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Another Blow to Salmon: 75,000 Juvenile Fish Die In Experimental Trucking Program
Published on Jun 3, 2008 - 9:35:25 AM
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By: Dan Bacher
The Sacramento River fall run chinook salmon population, now in a state of unprecedented collapse, encountered another blow when 75,000 juvenile salmon in a truck died en route to acclimation pens in San Pablo Bay.
The fish were part of an experimental program to truck salmon smolts from the federal government's Coleman National Fish Hatchery on Battle Creek, a tributary of the Sacramento, to the pens to maximize salmon survival. The trucking program is designed to get the fish past obstacles to their survival posed by water diversions, predators and the massive fish-killing state and federal water export pumps on the California Delta.
The salmon smolts perished on Monday, May 19, because of oxygen depletion in the tank of one of the two trucks that traveled to Carquinez Strait that day, according to Scott Hamelburg, hatchery manager "The fish deaths were caused by poor circulation of oxygen in the tank," he said. "The pump did not appear to be sufficiently mixing the water."
Of the total load of 100,000 fish in one truck, only 25,000 survived. The other truck delivered 70,000 fish successfully to the pens.
A total of 1.4 million smolts out of a total of 12.6 million slated for release will be released into the net pens in Carquinez Strait rather than on site into Battle Creek, a tributary of the Sacramento River. Fortunately, it appears that the problems with trucking have been corrected, as the rest of the fish put in trucks since then have reached the pens in good and healthy condition.
The fish are being released into pens operated by the Fishery Foundation of California, rather than directly into the bay, to acclimate them to the bay water. Rather than being stunned and disorented upon release into salt water, where they are subject to predation by birds and predatory fish, the salmon are able to adjust better to their new home.
"Our driver was upset, as was the entire crew here after the fish died on Monday," emphasized Hamelburg. "We put a lot of time and effort into raising and transporting those fish and we hate seeing fish lost for any reason."
To make sure that more fish didn't die on following trips to the bay, the hatchery staff installed a different pump to provide more oxygen. In addition, they also reduced the truck's load to 81,000 fish the following day and doubled the amount of ice from 300 to 600 pounds to make sure the fish arrived in healthy condition.
The change in procedures seemed to do the job. "The 150,000 fish arrived at the pens in fine shape without a hitch on Tuesday," said Hamelburg. "There was no mortality to speak of."
This is the first time since 1992 that salmon smolts from the hatchery have been trucked downriver rather than released into Battle Creek.
"We only did this for five years in the late 1980's and early 1990's during the drought," said Hamelburg. "The trucking of fish was very much justified because of the low, warm water conditions on the river."
This year the trucking program was prodded by the collapse of Central Valley fall chinook salmon, a disaster that has resulted in the closure of ocean salmon fisheries off Oregon and California and a zero bag limit for Sacramento River system salmon until a small stretch of river opens November 1 to allow fishing for late fall chinooks.
A number of organizations, including the California Sportfishing Protection Alliance, Allied Fishing Groups, Water4Fish, the Coastside Fishing Club, the Golden Gate Fishermen's Association and the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen's Associations and Representative Wally Herger are supporting Coleman Hatchery's experimental salmon release program.
"This was an unfortunate incident," said Dick Pool, owner of Pro Troll, who led the charge to get Coleman Hatchery to begin the experimental program. "I feel bad for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service because of all of the hard work they've done, I feel bad for the fish that died, and I feel bad for the fishermen that are counting heavily on the trucking program to bring back our salmon runs so we can fish for chinooks again in 2010."
However, he was glad that the problems in trucking fish appear to have been resolved and that the program is proceeding forward.
Trevor Kennedy, executive of the Fishery Foundation of California, said, "It's too bad that this happened, but this is the risk you take when you move truck fish 300 miles."
Editor's note: Dan Bacher is the editor of The Fish Sniffer: www.fishsniffer.com
Jim's Fishing Charters
www.JimsFishing.com
http://ca.youtube.com/user/Sushihunter250
Another Blow to Salmon: 75,000 Juvenile Fish Die In Experimental Trucking Program
Published on Jun 3, 2008 - 9:35:25 AM
Email this article Printer friendly page
By: Dan Bacher
The Sacramento River fall run chinook salmon population, now in a state of unprecedented collapse, encountered another blow when 75,000 juvenile salmon in a truck died en route to acclimation pens in San Pablo Bay.
The fish were part of an experimental program to truck salmon smolts from the federal government's Coleman National Fish Hatchery on Battle Creek, a tributary of the Sacramento, to the pens to maximize salmon survival. The trucking program is designed to get the fish past obstacles to their survival posed by water diversions, predators and the massive fish-killing state and federal water export pumps on the California Delta.
The salmon smolts perished on Monday, May 19, because of oxygen depletion in the tank of one of the two trucks that traveled to Carquinez Strait that day, according to Scott Hamelburg, hatchery manager "The fish deaths were caused by poor circulation of oxygen in the tank," he said. "The pump did not appear to be sufficiently mixing the water."
Of the total load of 100,000 fish in one truck, only 25,000 survived. The other truck delivered 70,000 fish successfully to the pens.
A total of 1.4 million smolts out of a total of 12.6 million slated for release will be released into the net pens in Carquinez Strait rather than on site into Battle Creek, a tributary of the Sacramento River. Fortunately, it appears that the problems with trucking have been corrected, as the rest of the fish put in trucks since then have reached the pens in good and healthy condition.
The fish are being released into pens operated by the Fishery Foundation of California, rather than directly into the bay, to acclimate them to the bay water. Rather than being stunned and disorented upon release into salt water, where they are subject to predation by birds and predatory fish, the salmon are able to adjust better to their new home.
"Our driver was upset, as was the entire crew here after the fish died on Monday," emphasized Hamelburg. "We put a lot of time and effort into raising and transporting those fish and we hate seeing fish lost for any reason."
To make sure that more fish didn't die on following trips to the bay, the hatchery staff installed a different pump to provide more oxygen. In addition, they also reduced the truck's load to 81,000 fish the following day and doubled the amount of ice from 300 to 600 pounds to make sure the fish arrived in healthy condition.
The change in procedures seemed to do the job. "The 150,000 fish arrived at the pens in fine shape without a hitch on Tuesday," said Hamelburg. "There was no mortality to speak of."
This is the first time since 1992 that salmon smolts from the hatchery have been trucked downriver rather than released into Battle Creek.
"We only did this for five years in the late 1980's and early 1990's during the drought," said Hamelburg. "The trucking of fish was very much justified because of the low, warm water conditions on the river."
This year the trucking program was prodded by the collapse of Central Valley fall chinook salmon, a disaster that has resulted in the closure of ocean salmon fisheries off Oregon and California and a zero bag limit for Sacramento River system salmon until a small stretch of river opens November 1 to allow fishing for late fall chinooks.
A number of organizations, including the California Sportfishing Protection Alliance, Allied Fishing Groups, Water4Fish, the Coastside Fishing Club, the Golden Gate Fishermen's Association and the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen's Associations and Representative Wally Herger are supporting Coleman Hatchery's experimental salmon release program.
"This was an unfortunate incident," said Dick Pool, owner of Pro Troll, who led the charge to get Coleman Hatchery to begin the experimental program. "I feel bad for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service because of all of the hard work they've done, I feel bad for the fish that died, and I feel bad for the fishermen that are counting heavily on the trucking program to bring back our salmon runs so we can fish for chinooks again in 2010."
However, he was glad that the problems in trucking fish appear to have been resolved and that the program is proceeding forward.
Trevor Kennedy, executive of the Fishery Foundation of California, said, "It's too bad that this happened, but this is the risk you take when you move truck fish 300 miles."
Editor's note: Dan Bacher is the editor of The Fish Sniffer: www.fishsniffer.com
Jim's Fishing Charters
www.JimsFishing.com
http://ca.youtube.com/user/Sushihunter250
