The results of the 29th annual Cooperative Spring Chinook and Summer Steelhead Census Dive remained far below average this year. A total of 241 spring-run Chinook were counted. Salmon River spring Chinook numbers have been below average since 2015, but we continue to hope that river restoration efforts will result in better numbers in the future. Thanks to all the volunteers and partners who turned out to make this another successful Dive event! We couldn't maintain this critically important data set without you.
The preliminary numbers from the survey were 241 spring Chinook (218 adults, 23 jacks) and 356 summer steelhead (271 adults, 85 1/2 pounders). Numbers by reach are available here.
The KNF has completed the May 1st snow surveys. These measurements are a part of the statewide California Cooperative Snow Survey program, which helps the state forecast the quantity of water available for agriculture, power generation, recreation, and stream flow releases later in the year.
Despite elevated temperatures, including unseasonable highs during the last week of April, the snow pack continues to persist in the high country even as it melts from the lower slopes. According to measurements taken for the May survey, the snowpack is at 170% of the long-term average snow height (snow depth) and at 159% of the long-term Snow Water Equivalent across all survey points.The Box Camp site was unable to be surveyed in April this year. An attempt was made, but due to high snow load, the route proved to be overly technical and difficult for snowmobiles to access. However, even without the datapoint, it is clear that it would have joined the other sites as well above the long-term April average.
Early April is historically when the snowpack is at its maximum; and this date has the greatest weight when the State forecasts annual water availability. To gain additional data for April, three extra locations are added to the surveys for this month to supplement the usual five Scott River watershed snow measurement sites. Of these, Etna Mountain and Box Camp are also in the Scott River drainage, and Wolford Cabin is within the Trinity River basin. These additional sites are generally considered too remote or difficult to access on a monthly basis.
As per request of the California Department of Water Resources, an attempt was made to resample sites usually reserved for April. Due to scheduling and staff availability, only Etna Mountain was able to be revisited. Because May is only occasionally sampled for this site, no long-term average can be determined. However, it clearly exhibits the same elevated snow pack as the regularly visited locations.
The height of snow and SWE are measured by a snow sampling tube with a cutter end that is driven through the snowpack, measuring depth. The snow core is then weighed to determine the water content (SWE). The information is forwarded to the State of California, where the data is compiled with other snow depth reports and becomes part of the California Cooperative Snow Surveys program. The data is managed by the California Department of Water Resources; more information is available on their website: http://cdec.water.ca.gov/snow/current/snow/index.html.
The results of the 28th annual Cooperative Spring Chinook and Summer Steelhead Census Dive remained far below average but were significantly better than the previous 5 years. A total of 290 spring-run Chinook were counted. Salmon River spring Chinook numbers have been below average since 2015, and we hope that this slight uptick might be a sign of better years ahead. Thanks to all the volunteers and partners who turned out to make this another successful Dive event! We couldn't maintain this critically important data set without you.
The preliminary numbers from the survey were 290 spring Chinook (271 adults, 19 jacks) and 387 summer steelhead (221 adults, 166 1/2 pounders). Numbers by reach are available here.
Sadly, a few days after our spring Chinook dive, a series of summer thunderstorms have wreaked havoc on local rivers. While the rain felt welcome, the intensity of the rainfall combined with the barren slopes and unstable soils in recently burned areas triggered numerous debris flows in the Salmon, Trinity and Mid-Klamath rivers. Thick, brown, sediment loaded water is slowly making its way downstream, and we are already hearing reports of significant fish mortality in the Mid-Klamath. Our fisheries crews will be out over the next several days trying to assess the impacts on the Salmon.
The California Fish and Game Commission on June 16, 2021, found pursuant to California Fish and Game Code Section 2075.5, that the information contained in the petition to list northern California summer steelhead (Oncorhynchus mykiss) warrants adding NCSS to the list of endangered species under the California Endangered Species Act. Information has been posted to the Calif. Dept of Fish & Game commission's website and is available here.
On July 16, 2021 the California Fish and Game Commission voted unanimously to add Klamath Trinity spring Chinook salmon to the endangered species list! This listing is based on a petition that the Karuk Tribe and Salmon River Restoration Council submitted jointly in 2018, after continued decline of this critical salmon population.
This is a monumental win after decades of hard work by countless, dedicated people to get recognition and protection for our iconic spring Chinook salmon. We are immensely grateful to everyone who has been working to protect, honor, and restore these incredibly important and imperiled fish, their habitat, and the cultures and people who depend on them.
While it is hard in many ways to feel positive about a win that enshrines just how imperiled these fish are, we know that this is a significant step in preserving and restoring spring salmon. There is so much yet to do, but today we celebrate! You can read our press release here and the December 2021 Calif Fish & Game Commision Findings here.
Whether you are human, animal, or plant, to continue living in such fire prone places is going to require resilience and adaptation. As fire suppression becomes less and less effective at stopping the fires that escape initial attack efforts, more focus will need to be put onto protecting our communities through proactive planning and implementation of prescribed fire and fuels reduction. Read about it here if you haven't seen it!
For people, flora and fauna, wildfire offers a complex interweaving of devastation and renewal. Changes to fish and wildlife habitat can simultaneously create abundant new sources of food and shelter for some species while making the landscape uninhabitable for others. Similarly, some plants really only survive in the absence of fire, while others rely on it for the propagation of the next generation.
Once a lightning strike becomes a megafire, often the only tool that fire teams have to manage it is putting more fire on the ground, which can be effective but also risky. The safest communities will be those well buffered by the good black of prescribed fire when the wildfire does come. As fire becomes an inevitable part of our lives, we’ll need to learn to recognize and encourage the renewal of life that follows the passing of the flames.
We've updated the newsletter viewer on our website and now all our newsletters display in full magazine-style format with flippable pages and searchable text. They are mobile-friendly and fully downloadable. All past newsletters are available in the Publications section. The 2021-22 edition focused on fire impacts on our river.
The best way to receive our printed newsletters is to join SRRC as a member and we'll send them to you directly! Members also receive an annual report on Salmon River Restoration Council's work.
2021 - Another low year with 95 total spring Chinook (89 adults, 6 jacks) and 311 summer steelhead (168 adults, 143 1/2 pounders) The fish tally for 2021 is the second lowest on record since 1990, and marks the 7th year in a row that the total fish count has been below the long-term average. A full results by reach table can be found here.
2020 - Due to restrictions associated with the Covid-19 pandemic, we could not invite volunteers to participate in the dives. The number of spring Chinook counted, including jacks was 106. Summer steelhead numbers totaled 398 including half-pounders. A full results by reach table can be found here.
2019 - Sadly, the count of 161 spring Chinook (adults & jacks) observed during this year's effort is the second lowest in a record dating back to 1990. This makes 2019 the fifth year in a row with critically low population numbers. On a more positive note, the summer steelhead total (adults & 1/2 pounders) was 583, making 2019 the second highest on record. A full results by reach table can be found here.
2018 - 188 spring Chinook (168 adults and 20 jacks), and 411 summer steelhead (164 adults and 247 half pounders) were counted. One illegally poached adult spring Chinook was discovered in the South Fork Salmon River gorge below Cecilville. Please report any salmon fishing in the Salmon River system to CalTIP, the anti-poaching program led by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (call 888-334-2258). One poached spring Chinook is the loss of nearly 1% of the entire population! The entire river system is closed to salmon fishing. A full results by reach table can be found here.
2017 - Unfortunately, despite the great water conditions, 2017's Salmon River Spring Chinook and Summer Steelhead Dive results were very low. Only 166 spring Chinook were counted (133 adults and 33 jacks), and 203 summer steelhead (68 adults and 135 half pounders). A full results by reach table can be found here.
Along with a handful of fish in the SF Trinity River, these fish are the last remaining wild spring Chinook salmon in the entire Klamath River watershed.
A study published in August of 2017 in the journal Science Advances, uses new DNA analysis technology to identify the gene that makes spring Chinook salmon distinct from fall Chinook. This study, led by UC Davis, has major implications for the conservation of these unique fish. In the Klamath River watershed wild spring Chinook are on the brink of extinction, and this information has the potential to provide evidence necessary to have them differentiated from fall Chinook for management purposes. Based on the findings, the Karuk Tribe and the Salmon River Restoration Council began the process for petitioning to add the Klamath River's spring Chinook to the Endangered Species List.
Read the press release from UC Davis.
SRRC now has a monthly email newsletter that showcases the Salmon River watershed and our work. Every edition contains news and selected calendar events and will keep you in the flow of Salmon River activities and opportunities.
Read the Salmon River Currents and subscribe to get it in your inbox every month.
Also check out our seasonal newsletter devoted to noxious weed management in the watershed, The Weekly Weeder. See the archive for past issues of both our newsletters.
See our Salmon River Flows, Weather, & Wildfire Info page for fire maps, links to these fires on Inciweb and social media, smoke information, and a live river webcam that is useful for a visual on smoke conditions. SRRC has recently installed a permanent smoke monitoring station in Forks of Salmon (see real-time data).
This large-scale cooperative effort involves the Salmon River Restoration Council, Mid Klamath Watershed Council, Karuk Tribe, The Nature Conservancy, US Forest Service, CALFIRE, and many others. The goal is to train a local workforce in the safe implementation of prescribed fire, to raise awareness of the role of fire in the ecosystem and the benefits of prescribed fire treatments, and to accomplish a significant amount of prescribed burning in order to protect homes, communities, and natural resources as a step toward restoring the natural role of fire on the landscape.
The TREX program is managed as a Type 3 incident and uses the same command structure and procedures that are used in wildfire incidents. This ensures a highly organized operation that is staffed by qualified professionals with experience managing both wildfire and prescribed fire. Each burn is conducted according to an approved plan, has all required permits, and the appropriate firefighting resources (fire trucks, water tenders, hand crews, etc.).
SRRC's Fire, Fuels, and Forestry Program is increasing its capacity and abilties in conducting prescribed burn operations and we expect to do more of this work in the future. Please contact us if you would like to learn more or are interested in prescribed fire on your Salmon River property.
We had no large wildfires in the Salmon River watershed in 2015-2016 but 2017 made up for it. This earlier break in Salmon River fire activity gave us the time to put together a useful map that depicts wildfires, smoke dispersion, and other fire-related information for the area. You'll find this automatically-updated map on our Salmon River Flows, Weather, & Wildfires page.
Following our very popular newsletter that focused on Salmon River history, SRRC is pleased to announce the launch of a new multimedia history timeline on our website. The timeline features dozens of stories, hundreds of historical photos, audio, and video. Please check it out! This is an amazingly interesting trip through time.
Salmon River Restoration Council
PO Box 1089 | Sawyers Bar, CA | 96027
Salmon River (California)
530-462-4665