First salmon in nearly 100 years found in the McCloud River

July 27, 2005

An endangered species has returned to its Northern California river habitat for the first time in almost a century, wildlife officials said.

Winter-run chinook salmon — one of nine species considered to be most at risk of extinction by NOAA — have been listed under the Endangered Species Act since 1994. But new concerns for the species came to light after California’s historic statewide drought between 2012 and 2016, when the fish all but vanished from the McCloud River, which flows through Siskiyou and Shasta counties.

The construction of Shasta Dam above the 77-mile-long waterway had already been causing problems for the species since the late 1930s, cutting them off from the mountain streams kept cool by melting snow where they like to spawn. But when the dam lost its own cold water pool during the drought, increasing water temperatures and reduced oxygen rates led to the deaths of 95 to 98% of eggs and recently hatched salmon incubating in their nests, according to NOAA.

So it came as a surprise when, earlier this month, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife confirmed reports of adult Chinook salmon in the river near Ash Camp. Officials saw one female exhibiting spawning behavior and “guarding her nest,” while multiple smaller males were observed nearby, competing to spawn themselves, the agency wrote of the July 15 sighting. 

The unexpected presence of the fish was likely in the aftermath of a long journey — officials suspect they spent a year or more in Shasta Reservoir before returning to the river. The CDFW attributed the comeback to reintroduction efforts spearheaded in 2022 in collaboration with the Winnemem Wintu Tribe, NOAA Fisheries and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. For the last few years, experts have been incubating winter-run Chinook salmon eggs in the frigid, clean waters of the McCloud River. They later catch the juvenile salmon at collection facilities downstream, where they are then transported to the Sacramento River in Redding and “released to continue their outmigration to the Pacific Ocean.” Those that escape, however, move into Shasta Reservoir, and experts think that’s how the new fish got there.

“Adult salmon returning and spawning in the cool waters of their historic habitat off the increasingly hot Sacramento Valley floor is seen as critical to the recovery of winter-run Chinook salmon and is a major goal,” the CDFW said.

It’s not the only glimmer of hope for the endangered species. Experts said the fish have also been observed swimming nearby past Eagle Canyon Dam in the North Fork of Battle Creek. “This is the first time this has happened since fish passage facilities were constructed as part of the Battle Creek Restoration Project,” the CDFW said.

Thanks for sharing the good news Howard.

I don't understand. That article starts off with, "An endangered species has returned to its Northern California river habitat for the first time in almost a century". Then, 2 sentences later, "But new concerns for the species came to light after California’s historic statewide drought between 2012 and 2016, when the fish all but vanished from the McCloud River".

If the fish "all but vanished" in 2012-2016, that would imply that there were some in the river prior to 2012 (and maybe even after that), which is not a century ago...