Bridge Group’s Tehama-Colusa net pen for salmon recovery project
The Bridge Group [Gold Gate Fishermen’s Association, Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Association, Sac River Settlement Contractors and NorCal Guides & Sportsmen’s Association] proposed a salmon recovery program for Sacramento fall-run salmon smolts. Smolts with adipose clipped fins and code wire tags will be transferred to a net pen in the Tehama Colusa Canal which is protected with a predator net.
Coleman National Fish Hatchery will provided more than 400,000 Chinook fall run salmon to be trucked from the hatchery in the next couple of weeks to the net pen. These fish will be fed and raised for the goal of them to imprint on the Sac main stem water.
Half of the salmon smolts will be for river and the other half will be designated for a Bay release. The goal of this net pen project is to determine if the salmon will imprint well enough at this size to actually return to the river or do they need to be fully reared on Sacramento River water all the way from egg stage.
The net pen was donated from Coastside, Fishing Club for the use of this program. Thank you to Cramer Fish Sciences for helping us run the project.
The hypothesis of this experimental study is that if chinook salmon are raised on main stem Sacramento water that they will actually imprint better than trucking them and could return at a much higher rate than Battle Creek. Coleman raised fish stray at a 99% rate when trucked.
Every year we’re faced with new hydrological conditions as well as flows and temperature thresholds that kill thousands if not millions of juvenile Chinook salmon in the Sacramento River.
We must adapt to the current demand and conditions of water operations and build infrastructure out on the main stem such as a new fish hatcheryso that we can have diversification of our release strategies that still provide high survival and high return rates of adults to the upper Sacramento Valley.
Watch the Sacramento River Settlement Contractors YouTube Video, click here
Watch NorCalGuides Net Pen series of videos on our YouTube Channel
CLICK HERE
If you like this program, please support us by signing up for a NorCal Guides & Sportsmen’s Association $30 membership, or purchase a hat, or subscribe to our YouTube channel.
A big thank you to the Bridge Group members that helped make this possible.
