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Our pal from the other side of the Pond, Franklin Moquette (our European correspondent), sent in this video of Atlantic salmon absolutely bashing their brains in against a weir on the Varde Aa in West Denmark as they try to leap it.
The frame above is grainy because I screen captured it off the video, but the movie has much better resolution. Read on for the link… [click to continue…]
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The American Fishing Foundation held its second annual charity Klamath River Fishing Derby Sept. 18-19 and the event was a huge success! The final numbers have yet to be crunched, but the event raised money for several good causes, including the Yearling Chinook program at Iron Gate Hatchery, the Chinook Marking program and upgrades to the Roy Rook launching facility on the lower river. [click to continue…]
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Back in October, I told you about the new spawning riffle that had just been built on the American River just below the Nimbus Fish Hatchery…well, I finally got around to checking back on the thing a few days before the Super Bowl to see how the fish were liking their new home.
Judging by the sign above, some of the precious few Chinook we had up the river in the fall of 2008 found it to their liking. I actually saw a few kings still hanging around on the riffle in late January, in addition to a good number of steelies that were sitting on redds — particularly on the leading edge of the new riffle.
Quality spawning gravel is in short supply on the American, so it was good to see a bunch of fish on beds in the restored area.
Here’s what the riffle looked like just days after it was installed:
To refresh your memory on the whole story, you can see my original post HERE
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There hasn’t been a salmon or steelhead spotted in the upper Auburn Ravine since 1853 but that may soon change. This scenic little stream located just east of Sacramento, drains the western flanks of the Sierra Foothills and eventually makes its way, via irrigation canals, to the Sacramento River.
While the Ravine was probably never a prolific producer of anadramous fish, it certainly had its moments but now the fish are all gone. Of course, the decline can be blamed on all the usual suspects — habitat loss, human encroachment, water diversions and dams.
The latter is a subject that Jack Sanchez of Save Auburn Ravine Salmon & Steelhead (SARSAS) feels strongly about and is working hard to fix.
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In case you haven’t noticed, West Coast salmon and steelhead stocks are teetering on the brink and we need to get involved now before it’s too late. Let’s learn a little something from the plight of the Atlantic salmon in Europe and pledge not to let it happen here.
Consider this quick, but very poignant message from our European correspondent, Netherlands fish biologist, Franklin Moquette…
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You all know I’m really into river restoration, so I thought you might enjoy seeing these shots of a newly-constructed fish ladder on the Saybach River in Rhineland-Pfalz, Germany. The Saybach is tributary to the Rhine River and before the rock weirs were put in place, there was a 7-foot waterfall that blocked the upstream migration of salmon and brown trout. Sweet restoration work and some pretty dam cool looking countryside too, eh?
Our friend and European correspondent Franklin Moquette, who’s a biologist in the Netherlands sent in these photos…
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In a move that will greatly benefit salmon and steelhead populations — and the people who depend on them — Pacificorp announced this week that it will remove 4 dams from the Klamath River, which will open up more than 300 miles of spawning habitat!
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Beleaguered American River salmon and steelhead will have some nice new spawning beds to work with this fall and winter thanks to a new riffle built near Sailor Bar. The restoration work was a joint effort between The Bureau of Reclamation, The Water Forum and the County of Sacramento, installed fresh spawning riffles in the river near Sailor Bar back in October. The work was completed last week and is the first of several such projects slated for the river.
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