Health of Sacramento Chinook Salmon Runs Addressed
State DWR seeks public input on plans
Record Searchlight - 7/12/03
Alex Breitler, staff writer

Half a century ago, about 16,000 fall-run Chinook salmon crowded their way up Mill Creek to spawn in the shadow of Lassen Peak.

Since 1992, five studies have counted a yearly average of just 1,036 fish. Some critical Sacramento River tributaries remain depleted of their once-rich fish stocks, while others have made a comeback, according to a state Department of Water Resources draft report released recently for public comment.

The report, the first of its kind in a decade, outlines both problems and success stories as officials attempt to restore fisheries in creeks that have been blocked by dams, road culverts and other barriers.

Since the 1800s, salmon and steelhead habitat in California has dwindled from 6,000 miles of rivers and streams to just 300 miles. Fish populations, in turn, have plummeted.

Part of the purpose of the state's report is to seek the public's opinions on salmon recovery efforts - and indeed, people seem interested in the ultimate fate of the migratory fish.

"Salmon are a totem species," said John Merz, director of the Chico-based Sacramento River Preservation Trust. "They really represent in many ways the health of the ecosystem. But they also really capture people's imagination."

The report touches on Battle, Mill and Clear creeks in Shasta and Tehama counties, while also addressing the health of the Sacramento River as a whole.

Once, as many as 200,000 winter-run Chinook salmon journeyed as far upstream as they pleased. But more than 600 miles of traditional river spawning grounds were blocked in 1944 with the construction of Shasta Dam.

In the mid-'90s, the Chinook winter-run bottomed out at 142 fish. That struck a blow to the Sacramento River, which produces more than two-thirds of the salmon caught off the California coast by commercial and sport fishing. Today the river's primary purpose is to be a corridor for fish looking for tributaries in which to spawn.

One of those tributaries, Battle Creek, might be the only tributary that can sustain all five runs of Central Valley salmonid runs. It's fed by cold-water springs that keep flows high for fish. But, the state reports, the main stem of the creek has barriers keeping salmon from heading upstream.

"You've got a system that basically was converted for hydropower," said Merz. "As a consequence, the fisheries have been hammered."

However, a $51 million restoration project agreed to in 1999 will remove five dams and install fish screens and ladders on Battle Creek. Ultimately, officials hope for the same results as seen on Clear Creek, the area's success story.

Salmon counts there have rebounded close to levels seen before Whiskeytown Dam was built in 1963. Ten miles of additional spawning habitat was recovered in 2000 when then-Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt knocked out Saeltzer Dam in southern Redding.

"Clear Creek is a wonderful success," said Merz. "There's some great restoration work going on there."

Mill Creek, which flows from the mountains of eastern Tehama County, offers fish a chance to spawn near Lassen Peak as high as 5,300 feet above sea level - the highest known spawning ground in California. Two diversions have historically bled off most of the natural stream. But the stream flows through many protected areas and is generally untouchable, said Kerry Burke, resource coordinator with the Mill Creek Conservancy in Los Molinos.

"It's very inaccessible," she said. "Mother Nature has protected Mill Creek best of all."

Public comments will be accepted until Aug. 1, said Department of Water Resources senior environmental specialist Leslie Pierce. The final report will be used to guide future efforts.

"This is a good opportunity for people to voice their opinions on where we should focus our efforts," Pierce said.

Reporter Alex Breitler can be reached at 225-8344 or at abreitler@redding.com.