Evaluating Feasibility of Winter-Run Chinook Reintroduction Upstream of Shasta Dam

Sacramento River. A Fish Passage Pilot plan will lay out the studies needed to make a feasibility determination. The trigger for this project was the 2009 NMFS jeopardy BO on long‐term water project operation and the Recovery Plan recommendations. Winter‐run Chinook are the top priority for reintroduction above Shasta due to their endangered status, single viable population, and limited freshwater range. A habitat evaluation of the McCloud and upper Sacramento rivers estimated the habitat quality and spawning habitat potential. This information forms the foundation for studies to determine spawning and rearing success, downstream migration timing, juvenile collection options, and survival and migratory patterns within Shasta Lake for potential in‐lake juvenile fish collection. Low winter‐run Chinook abundance and low survival in drought conditions have resulted in the re‐initiation of the winter‐run Chinook captive broodstock program at Livingston Stone National Fish Hatchery to provide fish for the program. Collaboration with local stakeholders is ongoing and is critical to successfully carrying out this evaluation.