Hatchery to free salmon in survival experiment

Apr 11th, 2019 by Keith Worrall 346

Modified Apr 11th, 2019 at 4:04 PM

Editor’s note: A photo that originally accompanied this story was not a picture of salmon fry. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service provided incorrect caption information with the picture.

Will hatchery-raised salmon have a better chance of surviving their journey to the Pacific Ocean and back if they get a 75-mile head start?

That’s the question a three-year study hopes to answer for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and four partner organizations.

The plan Saturday is to release 180,000 salmon fry into the Sacramento River 75 miles downriver from the Coleman National Fish Hatchery. A tanker truck will take the young salmon from the hatchery outside Anderson to Scotty’s Landing in Chico for the fish’s intended journey to the ocean under the Golden Gate Bridge.

“If we can boost survival of the fish by even 20% to 40%, it’s a great step forward to add fish to the fishery,” said John McManus, president of the Golden Gate Salmon Association.

Winter-run juvenile Chinook salmon being prepared for release at Coleman National Fish Hatchery in March 2018. (Photo: Steve Martarano/U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service)

Hatchery to free salmon in survival experiment

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