Publications

CEMAR's publications include scientific journal papers, technical reports, and shorter essays/opinion pieces.

San Francisco Estuary Watersheds Evaluation: Identifying Promising Locations for Steelhead Restoration in Tributary Streams of the San Francisco Estuary.

This report assembles for the first time all readily available information
regarding steelhead habitat in tributaries of the San Francisco Estuary.
Watersheds are screened for "anchor watershed" status, indicating their
relative importance in restoring the regional steelhead population..

Historical Distribution and Current Status of Steelhead/Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) in Streams of the San Francisco Estuary, California (download an order form)

Prepared from almost 1,000 references, including historical records and original field work, this is the most authoritative account ever prepared of steelhead/rainbow trout distributions in watersheds tributary to the Bay.

Leidy, R.A., G. Becker, and B.N. Harvey. 2005. Historical Status of Coho Salmon in Streams if the Urbanized San Francisco Estuary, California. California Fish and Game 9(14): 1-36.

This paper analyzes the historical status of coho salmon in the streams of the San Francisco Estuary and was used by the California Department of Fish and Game in preparing the Endangered Species Act listing petition for coho salmon in California. The paper also documents likely causes of the species' extirpation from the Bay Area, serving both as a cautionary note and guidance for those interested in maintaining habitat for steelhead in the region.

Evaluating the Ecological Condition of the South Bay:A Potential Assessment Approach (Full report [only 120 k]; Executive Summary)

CEMAR used goals and objectives of public laws and plans and our scientific understanding of the San Francisco Estuary to derive a method for assessing the condition of the Estuary. This method was applied to develop a draft set of biological, chemical, and physical indicators that could be used to answer the basic question "How healthy is the Bay?"

Conceptual Design and Feasibility of a Natural Fishway at the Fremont BART Weir, Alameda Creek, California. Prepared by CEMAR, FarWest Restoration Engineering, and WRECO, Inc., for the California State Coastal Conservancy. September, 2005. (Download a summary, or contact CEMAR to receive a CD with the report [37 MB PDF]).

CEMAR and two engineering subcontractors prepared this analysis of an alternative to a traditional fish ladder at one of the major passage barriers for steelhead migration on Alameda Creek, the largest tributary to San Francisco Bay.

The Endangered Species Act is Good Economics.

This opinion piece, authored by CEMAR's Executive Director Andrew Gunther, appeared in the San Francisco Chronicle on September 28, 2005.

Leaders Addicted to Oil.

This opinion piece, authored by CEMAR's Executive Director Andrew Gunther, appeared in the Spokane Spokesman-Review on September 15, 2007, and in several other newspapers around the country.