A federal judge in Fresno approved a settlement Tuesday that is likely to expand fishing for striped bass in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.
The settlement results from a lawsuit filed against the state Department of Fish and Game by farming interests in the San Joaquin Valley that divert water from the Delta.
Represented by the Coalition for a Sustainable Delta, the farmers alleged that existing limits on recreational striped bass fishing have allowed the non-native species to expand and prey on native fish, including young salmon and Delta smelt. Those native species have declined, and resulting protections have curtailed water exports to the farmers and others.
The settlement sets a timetable for Fish and Game to change the size and number of striped bass that anglers can keep. The coalition believes this will reduce the striper population, and thereby help salmon and smelt.
The National Marine Fisheries Service, charged with protecting salmon, last year urged the state to lift all fishing limits on stripers so that anglers can catch all they want.
"We're very pleased with the settlement," said Michael Boccadoro, a spokesman for the coalition. "We believe it's going to lead to a very scientific approach to resolving one of the important stressors in the Delta."
The state does not admit fault in the settlement. It must also set aside $1 million for research into predation of native species by invasive fish.
"We're looking forward to working with the coalition and other interest groups to get a proposal together," said Jordan Traverso, a Fish and Game spokeswoman.
The California Sportfishing Protection Alliance, an intervenor in the case on behalf of the state, did not support the settlement and believes there was insufficient evidence to prove stripers have reduced other fish populations.
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