Science Conference Brings Key Delta Topics in Focus

Invasive species, food web changes and ecosystem restoration opportunities were key topics at the 6th Biennial Bay-Delta Science Conference this week in Sacramento.

More than 1,000 scientists and others from state, federal and local agencies as well as academia and non-profit organizations heard the latest on Delta-related topics over the course of the three-day conference.

Clifford Dahm, interim lead scientist for the Delta Stewardship Council, said the growing body of Bay-Delta science is providing important information for decision makers at a critical time in California water policy. The scientific community, including the council’s Independent Science Board, has a tremendous role to play in communicating with policy makers and educating them on likely outcomes of various actions, he said.

New studies in areas such as invasive species, the changing composition of the Delta food web and the interaction of endangered species with non-native predatory species could help move the discussion forward, Dahm said.

Peter Moyle, a University of California, Davis, professor with decades of experience in Delta-related science, said the Delta is a highly altered environment that defies easy solutions. Science can help policy makers decide where to invest in habitat restoration and identify other actions that would deliver the best results.

“There is going to be an ecosystem there, no matter what happens. It’s just a matter of what kind of an ecosystem we want it to be,” Moyle said. “We are not going to be restoring anything. We’ll be creating something different.”

More on the Bay-Delta Science Conference is available here.