Program (SJRRP) Interim Flows Project, during Water Year 2012 (WY 2012) and subsequent water years through March 31, 2014.  Further, the monitoring of Central Valley steelhead would only occur between December 1 or approximately the time that California Department of Fish and Game's Hills Ferry Barrier is removed from the San Joaquin River near the confluence of the Merced River, to the time that Vernalis Adaptive Management Program (VAMP) flows or similar flows begin on the tributaries in the lower San Joaquin River, approximately mid- to late-March.

The implementation of Interim Flows includes implementation of the Steelhead Monitoring Plan (SMP) to check for Central Valley steelhead in the Restoration Area (located between the Merced River confluence and Friant Dam) during spring Interim Flows. Hills Ferry Barrier, located on the San Joaquin River near the confluence of the Merced River, is a weir designed to discourage fish migration to the upper reaches of the San Joaquin River.  It is scheduled to be removed in mid-December. It is estimated that flows will occur as a result of VAMP or VAMP-like flows in the lower San Joaquin River tributaries from March 15th through April 30th. As a result, the critical timing for Central Valley steelhead monitoring within the Restoration Area would occur from mid-December through March 15th, as it is anticipated that steelhead would be attracted to tributary flows in the lower reaches. The Steelhead Monitoring Plan calls for the implementation of several options to monitor for steelhead that could make it past Hills Ferry Barrier. 

The SMP shall be utilized to detect the presence or absence of steelhead that may enter the Restoration Area. The sampling season will begin early to include fall-run Chinook salmon in the area. The impacts associated with the implementation of the SMP are anticipated to be minimal as historical data from the California Department of Fish and Game at the Hills Ferry Barrier for the monitoring of fish at the barrier have yet to record Central Valley steelhead at the facility.