San Joaquin River Restoration ProgramIf there’s one certainty in these uncertain times, it’s that nature is resilient, and one needn’t look further than the San Joaquin River as an example. For a second year in a row, and for only the second year in over 65 years, spring-run Chinook salmon have returned from the ocean to spawn in the river and bring forth the next generation. And with each year the salmon return, the Program gains new insights about the next generations of fish now inhabiting the river, using the data gathered to help guide restoration efforts.
As valley temperatures have skyrocketed in recent weeks and river flows have receded, field crews were forced to curtail monitoring actions on the river (fish require certain water temperature to survive). However, before that happened, crews successfully captured 57 adult spring-run Chinook in the lower reaches of the Restoration Area downstream of the first passage impediment.
“Despite low water conditions, the fish came back,” said San Joaquin River Restoration Program manager Don Portz. “Again, the Program has met another milestone by showing the resiliency of the spring-run population to return even in a low water year,” he said.
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