Juvenile Collection Challenges above Shasta Dam

None of the large dams around California’s Central Valley have fish passage facilities. This has reduced the available habitat for spring-run Chinook Salmon and steelhead by approximately 80% and nearly eliminated historical spawning habitat for winter-run Chinook Salmon, which are endemic to the Sacramento River. Given the ongoing drought and the potential climate change impacts on Central Valley California streams, it is imperative to assess opportunities to provide salmonid species access to cold water habitat above these dams.

A Pilot Program has begun to determine the feasibility of providing fish passage at Shasta Dam, which blocks access to the cold water tributaries above Shasta Lake. A critical piece of the program is designing an interim facility to collect downstream migrants. Maximizing the collection efficiency of the facility is essential to assess the feasibility of downstream passage and to inform the design of a permanent solution. While much can be learned from fish passage projects that have been completed in the Pacific Northwest, we have many unique challenges. These include competing water interests, high reservoir temperatures, large reservoir fluctuations, and long tributary arms. Addressing these challenges and providing solutions is essential to the persistence of winter-run Chinook Salmon in California.