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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
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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
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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
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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)
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Measuring Flow to Support New Interim Flow Requirements in the Shasta River
For decades, stream flows in the Shasta River dropped to a fraction of historical levels every summer, no matter how wet the water year type. Now, a new law, AB 263, which took effect in September 2025, requires that sufficient quantities of water remain instream. This ensures that coho salmon will be less likely to
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