Oral Presentation International Conference on River Connectivity (Fish Passage 2018)

Status of anadromous fish reintroduction and passage investigations at large dams and reservoirs in California (#151)

Jonathon Mann 1
  1. California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Sacramento, CA, United States

Because major dams exist on most rivers feeding water into the California Central Valley, this ecoregion contains many projects for determining the feasibility and efficacy of re-introducing salmon and steelhead trout above rim dams that may aid in recovery of these threatened and endangered species. The California State Wildlife Action Plan 2015 update has an anadromous fish conservation strategy to conduct rim dam re-introduction pilot projects on the Yuba and Sacramento rivers and evaluate efficacy of expanding rearing and spawning habitats for recovery. In addition, the 2016 update of the California Water Action Plan states that the Department of Fish and Wildlife, in coordination with state and federal resource agencies, will develop an evaluation and feasibility process for addressing fish passage at California’s rim dams and develop rim dam solution plans for the most feasible locations. This presentation includes updates for implementing these strategies by way of describing current results from a set of investigations and studies at specific projects, including the Yuba and Sacramento rivers. The presentation will focus on a very important, and a more limiting biological and engineering challenge for large dams and reservoirs in California: downstream juvenile fish passage and connectivity.

  1. California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW). 2015. California State Wildlife Action Plan, 2015 Update: A Conservation Legacy for Californians. Edited by Armand G. Gonzales and Junko Hoshi, PhD.
  2. California Natural Resources Agency. 2016. California Water Action Plan 2016 Update http://resources.ca.gov/california_water_action_plan/