Salmon released near Vallejo...

[Ken Jones]

https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/#inbox/FMfcgzQVwxHbwxRGVbccCkPDKNVghPdJ

 

[moonshine]

Pretty exciting news

https://hoodline.com/2024/06/califo...ed-in-san-pablo-bay-by-cdfw-and-cal-maritime/

 

[Red Fish]

They released 1/2 million smolt in lower San Pablo Bay in Richmond last week. They said there is a greater chance of survival with smolt released closer to the Golden Gate Bridge/Pacific Ocean.

 

[SC McCarty]

They released 1/2 million smolt in lower San Pablo Bay in Richmond last week. They said there is a greater chance of survival with smolt released closer to the Golden Gate Bridge/Pacific Ocean.

This seems to me to be a short term fix. At least there may be some adult salmon returning, but how will they know their way back to their spawning streams?

Steve

 

[TheFrood]

This seems to me to be a short term fix. At least there may be some adult salmon returning, but how will they know their way back to their spawning streams?

Steve

They wont. In 3 years there will be great salmon fishing in the lower San Pablo Bay though. The issue around releasing salmon up
streams is that if there are any salmon native to that stream you will be potentially introducing what is effectively an invasive species as
a competitor against the native genetics (unless you can breed a population of smolts from that genetic line to release in that specific
stream).

The logic is that you need as diverse a gene pool as possible because you never know which line may carry the necessary traits for the
survival of the species in the future. Not sure how Salmon from Putah Creek or Alameda Creed would be able to go upstream on the
greater Sacramento to repopulate that area but... if the salmon from all these creeks but one die out from environmental factors then
at least there is one population that possesses the genetics to survive those changes that can be used to transplant (this last bit is my
own speculation and I have no idea if this is what would be done or the rationale for it or not).

 

[TheFrood]

Somehow I missed that these were all Sac. River smolt. For some reason when I read SC McCarty's question I immediately thought of the Santa Cruz salmon release where they just swam back to the harbor and made for some excellent salmon fishing when they started returning.

 

[moonshine]

Fish stocking is a fine balancing act.
Up here, fish and game struggles with preserving the native cutthroat. Catching browns and rainbows are often open game to preserve the natives. It's an odd arrangement.