CDFW Adjusts Salmon Releases to Support Sacramento River Populations
Media note: Download photos and video of the salmon releases.
In a significant shift of California’s salmon strategy, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) has begun releasing juvenile fall-run Chinook salmon from CDFW-operated hatcheries into the main stem of the Sacramento River for the first time.
The release of approximately 3.5 million fall-run Chinook salmon smolts into the main stem of the Sacramento River occurred in mid-April near Redding and Butte City. The fish originated from increased production at CDFW’s hatchery operations at the Feather River Fish Hatchery and the Mokelumne River Fish Hatchery. CDFW-operated salmon hatcheries historically have supported populations on their home rivers elsewhere in the Central Valley.
“We strongly support the California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s bold decision to release salmon smolts directly into the main stem of the Sacramento River – a historic first that gives juvenile fish a fighting chance at survival,” said Scott Artis, executive director at Golden State Salmon Association. “With Sacramento fall-run Chinook returns at crisis levels, and fishing families and businesses having been impacted since 2023, this innovative move is exactly the kind of action we need. We applaud the tireless hatchery staff who made this possible and stand with them in the effort to rebuild our salmon runs and revive California’s commercial and recreational fisheries.”
Last month, for the third year in a row, the federal Pacific Fishery Management Council recommended the closure of all commercial salmon fishing in California while also recommending an extremely limited ocean sport fishing season due to continued low abundance of salmon populations.
While fisheries managers are seeing some positive signs for fall-run Chinook salmon in other parts of the Central Valley due in part to increased hatchery production from state-operated hatcheries and better in-river conditions with wetter years, returns to the main stem of the Sacramento River remain at concerningly low levels.
“The naturally spawning Sacramento River salmon populations have been the primary driver of California’s commercial and recreational salmon fisheries for decades,” said Jay Rowan, CDFW Fisheries Branch Chief. “Poor spawning and migration conditions for fall-run Chinook during the past two droughts have resulted in low returning adult numbers the last three years. These low adult returns not only affected fishing seasons but also reduced the number of spawning adults and, consequently, the number of juvenile salmon available to take advantage of the good river conditions to rebound this part of the run. The extra effort by our hatchery staff to maximize production has allowed us to take measures this year to speed up the rebuilding of these critical Sacramento River natural spawning areas. This significant shift in strategy speaks to CDFW’s long-term commitment to boosting these important salmon populations.”
The 3.5 million fish being released into the main stem of the Sacramento River are part of an additional 9.7 million salmon produced in 2025 above normal production goals, funded in partnership with ocean and inland fishing groups. CDFW’s hatchery operations, in coordination with the state Department of Water Resources, East Bay Municipal Utility District, and the federal Bureau of Reclamation, will raise and release more than 28 million fall-run Chinook salmon in total in 2025.
CDFW’s Sacramento River salmon releases are being timed with increases in water flows that have been shown to improve survival in their journey to the Pacific Ocean and also with salmon releases from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Coleman National Fish Hatchery in Shasta County to overwhelm predators with a massive volume of released fish.
Additionally, CDFW has provided the Coleman National Fish Hatchery with 10 million salmon eggs to help meet its production goals and offset low adult salmon returns to the federal fish hatchery located on Battle Creek about 3 miles east of the Sacramento River in Anderson.
The juvenile salmon released into the Sacramento River are expected to imprint on the main stem during their migration to the ocean, which in three years upon their return to freshwater is expected to increase the number of adults utilizing important natural spawning areas within the main stem.
Video: Watch CDFW at work supporting Sacramento River salmon populations.
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