Spring-run Chinook make big comeback in creeks
Chico Enterprise Record - 9/25/02
By John Michael, staff writer

Spring-run Chinook salmon seem to be making a remarkable comeback in Butte Creek, and spawners are returning to Deer Creek in significant numbers as well.

California Fish and Game officials estimate the number of returning spawners at 8,785 fish, more than twice the number of parents that gave birth three years ago to this spring's run of salmon. The 1999 estimate was 3,679 fish.

"It was a great run," fish and game biologist Tracy McReynolds said.

Fish and game officials used a snorkel survey during the week of Aug. 12 to arrive at a "conservative" estimate of the run.

The strength of the run was bolstered by the fact that about 1,600 salmon died during the summer. Those are the carcasses counted by fish and game. Many believe the carcass count is only about half of the actual number of salmon that died.

A survey of Mill Creek won't get started for a few days. No salmon were seen in Big Chico Creek on the day fish and game biologists went looking for them last month.

Together, the four streams are the last tributaries to the Sacramento River that play host to wild spring-run salmon. There are no fish hatcheries at the tops of the creeks, and only on Butte Creek does someone other than Mother Nature control the waterworks of the waterway.

Spring-run Chinook salmon were added to state and federal lists of threatened species in 1998.

Dianne Gaumer of the Deer Creek Watershed Conservancy said the run was estimated at 2,185, a significant increase from the 1,591 salmon counted in 1999. Spring-run salmon typically return to the streams of their birth after three years in the ocean. Some believe a significant number of 4-year-old fish are returning with this year's run, boosting the size of the run.

"I think a lot of fishing restrictions in the ocean (made the biggest difference)," Gaumer said. "It's a great, great year. Best in 10 years."

Pre-spawning snorkel surveys rely on visual counts of salmon hanging out in the deep, cool pools of Butte and Deer creeks. Deer Creek's survey was conducted on Aug. 6 and Aug. 12.

In Mill Creek, biologists will produce an estimate after counting the number of redds in the stream. Redds are the nests adult spawners build in streambed gravel to lay their eggs.

"We are encouraged by observations to date," said Kerry Burke of the Mill Creek Conservancy.

Mill Creek is home to the highest elevation of wild spawning spring-run chinook salmon in California, she added.

McReynolds said salmon were seen in the upper reaches of Big Chico Creek earlier in the summer, and are probably still in the creek.

Less than 30 adult spawners were counted in the creek three years ago.

Between low flow, warm water, reduced habitat and stress from people swimming in the creek's holding pools, it's a tough go for salmon in Big Chico Creek, she said.

The Butte Creek survey was conducted on four stretches covering about 10 miles of the creek from Parrot-Phelan Dam to Quartz bowl, a series of remote, inaccessible deep pools well above Centerville.

McReynolds said about 60 percent of the run was counted in the bowls. About 48 percent was counted there last year, which tends to show fish moved upstream to find cooler water.

Fish and Game biologists also concluded that the collumnaris bacteria was the primary cause of the summer's fish die-off. The bacteria causes damage to the fish's gills, McReynolds said.

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