Salmon Content

Record Returns: 2,100 Salmon Spawned in Putah Creek

Katherine E Kerlin — December 17, 2025 - 10:32am

A record-breaking 2,100 Chinook salmon returned to spawn in restored Putah Creek this fall. �鶹��ý fish biologists and partners are tracking and monitoring the run.

How California’s State and Federal Water Projects Can Better Protect Fish

Katherine E Kerlin — November 14, 2025 - 4:32pm

At least two thirds of California's population and more than 4 million acres of California farmland rely on water delivered by the federal Central Valley Project and the State Water Project, two of the largest multipurpose water management projects in the world.

A Different Perspective on Salmon Farms

Katherine E Kerlin — July 07, 2025 - 10:36am

Salmon farms in British Columbia pose minimal impact on wild salmon populations, according to a review paper, or “Viewpoint,” published in the journal Aquaculture, Fish and Fisheries.

The paper, authored by six fish health experts from �鶹��ý, Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Washington State University, and Oregon State University, reinterprets 20 years of scientific publication to draw its conclusion.

Anchovy Dominated Diets off the West Coast Pose New Dangers for Salmon

Katherine E Kerlin — June 25, 2025 - 12:05pm

A vitamin deficiency likely killed as many as half of newly hatched fry of endangered winter-run Chinook salmon in the Sacramento River in 2020 and 2021. These findings were published June 23 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Restored Stream Supports New Wild Salmon Run

Katherine E Kerlin — March 20, 2025 - 9:00am

A �鶹��ý study confirms Putah Creek origin salmon for first time, marking a win for creek restoration and wild salmon, and providing hope for other degraded streams around the globe.

Chinook Salmon Face Habitat Challenges

Katherine E Kerlin — October 14, 2024 - 10:23am

A �鶹��ý study finds that decades of human activities have not only reduced the size of Chinook salmon, but also disrupted their ability to spawn.

The Salmon Diaries: Life Before and After Klamath Dam Removal

Katherine E Kerlin — July 15, 2024 - 9:00am

From the Klamath River to the lab, to the ear bones of fish, �鶹��ý scientists are helping to answer a big dam question: How will salmon use the river following the world's largest dam removal project?

�鶹��ý to Safeguard Spring-Run Chinook Salmon Broodstock

Katherine E Kerlin — October 12, 2023 - 1:29pm

�鶹��ý joins state and federal fisheries agencies to conserve threatened spring-run Chinook salmon, housing captive broodstock.

Why Are Killer Whales Harassing and Killing Porpoises Without Eating Them?

Katherine E Kerlin — September 28, 2023 - 10:48am

Why do killer whales harass porpoises without eating them? Scientists from �鶹��ý' SeaDoc Society and Wild Orca investigate a perplexing behavior.

Putah Creek is a Restoration Success Story

Andy Fell — July 10, 2023 - 9:51am

In 1957, completion of the Monticello dam closed off natural stream flows in Putah creek, which flows down from the coastal ranges past the �鶹��ý campus and into the Yolo bypass. Native fish disappeared from the creek, which sometimes dried up completely in summer time.

Restoration efforts began in 2000 following the Putah creek accord. Since then, native fish have returned to the creek, including spawning salmon first noticed in 2015. The creek is now a stable, flourishing ecosystem, even though 95 percent of the creek's water is still diverted for agriculture.