• Support California Sportfishing Protection Alliance – Winter 2025

    At an unprecedented level, federal and state governments are advancing special interests at the expense of the public trust. Today more than ever, non-profit organizations must be leaders in enacting and enforcing policies that empower practical alternatives to the depletion and pollution of rivers, streams, estuaries, and aquifers. The Opportunity That’s where the California Sportfishing…

  • Strong 2025 Run of Fall-run Chinook Salmon in the Russian River

    Having fished and surveyed the Russian River watershed for many years, there have been occasions when I’ve observed spawning adult Chinook salmon, stumbled across a carcass, or accidentally hooked a “Jack” or “Jill,” a young maturing Chinook salmon. These observations were exciting. They are a reminder that a small and resilient population of fall-run Chinook…

  • Grateful for Signs of Recovery

    Basking in the glow of Thanksgiving, I am grateful for the incredible strides made this year toward recovery of anadromous fisheries in the north state. Heightened returns of adult Chinook spawners to Battle Creek, to the Scott River, and to Klamath tributaries previously blocked by dams confirm that diligent efforts to improve fish passage and…

  • CSPA Supports Draft Science Report and Real Substantial Flow Increases for the Lower Tuolumne River

    Example of substantial floodplain inundation on the lower Tuolumne River downstream of La Grange, taken March 27, 2019. Flow was 6,000 cfs at La Grange. Image: Chris Shutes  On November 5, 2025, Chris Shutes, Executive Director of the California Sportfishing Protection Alliance (CSPA), made a presentation to the State Water Resources Control Board (Board) in…

  • Delta Tunnel and Sites Reservoir Water Rights Hearing Notes – November 2025

    Administrative Hearings Office Requires More Modeling for Proposed Sites Project and Delta Tunnel The Hearing Officer in the respective water rights hearings for the proposed Sites Reservoir Project and the proposed Delta Tunnel, who happens to be the same individual, has ordered more modeling in each proceeding.  The State Water Board’s Administrative Hearings Office (AHO)…