Take Action to Protect the Bay’s White Sturgeon

California’s white sturgeon is the continent’s largest and oldest freshwater fish, having swum in Pacific Coast rivers and streams for 46 million years. But now, this ancient fish is facing multiple existential threats. Excessive water diversions from Central Valley rivers, harmful algae blooms, and overfishing are pushing white sturgeon to the brink.

Meanwhile, California's Department of Fish and Wildlife and the agencies responsible for maintaining Bay-Delta water quality, are making decisions that further harm the white sturgeon.

So Baykeeper and our coalition partners are working to ensure that California white sturgeon receive the protections they need to survive.

Act now! Sign the letter below to urge the CA Fish & Game Commission to list California’s white sturgeon as threatened under the California Endangered Species Act—and ensure this iconic Bay fish is protected in the years to come

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Dear Commissioners, I write to urge you to list San Francisco Bay's white sturgeon ("California white sturgeon") as threatened under the California Endangered Species Act. Abundant evidence demonstrates that these ancient fish are struggling in the face of multiple threats. The American Fisheries Society already consider the white sturgeon to be “endangered,” and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife identifies the California white sturgeon as a population of "high management concern."   Studies indicate that California's white sturgeon population has declined dramatically since the 1980s—the result of high levels of water diversions, overfishing, and recently, harmful algae blooms. Existing environmental regulations are inadequate to prevent further decline; without additional protections, the California white sturgeon is likely to become endangered in the near future. Several proposed water policies and projects will exacerbate water diversions from Central Valley rivers and drive further declines in the California white sturgeon population. Similarly, current fishing regulations do not sufficiently protect these fish. Finally, failure to control wastewater pollution dumped into the Bay leads to harmful algae blooms that could cause more sturgeon die-offs. California must mount a coordinated response to these threats in order to prevent the extinction of these unique fish. For these reasons, I urge you to list the California white sturgeon population as threatened under the California Endangered Species Act. Sincerely,

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