Winter-run Chinook salmon populations in California have steeply dropped in recent years. Drought and modified river flows have contributed to high mortality rates. In 2021, state officials reported that nearly all juvenile salmon died before reaching the ocean. 

 Carson Jeffres, a Senior Researcher at the Center for Watershed Sciences, studies how habitat conditions and water management affect salmon survival. Dr. Jeffres says restoring floodplains and reestablishing natural river processes are key steps to supporting the species. Without such measures, Jeffres notes, the salmon’s long-term viability will remain at risk.

Read more at: https://www.sacbee.com/news/california/water-and-drought/article311554817.html#storylink=cpy