Latest news with #salmon


CBS News
an hour ago
- General
- CBS News
Hundreds of spring-run salmon rescued after taking detour into Tuolumne River
More than 1,200 adult spring-run Chinook salmon meant to return to the San Joaquin River ended up in the Tuolumne River instead, prompting a five-part rescue operation. The fish were originally released as part of the San Joaquin River Restoration Program. But cooler, cleaner water and improved habitat conditions on the Tuolumne appeared to draw the fish off course, according to officials from the Turlock Irrigation District (TID). "Once the pulse flows had ended the plung pool was a little cut off from the main stem of the river," said Constance Anderson, communications division manager for TID. "So we had to figure out a plan to move them back into cleaner, cooler water." The salmon became trapped below the historic La Grange Diversion Dam after spring flows receded, isolating them in a plunge pool with limited oxygen and rising temperatures. In response, TID worked alongside the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, NOAA Fisheries, and the fisheries consulting firm FISHBIO to safely relocate the fish downstream. "When we discovered that there were salmon in what we call the plunge pool, we were able to move the fish, you know, at least about 50 feet from the plunge pool down to the main stem, to a more appropriate water source," said Josh Weimer, director of external affairs for TID. TID's construction team built a custom transport device, a chamber system designed to assist with fish relocation. Crews carried out five separate rescue missions after realizing just how many fish had gathered. "Initially, when we started the process, we didn't realize how abundant the fish were in the plunge pool," Anderson said. "Which was both very exciting and also meant that we had a few different relocation processes to go through to get them all out." Officials say the salmon were likely drawn to the Tuolumne due to restoration work already underway. TID and its partners, Modesto Irrigation District and the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, have spent years improving habitat along the river, including adding clean gravel, expanding floodplain access and enhancing flows to support native fish. "We are doing habitat restoration. We are putting new gravel back into the river," Weimer said. "So hopefully we see larger and larger salmon runs in the future." The final group of fish was relocated about 10 days ago. The Tuolumne River Partners say they plan to install a segregation weir near Old La Grange Bridge to help manage future runs and prevent spring-run salmon from becoming stranded again.


BBC News
3 days ago
- General
- BBC News
Call for greater monitoring of £12m Colwick fish pass
A charity is calling for greater monitoring of England's largest fish pass, which cost £ described as a "motorway for fish", it was installed at Colwick Country Park in Nottinghamshire by the Environment Agency (EA) and opened in November aim was to "make it easier for salmon and other fish to reach their spawning and feeding grounds" along the River Trent, boosting declining EA has no legal obligation to monitor the effectiveness of the structure and will carry out short-term checks during key migratory windows, but the Trent Rivers Trust fears it is not enough. 'Canary in the coal mine' Wild Atlantic salmon were once native to the River Trent and are the main species the fish pass was designed to help fell rapidly during the industrial revolution when weirs and dams prevented them from reaching breeding grounds and water pollution destroyed their habitats."They've been referred to as the canary in the coal mine," said Alison Baker, restoration director at the Wild Atlantic Salmon Trust."Salmon require cold, clean water and if there's no cold clean water, then we all suffer."The fish pass is built around Holme Sluices, part of a 1950s flood defence scheme owned by the EA on the notoriously unpredictable structure is 210m (656ft) long, 6m (19.7ft) deep and 6.5m (21.3ft) is divided into 20 ascending chambers - each slightly higher than the previous ones to match the slope of the landscape - into which water flows through narrow slots. The EA said the pass - built under the Salmon and Freshwater Fisheries Act 1975 - was "carefully designed and is relevant for all fish species, including salmon".It is yet to carry out any monitoring and plans to perform short-term checks using underwater cameras to "better understand fish migration" in autumn of this year and spring Dr Scott McKenzie, head of rivers and nature-based solutions at the Trent Rivers Trust, said it was not enough to know how efficient the fish pass is or to learn from it."We don't just want a snapshot into whether they can get through at certain times of year," he added."A fish pass like this costs a lot of money; we want to make sure it's worth it."Dr McKenzie said monitoring should involve counting salmon at key breeding sites to check they were "not only navigating the structure, but actually reaching their breeding habitats", and include other recovering species. Dr McKenzie said monitoring should involve counting salmon at key breeding sites to check if they were "not only navigating the structure, but actually reaching their breeding habitats", and include other recovering species. The Trent Rivers Trust is leading a recovery of a 75km stretch of the river - a project that could see further fish passes McKenzie said the facility at Colwick was "only worth it if it's part of a bigger recovery plan which should include monitoring".The EA said: "For salmon monitoring, funding is concentrated on those rivers designated as 'principal salmon rivers', which the River Trent is not."Therefore, a strategy of monitoring at key migration windows is being applied here."Should further funding become available, the monitoring will be enhanced."


CBC
4 days ago
- General
- CBC
Search for B.C.'s Best Symbol: Round 2 — Animals
Search for B.C.'s Best Symbol: Round 2 — Animals 8 hours ago Duration 1:53 Social Sharing There are a lot of reasons why British Columbians have a deep connection with salmon, from their ubiquity across the province to their circular routine of returning home to spawn. But as the director of UBC's Marine Mammal Research Unit, Andrew Trites, admits, there's also a more selfish reason. "Everything comes back to food, doesn't it?" he said, as he broke down the matchup between the chinook salmon and sockeye salmon in the Search for B.C.'s Best Symbol. Trites pointed out that the chinook is well known because of its massive size — it's called "king salmon" in the United States — while the sockeye is known for its distinctive red colouring and its dense spawning numbers. But there's the element of taste as well. "Is there anything better than putting on the BBQ with a nice piece of chinook salmon? And … when we think of sockeye salmon, the image that comes to mind is smoked salmon because it's a very firm flesh. And who doesn't love eating smoked salmon?" From 8 animals to 4 Beyond the salmon, when you look at the eight animals still in the running in the Search for B.C.'s Best Symbol, a certain theme emerges. "Everything's interconnected," said Trites. "The salmon depend on healthy oceans, healthy rivers, and healthy forest systems. Killer whales and otters, they also depend on healthy salmon … and the bears drag some of the dead carcasses into the woods that fertilize the forest." Interconnected though they may be, we're asking you to vote in four matchups to determine which animals advance to the next round of our friendly competition: Orca vs. sea otter. Steller's jay vs. marmot. Spirit bear vs. grizzly bear. Chinook vs. sockeye salmon. Unlike the first round of the bracket, there are no easy votes at this point. But Trites says that speaks to the powerful connection so many British Columbians have with wildlife — and the reason they're such potent symbols. "All these species hold on some level to people, a level of cultural and spiritual significance." "I'm always struck to hear the emotional effects that it has on people to have seen a killer whale or just to look at awe at spawning sockeye salmon in a river … we're just so lucky to be able to live and coexist with probably the most diverse wildlife in all of North America." Voting is open until 10 p.m. Pacific time. Happy voting!


Bloomberg
6 days ago
- Science
- Bloomberg
Lab-Grown Salmon Set to Hit the Menu at Hot Seattle Oyster Bar
By and Kate Krader Save Seattle restaurant The Walrus and the Carpenter is known for its fresh oysters that showcase the terroir — or more accurately, merroir — of the waters in which they were raised. But starting in August, the restaurant will be serving fish that doesn't have a merroir at all because it's been grown from cells in a lab. The Walrus and the Carpenter will be the third restaurant in the world to serve startup Wildtype's lab-grown salmon.


Irish Times
7 days ago
- General
- Irish Times
Sesame and miso baked salmon bowl with peanut and carrot coleslaw
Serves : 2 Course : Dinner Cooking Time : 15 mins Prep Time : 40 mins Ingredients 1tbs miso paste ½tbs sesame oil ½tbs soy sauce 1tsp brown sugar 1tsp rice wine vinegar 2 pieces of salmon, about 150g each, skin on For the slaw: 1 medium carrot ¼ white cabbage 1tbs peanut butter ½tbs Dijon mustard 1tbs white wine vinegar Olive oil Salt and pepper 1tbs vegetable oil 1tbs sesame seeds Handful picked coriander leaves Handful picked mint leaves 1 red chilli, thinly sliced 1tbs peanut rayu Steamed rice, to serve 1 lime, for wedges Place the miso paste, sesame oil, soy, brown sugar and rice wine vinegar in a small bowl and mix together. Place the salmon fillets on a small plate or dish and brush them with the miso mix to coat evenly, then place them in the fridge for 30 minutes to marinate. While the salmon is marinating, prepare the coleslaw. Peel the carrot, use a medium-sized cut on a box grater and grate into a mixing bowl. Then – carefully – thinly slice the white cabbage using a mandolin and add it to the carrot. Place the peanut butter, mustard, vinegar and a drizzle of olive oil in a small bowl and whisk together, then season with salt and pepper. This will be used to dress the coleslaw when the salmon is cooked. Back to the salmon. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees. Heat an oven-proof nonstick pan and add the oil. Place the salmon in the pan skin-side down, and cook for three minutes on a medium heat until the skin turns golden brown and begins to crisp. Keep a small bit of pressure on the salmon in the pan to prevent the skin from curling. Then transfer the pan to the oven to finish cooking for five minutes at 180 degrees. When the salmon goes into the oven, place the sesame seeds on a small tray and place them in the oven too to roast for five minutes until toasted. Remove the salmon from the oven and allow to rest for two minutes. Dress the coleslaw lightly in some of the peanut dressing and spoon into a serving dish. Add some steamed rice and a handful of the picked herbs. Place the salmon in the bowl and garnish with some sliced chilli, toasted sesame seeds and a drizzle of peanut rayu. Serve with a wedge of lime.