- SF Fights for Right to Pollute
- Sampling for Harmful Algae in the Bay
- Catch-and-Release Re-Opens for White Sturgeon
- It’s Dam Time: Stopping the Sites Project
- Tickets Going Fast! Join our Big Bay Celebration on 9/29
- Take Action: Volunteer at Coastal Cleanup Day
SF Fights for Right to Pollute
A few years ago, San Francisco’s SFPUC filed a lawsuit in an attempt to avoid accountability for its own sewage spill pollution.
After losing its case before the EPA and Court of Appeals, SFPUC’s legal case is now before the US Supreme Court. Baykeeper, along with our partners and the State of California, are pushing the court to uphold the regulations that San Francisco is trying to undo.
As Baykeeper attorney Ben Eichenberg said at a hearing this week, “It is the worst kind of hypocrisy to tear down these protections just to allow our PUC to keep dumping pollution into San Francisco Bay.”
Pictured, above: Baykeeper attorney Ben Eichenberg testifies before the SF Board of Supervisors about SFPUC’s lawsuit against the EPA.
Sampling for Harmful Algae in the Bay
This week marks the end of our summer algae monitoring program in the Bay. In August, our sampling confirmed a bloom of Heterosigma akashiwo—the species that proliferated into devastating blooms in 2022 and 2023—in Alameda. Luckily, it didn’t spread far and dissipated within a couple of weeks.
Our team also found elevated Chaetoceros algae in the Bay, which aren’t toxic but can cause fish kills. We’ll keep an eye on the algae with our partners at NOAA.
Pictured: Chaetoceros algae from a recent Bay sample, as seen under a microscope by our field team.
Catch-and-Release Re-Opens for White Sturgeon
The California Fish & Game Commission recently took the first step to list the Bay’s White Sturgeon as threatened under the California Endangered Species Act in response to a petition from Baykeeper and our partners. Now, the Commission has approved catch-and-release only fishing for White Sturgeon starting October 1.
Unlike some other fish, White Sturgeon can survive being caught as long as they are quickly released. Baykeeper supports catch-and-release fishing as a way to inspire people to protect these amazing fish for future generations.
Illustration by Fiorella Ikeue in collaboration with Baykeeper
It’s Dam Time: Stopping the Sites Project
The state has proposed building a series of new diversions and dams—known as the Sites project—to siphon more water from the Sacramento River that would otherwise flow to the Delta and Bay. The project would imperil endangered species, encourage harmful algae growth, and degrade the water quality of the entire watershed.
We and our partners are fighting back, leveraging our expertise in a series of hearings this fall. Now is not the time for destructive new dams.
Pictured: Baykeeper drone still of the area proposed for the Sites project.
Tickets Going Fast! Join our Big Bay Celebration on 9/29
Our 35th Anniversary Bay Celebration is Sunday, September 29. We’d love to have you there, so register today—tickets are going fast!
Join us for an unforgettable evening at the Chase Center in San Francisco. Enjoy spectacular Bay views, sustainable seafood, Rosé for the Bay, amazing auction items, and the wonderful Baykeeper community.
This event is a special chance to celebrate the victories you’ve made possible for San Francisco Bay. You won’t want to miss it!
Register Now
Take Action: Volunteer at Coastal Cleanup Day
Coastal Cleanup Day—a day of action to remove trash from beaches and shorelines around the world—is coming up this Saturday, September 21.
Our cleanup is full but there are still many other Coastal Cleanup Day cleanups happening around the Bay Area this weekend.
Click here to find one near you!
Photo by Zachariah Epperson