October 2013 San Francisco Estuary & Watershed Science: Case Study We Can Do Better: Longfin Smelt and a Case Study in Collaborative Science Mark W. Cowin 1 and Charlton H. Bonham 2 1 Director, California Department of Water Resources Sacramento, CA 95814 USA friend@water.ca.gov 2 Director, California Department of Fish and Wildlife Sacramento, CA 95814 USA Dedicated to Mike Taugher, an extraordinary colleague and friend. There should be no question that flows into, through, and out of California's Delta are biologically important. Equally true is that water is a limited resource. Competing demands for Delta water include flows for native fish, water supply for farms and cit- ies, and cold water held back in large reservoirs to cool salmon streams. With the Delta Reform Act of 2009, the California Legislature established as overarch- ing state policy the co-equal goals of a more reliable water supply for California and protecting, restoring, and enhancing the Delta ecosystem. Since water is limited, there are inevitable trade-offs. This is where science and policy intersect. For too long, this tension has been handled one species at a time, one crisis at a time, and usually in court. This has fostered “combat science,” where regulatory agencies, water contractors, and environmental advocates line up their own hypotheses, studies, and conclusions like artillery in the courtroom. It has fed distrust and stymied col- laboration. This is a failed approach. A growing number of species dependent on the Delta are listed pursuant to the federal or state endangered species acts. Absent a change in how we manage the Delta, there is no evidence to suggest the situation will improve. We can do better. We must do better. The Bay Delta Conservation Plan (BDCP) (http://baydeltaconservationplan.com/ PlanningProcess/BDCP/BDCPProcess.aspx) takes a more comprehensive approach than the single-species management that has developed pursuant to Section 7 of the U.S. Endangered Species Act. In addition to providing a higher standard of protec- tion for listed species, the plan proposes to develop a more robust and collaborative science program that engages the same parties who historically have met in court to resolve disputes. Of course, this plan is not yet final. More environmental review and public input is scheduled, and ultimately our two departments have different roles: the California Department of Water Resources will propose a plan and the California