Anadromous fish are freshwater fish that migrate to sea then
return to spawn in freshwater. In California, anadromous
fish include coho salmon, Chinook salmon and steelhead. Those in
the Central Valley have experienced significant declines from
historical populations.
Of particular importance is the Chinook salmon as the species
supports commercial fishing and related jobs and economic
activities at fish hatcheries.
The decline in salmon numbers is attributed to a variety of
manmade and natural factors including drought, habitat
destruction, migratory obstacles created by water projects,
unfavorable ocean conditions, pollution and introduced predator
species.
The Anadromous Fish Restoration Program (AFRP), a part of the
Central Valley Project Improvement Act, aims to double the
natural production of fish that migrate between fresh water and
salt water. The goal is to boost the numbers of anadromous fish
to at least twice the levels attained during the period of
1967-1991.
Since 1995, AFRP has implemented more than 195 projects through
funding by Congressional appropriations and a surcharge imposed
on Central Valley Project water and power contractors.
The country’s largest public water district hired a new science
adviser to guide the organization and help balance water
availability with environmental needs. Brad Cavallo comes to
Westlands Water District by way of Cramer Fish Sciences, where
he was vice president and principal scientist at the research
institute, according to a release from Westlands. Before that,
he also worked as senior environmental scientist for the
California Department of Water Resources and as a fisheries
biologist with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.
Cavallo says there is a way to balance water needs for
California’s endangered fish species and ensure water
availability.
For about 13,000 years, Santa Barbara County’s rivers teemed
with steelhead trout. They dwelled in its cool pools, journeyed
to and from the ocean, and built spawning nests, or redds, in
gravely bottoms. Until the 1950s, the area supported runs of
tens of thousands of fish journeying upstream to spawn. Today,
the Southern California steelhead is critically
endangered. On Sunday, folks spent the afternoon at the
Lobero Theatre learning about the southern steelhead. The
event, part of the Santa Barbara Flyfisher’s campaign to “Save
Santa Barbara Steelhead,” included a town hall with eight
panelists who discussed everything from the historic and
cultural significance of the fish to how to prevent its
extinction.
According to the NOAA California Current Integrated Ecosystem
Assessment’s annual report, the California Current
Ecosystem pulled out of a strong El Niño pattern in 2024.
That El Niño delayed the onset of the annual spring upwelling
of nutrient-laden water that, was nevertheless strong enough to
fuel the rich West Coast ecosystem and improve environmental
conditions for salmon. NOAA Fisheries scientists
presented the report to the Pacific Fishery Management Council
to inform upcoming decisions on fishing seasons. The report
provides a snapshot of ocean conditions, fish population
abundance and habitat, and fisheries landings and fishing
communities’ conditions.
California has just experienced its third reasonably wet winter
in as many years. How unusual is this? And how might three such
winters in a row affect salmon? We interviewed Jeffrey Mount,
senior fellow with the PPIC Water Policy Center, and Carson
Jeffres, senior researcher and lab director at UC
Davis’s Center for Watershed Sciences, to find out.
Chinook salmon were once abundant in the North Yuba River in
California’s Sierra Nevada. But since 1941, they’ve been kept
out of the chilly, clear waters by the Englebright Dam. Now,
for the first time in more than eight decades, the iridescent,
blue-green fish are once again swimming in the northern
waterway, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife
announced in a statement this month. The young spring-run
Chinook salmon are part of a pilot project that may one day
become a full reintroduction program, with the eventual goal of
returning the fish to their historic spawning grounds in
California’s mountains.
From ducks and cranes to giant garter snakes and salmon,
flooded rice fields in California’s Central Valley offer
important — often vital — habitat to many wildlife species. Yet
uncertainties around crop markets, water and climate can prompt
some growers to fallow rice fields or change their management
practices. Will today’s rice acreage under current practices be
enough to meet key species’ needs? If not, how much rice is
needed? Where should it be planted? And what management
practices offer the greatest benefit for species of
concern? Scientists from the University of California,
Davis, and Point Blue Conservation Science address these
questions in a new report, “A Conservation Footprint for
California Rice,” written for the California Rice
Commission.
… The last known Hayden Creek cutthroat trout — probably most
closely related to Colorado’s state fish, the greenback
cutthroat trout — were literally pulled from an active fire
zone on Hayden Pass in 2016 in order to keep the fish from
winking out altogether. Just last fall, Colorado Parks and
Wildlife biologists confirmed that reintroduced populations of
the fish were reproducing, and, more importantly, they
reported, the fish had reproduced several times since they were
reintroduced in their once-native waters.
In the winter, rice fields in the Sacramento region are flooded
with water. It’s a common method to prepare the field for new
growth. With the help of a program led by California Trout,
some farmers have opted to start flushing that water into the
Sacramento River as a way to aid winter-run Chinook
salmon. Researchers have found that this water is rich
with zooplankton (sometimes referred to as “bugs”), which is a
main source of food for young salmon. As the species’
population struggles in the face of impacts from human
development and shrinking habitats, researchers say access to
this water source could help them thrive.
For young salmon, the journey along the San Joaquin River in
Central California is no small feat. Every spring and fall,
thousands of these fish—each as long as a pinky finger— embark
on a 350-mile race, swimming day and night and dodging
predators along the way to reach the Pacific Ocean. But less
than 5% survive the journey, and in some years, hardly any make
it. Elevated water temperatures, dams and poor water quality
all endanger the animal, but human-introduced predators,
including striped and largemouth bass, kill most of them. In a
new CU Boulder-led study, researchers reveal how these salmon
learn to swim in different parts of the river at different
times of day to avoid predators and conserve energy.
Despite the closure of salmon fishing in California river and
ocean waters in 2023 and 2024, the number of Fall Chinook
Salmon returning to both the Sacramento and Klamath River
Basins was well below the numbers forecasted by state and
federal officials one year ago. Under the 2024
regulations, the projected spawning escapement in the
Sacramento River Basin was 180,061 hatchery and natural area
fall Chinook adults, according to the Pacific Fishery
Management Council’s just-published Review of Ocean Salmon
Fisheries. However, only 99,274 hatchery and natural area adult
spawners were estimated to have returned to the Sacramento
River Basin in 2024. That number is only 55 percent of the
2024 conservation and management objective of 180,000 fish.
Salmon are swimming again in the North Yuba River for the first
time in close to a century. The fish are part of an innovative
pilot project to study the feasibility of returning spring-run
Chinook salmon to their historical spawning and rearing habitat
in the mountains of Sierra County. … Using a proven technique
used by other agencies but never before attempted by CDFW,
fisheries scientists created dozens of man-made salmon redds,
or nests, using a hydraulic injection system to clear the
intended nests of silt. Scientists then carefully deposited the
eggs up to a foot and a half deep within the gravel to mimic
the actions of spawning adult salmon. … The first young fish
were seen in the trap on Feb. 11. The young fish are being
trucked downstream of Englebright Lake and released into the
lower Yuba River to continue their migration to the Pacific
Ocean.
The Turtle Bay Exploration Park announced Wednesday the
upcoming release of Chinook salmon into the Sacramento River on
Friday. As part of the collaborative Conservation Head Start
Program developed in partnership with the Coleman Fish
Hatchery, the Chinook salmon, which have been staying at Turtle
Bay for a year, will be released on the south banks of the
Sacramento River near the Sundial Bridge. Officials say that
the Chinook salmon is an endangered species that faces
significant threats to their survival, which includes habitat
loss, water pollution, and challenges posed by climate change.
In order to combat these issues and help bolster their
population, the Conservation Head Start Program provides a
controlled, secure environment for the salmon to grow and
thrive in before they are released into the wild.
Partners have pulled together to support the recovery of
endangered Sacramento winter-run Chinook salmon in the last few
years. However, the species still faces threats from climate
change and other factors. That is the conclusion of an
Endangered Species Act review that NOAA Fisheries completed for
the native California species. It once returned in great
numbers to the tributaries of the Sacramento River and
supported local tribes. The review concluded that the species
remains endangered, and identified key recovery actions to help
the species survive climate change. While partners have taken
steps to protect winter-run Chinook salmon, blocked habitat,
altered flows, and higher temperatures continue to threaten
their survival.
This tour explored the Sacramento River and its tributaries through a scenic landscape while learning about the issues associated with a key source for the state’s water supply.
All together, the river and its tributaries supply 35 percent of California’s water and feed into two major projects: the State Water Project and the federal Central Valley Project.
Water Education Foundation
2151 River Plaza Drive, Suite 205
Sacramento, CA 95833
The Klamath River Basin was once one
of the world’s most ecologically magnificent regions, a watershed
teeming with salmon, migratory birds and wildlife that thrived
alongside Native American communities. The river flowed rapidly
from its headwaters in southern Oregon’s high deserts into Upper
Klamath Lake, collected snowmelt along a narrow gorge through the
Cascades, then raced downhill to the California coast in a misty,
redwood-lined finish.
This tour explored the Sacramento River and its tributaries through a scenic landscape while learning about the issues associated with a key source for the state’s water supply.
All together, the river and its tributaries supply 35 percent of California’s water and feed into two major projects: the State Water Project and the federal Central Valley Project.
Water Education Foundation
2151 River Plaza Drive, Suite 205
Sacramento, CA 95833
This tour explored the Sacramento River and its tributaries
through a scenic landscape while learning about the issues
associated with a key source for the state’s water supply.
All together, the river and its tributaries supply 35 percent of
California’s water and feed into two major projects: the State
Water Project and the federal Central Valley Project.
Water Education Foundation
2151 River Plaza Drive, Suite 205
Sacramento, CA 95833
This tour traveled along the San Joaquin River to learn firsthand
about one of the nation’s largest and most expensive river
restoration projects.
The San Joaquin River was the focus of one of the most
contentious legal battles in California water history,
ending in a 2006 settlement between the federal government,
Friant Water Users Authority and a coalition of environmental
groups.
Hampton Inn & Suites Fresno
327 E Fir Ave
Fresno, CA 93720
Land and waterway managers labored
hard over the course of a century to control California’s unruly
rivers by building dams and levees to slow and contain their
water. Now, farmers, environmentalists and agencies are undoing
some of that work as part of an accelerating campaign to restore
the state’s major floodplains.
Biologists have designed a variety
of unique experiments in the past decade to demonstrate the
benefits that floodplains provide for small fish. Tracking
studies have used acoustic tags to show that chinook salmon
smolts with access to inundated fields are more likely than their
river-bound cohorts to reach the Pacific Ocean. This is because
the richness of floodplains offers a vital buffet of nourishment
on which young salmon can capitalize, supercharging their growth
and leading to bigger, stronger smolts.
This tour guided participants on a virtual exploration of the Sacramento River and its tributaries and learn about the issues associated with a key source for the state’s water supply.
All together, the river and its tributaries supply 35 percent of California’s water and feed into two major projects: the State Water Project and the federal Central Valley Project.
This tour guided participants on a virtual journey deep into California’s most crucial water and ecological resource – the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. The 720,000-acre network of islands and canals support the state’s two major water systems – the State Water Project and the Central Valley Project. The Delta and the connecting San Francisco Bay form the largest freshwater tidal estuary of its kind on the West coast.
The southern part of California’s Central Coast from San Luis Obispo County to Ventura County, home to about 1.5 million people, is blessed with a pleasing Mediterranean climate and a picturesque terrain. Yet while its unique geography abounds in beauty, the area perpetually struggles with drought.
Indeed, while the rest of California breathed a sigh of relief with the return of wet weather after the severe drought of 2012–2016, places such as Santa Barbara still grappled with dry conditions.
The growing leadership of women in water. The Colorado River’s persistent drought and efforts to sign off on a plan to avert worse shortfalls of water from the river. And in California’s Central Valley, promising solutions to vexing water resource challenges.
These were among the topics that Western Water news explored in 2018.
We’re already planning a full slate of stories for 2019. You can sign up here to be alerted when new stories are published. In the meantime, take a look at what we dove into in 2018:
This tour explored the Sacramento River and its tributaries
through a scenic landscape as participants learned about the
issues associated with a key source for the state’s water supply.
All together, the river and its tributaries supply 35 percent of
California’s water and feed into two major projects: the State
Water Project and the federal Central Valley Project. Tour
participants got an on-site update of Oroville Dam spillway
repairs.
Farmers in the Central Valley are broiling about California’s plan to increase flows in the Sacramento and San Joaquin river systems to help struggling salmon runs avoid extinction. But in one corner of the fertile breadbasket, River Garden Farms is taking part in some extraordinary efforts to provide the embattled fish with refuge from predators and enough food to eat.
And while there is no direct benefit to one farm’s voluntary actions, the belief is what’s good for the fish is good for the farmers.
For decades, cannabis has been grown
in California – hidden away in forested groves or surreptitiously
harvested under the glare of high-intensity indoor lamps in
suburban tract homes.
In the past 20 years, however, cannabis — known more widely as
marijuana – has been moving from being a criminal activity to
gaining legitimacy as one of the hundreds of cash crops in the
state’s $46 billion-dollar agriculture industry, first legalized
for medicinal purposes and this year for recreational use.
This tour explored the Sacramento River and its tributaries
through a scenic landscape as participants learned about the
issues associated with a key source for the state’s water supply.
All together, the river and its tributaries supply 35 percent of
California’s water and feed into two major projects: the State
Water Project and the federal Central Valley Project. Tour
participants got an on-site update of repair efforts on the
Oroville Dam spillway.
Participants of this tour snaked along the San Joaquin River to
learn firsthand about one of the nation’s largest and most
expensive river restoration projects.
The San Joaquin River was the focus of one of the most
contentious legal battles in California water history,
ending in a 2006 settlement between the federal government,
Friant Water Users Authority and a coalition of environmental
groups.
Zooplankton, which are floating
aquatic microorganisms too small and weak to swim against
currents, are are important food sources for many fish species in
the Delta such as salmon, sturgeon and Delta smelt.
Butte Creek, a tributary of the
Sacramento River, begins less than 50 miles northeast of Chico,
California and is named after nearby volcanic plateaus or
“buttes.” The cold, clear waters of the 93-mile creek sustain the
largest naturally spawning wild population of spring-run chinook salmon in the Central Valley.
Several other native fish species are found in Butte Creek,
including Pacific lamprey and Sacramento pikeminnow.
This 24-page booklet details the conflict between
environmentalists, fish organizations and the Yuba County Water
Agency and how it was resolved through the Lower Yuba River
Accord – a unique agreement supported by 18 agencies and
non-governmental organizations. The publication details
the history and hydrology of the Yuba River, past and present
environmental concerns, and conflicts over dam operations and
protecting endangered fish is included.
This beautiful 24×36 inch poster, suitable for framing, features
a map of the San Joaquin River. The map text focuses on the San
Joaquin River Restoration Program, which aims to restore flows
and populations of Chinook salmon to the river below Friant Dam
to its confluence with the Merced River. The text discusses the
history of the program, its goals and ongoing challenges with
implementation.
This beautiful 24×36-inch poster, suitable for framing, displays
the rivers, lakes and reservoirs, irrigated farmland, urban areas
and Indian reservations within the Klamath River Watershed. The
map text explains the many issues facing this vast,
15,000-square-mile watershed, including fish restoration;
agricultural water use; and wetlands. Also included are
descriptions of the separate, but linked, Klamath Basin
Restoration Agreement and the Klamath Hydroelectric Agreement,
and the next steps associated with those agreements. Development
of the map was funded by a grant from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service.
This 24×36 inch poster, suitable for framing, explains how
non-native invasive animals can alter the natural ecosystem,
leading to the demise of native animals. “Unwelcome Visitors”
features photos and information on four such species – including
the zerbra mussel – and explains the environmental and economic
threats posed by these species.
This 24×36 inch poster, suitable for framing, explains how
non-native invasive plants can alter the natural ecosystem,
leading to the demise of native plants and animals. “Space
Invaders” features photos and information on six non-native
plants that have caused widespread problems in the Bay-Delta
Estuary and elsewhere.
The 24-page Layperson’s Guide to the State Water Project provides
an overview of the California-funded and constructed State Water
Project.
The State Water Project is best known for the 444-mile-long
aqueduct that provides water from the Delta to San Joaquin Valley
agriculture and southern California cities. The guide contains
information about the project’s history and facilities.
The Water Education Foundation’s second edition of
the Layperson’s Guide to The Klamath River Basin is
hot off the press and available for purchase.
Updated and redesigned, the easy-to-read overview covers the
history of the region’s tribal, agricultural and environmental
relationships with one of the West’s largest rivers — and a
vast watershed that hosts one of the nation’s oldest and
largest reclamation projects.
The 24-page Layperson’s Guide to California Water provides an
excellent overview of the history of water development and use in
California. It includes sections on flood management; the state,
federal and Colorado River delivery systems; Delta issues; water
rights; environmental issues; water quality; and options for
stretching the water supply such as water marketing and
conjunctive use. New in this 10th edition of the guide is a
section on the human need for water.
The 24-page Layperson’s Guide to the Central Valley Project
explores the history and development of the federal Central
Valley Project (CVP), California’s largest surface water delivery
system. In addition to the project’s history, the guide describes
the various CVP facilities, CVP operations, the benefits the CVP
brought to the state and the CVP Improvement Act (CVPIA).
The 24-page Layperson’s Guide to the Delta explores the competing
uses and demands on California’s Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.
Included in the guide are sections on the history of the Delta,
its role in the state’s water system, and its many complex issues
with sections on water quality, levees, salinity and agricultural
drainage, fish and wildlife, and water distribution.
Battle Creek, a tributary of the
Sacramento River in Shasta and Tehama counties, is considered one
of the most important anadromous fish spawning streams in the
Sacramento Valley.
At present, barriers make it difficult for anadromous fish,
including chinook salmon and Central Valley steelhead trout, to
migrate. Battle Creek has several hydroelectric dams, diversions
and a complex canal system between its north and south forks that
impede migration.
Anadromous fish are freshwater fish
that migrate to sea then return to spawn in fresh water.
In California, anadromous fish include coho salmon, chinook
salmon and steelhead. Those inhabiting rivers across the Central
Valley have experienced significant declines from historical
populations. This is due to drought, habitat destruction, water
diversions, migratory obstacles such as dams, unfavorable ocean
conditions, pollution and introduced predator species.
This printed issue of Western Water features a
roundtable discussion with Anthony Saracino, a water resources
consultant; Martha Davis, executive manager of policy development
with the Inland Empire Utilities Agency and senior policy advisor
to the Delta Stewardship Council; Stuart Leavenworth, editorial
page editor of The Sacramento Bee and Ellen Hanak, co-director of
research and senior fellow at the Public Policy Institute of
California.
This printed issue of Western Water examines the issues
associated with the State Water Board’s proposed revision of the
water quality Bay-Delta Plan, most notably the question of
whether additional flows are needed for the system, and how they
might be provided.
This printed issue of Western Water examines science –
the answers it can provide to help guide management decisions in
the Delta and the inherent uncertainty it holds that can make
moving forward such a tenuous task.
This printed issue of Western Water provides an overview of the
idea of a dual conveyance facility, including questions
surrounding its cost, operation and governance
California’s native salmon and trout are in trouble. Driven down
by more than a century of adverse impacts caused by development
coupled with a changing climate, salmon and trout populations
have dwindled to a fraction of their historic numbers. The crash
is evident in many areas, none more so than the collapse of the
West Coast salmon fishery in 2008. With the fish plummeting to
record low numbers, federal officials for the first time closed
all commercial and sport fishing off the coast of California and
most of Oregon.
This printed copy of Western Water examines the native salmon and
trout dilemma – the extent of the crisis, its potential impact on
water deliveries and the lengths to which combined efforts can
help restore threatened and endangered species.
This issue of Western Water explores the implications for the San
Joaquin River following the decision in the Natural Resources
Defense Council lawsuit against the Bureau of Reclamation and
Friant Water Users Authority that Friant Dam is required to
comply with a state law that requires enough water be released to
sustain downstream fish populations.
