On July 23rd at The North Yuba Hall in Downieville and on July 31st at The Gene Albaugh Community Room at the Nevada County Library in Nevada City, the Yuba Salmon Study working group held community outreach events on how the rotary screw trap trials went in the North Yuba River and what pilot studies will occur this fall.
The Yuba Salmon Study is a collaborative planning and implementation program led by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries and California Department of Fish & Wildlife (CDFW). The vision of this program is to reintroduce salmon to their historical habitats in the Yuba River watershed through a phased, science-based, and cost-effective fish passage project that informs future Central Valley reintroduction decisions.
During the presentation, Matt Peterson from FishBio spoke about the initial results of the rotary screw trap trials that were conducted. From October of 2023 to mid-May of 2024, rotary screw traps were piloted on the North Yuba River at Rocky Rest campground and along Old Toll Bridge Road near Goodyears Bar. Although the traps were not catching any fish at the time, the trial has helped inform how they may be used going forward.
Following Matt’s presentation, Michelle Forsha from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife outlined the next steps in the planning and implementation process. She discussed the various options being considered for introducing salmon eggs into the North Yuba, how these processes will be monitored, and how that data will inform decisions in the coming years.
You can review their presentation slides below.
Also in attendance at these community outreach meetings was Danielle Conway, SYRCL’s Fisheries Restoration Program Manager, as well as representatives from NOAA, Yuba Water Agency, and the US Forest Service, who were all able to answer questions posed by the attendees.
For further information about the Yuba Salmon Study and to sign up for the group’s newsletter, go to YubaSalmonStudy.com
Yuba Salmon Study 