Thirteen winter-run Chinook Salmon that were released last year into the cold water of Battle Creek have returned to the Coleman National Fish Hatchery near Anderson following an effort to jump start the reintroduction program.
Project leader Jim Smith said although 13 fish may not seem like a large number, this is a big deal since the endangered species have seen hard times due to increased temperatures in the Sacramento River from drought and low water levels in Shasta Lake.
“Having another population in creeks nearby, but not dependent on storage in Shasta, it’s a way to improve the potential full recovery of the endangered winter-run species,” Smith said.
All of the returning salmon were males, Smith said. They’ll be moved to the Livingston Stone National Fish Hatchery near Shasta Dam.
“It doesn’t really make a lot of sense to release fish upriver if they’re all males because there’s no females to spawn with,” Smith said.
The male fish will be used to spawn with females that are already being held at Livingston Stone, in hopes to reintroduce them into the Sacramento River below the dam. If successful, there’s a chance they could even be reintroduced into the upper McCloud River above the dam.