1 Million Salmon Released Into Sacramento River, But How Far North Will They Go?
SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — One million baby salmon were released into the Sacramento River on Wednesday as a collaborative effort by the Department of Water Resources and the Department of Fish and Wildlife.
DWR spent $350,000 raising 2 million fish to help replace the ones lost in the Feather River due to silt from the Oroville Dam spillway disaster.
The previous batch of fish was released in the Feather River in April. Unfortunately, DWR could not "pulse release" water for this fish release due to the current dry conditions. This forced the fish release to be further south in the Sacramento River due to the lack of fast flows in the Feather River.
Fast-moving water helps not only cloud but also push the water and the salmon past their predator the striped bass. Since this wasn't possible, the fish may only return to the Sacramento part of the river. This means a lack of fish for the economies of Marysville, Yuba City, and Oroville.