Synthesizing decades of Chinook Salmon conservation in the Sacramento Valley
Chinook Salmon runs in the Sacramento Valley and greater Central Valley have been the focus of intense conservation efforts. In this project, we summarize how these populations have been lost in the past, and summarize some potential solutions under a reconciliation ecology framework.
Our team works with rice farmers in the Sacramento Valley to raise fish and fish food (zooplankton) to increase juvenile Chinook Salmon resilience. While some group members are focused on juvenile survival in rice fields, others are focused on using rice fields as regions for fish food growth. This fish food is then released into the Sacramento River as a pulse subsidy. We are also working on a population model of Chinook Salmon to project potential benefits of increased rearing habitat and food resources to adult returns.