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Electrofishing on the upper
Sacramento River.

Upper Sacramento River Fisheries Update

Electrofishing

In October and November 1998, the Department of Fish and Game (Department) and Cantara Trustee Council staff conducted annual electrofishing surveys on the upper Sacramento River. Five sites along the river were sampled with the goal of capturing 100 rainbow trout from each. An electrical current released from the electrofishing boat stunned fish that were then netted, put into a tank on the boat, and brought to shore. With the assistance of students from Dunsmuir High School, each trout was measured and weighed to evaluate its physical condition and population structure. A scale sample was taken from every third trout to estimate age and growth rates. A total of 334 wild rainbow trout and 20 hatchery trout were collected. Most of the hatchery fish were collected from a site that was planted throughout the 1998 fishing season. The average size of wild rainbow trout collected was 9.01 inches, which is a decrease from 1997 but an increase from 1996 (9.26 inches and 8.83 inches, respectively). Electrofishing surveys will be conducted by the Department in October and November 1999, at the five previously sampled sites plus two additional historical sites.

Snorkeling Surveys

Since 1992, snorkeling surveys have been conducted on the upper Sacramento River to document trout population changes. Results from surveys conducted in 1998 indicate a reduction in the trout population, most likely caused by high flows associated with last winter’s El Niño event. Trout greater than four inches decreased from 1,359 fish per mile in 1997 to 1,096 per mile in 1998. The Cantara Trustee Council funded Thomas R. Payne and Associates to conduct snorkeling surveys on the river for two more seasons, through the year 2001. Results will further document the trout recovery and establish baseline data for the future.

Creel Survey

During the 1999 fishing season, the Department is conducting Upper Sacramento River creel surveys. Creel surveys help to determine the effects of angling on the recovering wild rainbow trout fishery. A creel agent will be interviewing anglers in the six-mile catch-and-keep reach through Dunsmuir. Anglers will be asked such questions as: the length of time they’ve been fishing, what kind of gear they are using, how many trout they’ve caught and how many trout they’ve either kept or released, along with the lengths of those trout. Anglers are encouraged to keep their eyes open for any hatchery trout they’ve caught. This fishing season, the adipose fin of each hatchery trout has been removed. The adipose fin is the small, fleshy fin between the dorsal fin and tail. Marking hatchery fish gives the Department an opportunity to compare the number of hatchery trout caught with the number of wild trout caught. In addition to determining the effects of angling on wild trout, creel data will also be used by the Department to make angling recommendations to the Fish and Game Commission for the 2000-2001 fishing seasons.

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Dunsmuir River Festival

The annual Dunsmuir River Festival was held April 23rd and 24th. The River Festival promotes stewardship of the watershed through education and fun activities. Events included fly-tying demonstrations, fishing clinics, and an interpretive river walk. Every year, Dunsmuir students create numerous educational displays. Exhibits are researched, designed, and constructed by the students. A wealth of watershed-related information is presented on such topics as fish life cycles, plants and animals of the upper Sacramento River, how pollution affects the river, water safety, and much more. This year’s event was sponsored by the River Exchange, Dunsmuir Schools, the Dunsmuir Chamber of Commerce, and Businesses-That-Care.

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Cantara Staff Perspectives: Special Events

by Jim Lohmeyer, Special Events Coordinator

The 1998/1999 Special Events and Education Project began in May of 1998 and runs through June of 1999. Designed to produce specific public events and education programs, the project promotes and encourages stewardship of the natural resource types injured by the Cantara spill. All events and programs take place in Siskiyou and Shasta counties. Events include four Kids’ Fishing Days, four county fairs or sports shows, and a salmon festival. Educational programs include fourth grade field trips, public presentations, and public displays. The Special Events and Education Project is the offshoot of several previous DFG programs that were geared towards public events and education. Having one central theme provides for a more consistent public message. Making the events and programs more inviting to the public allows us to reach an expanded audience. Cantara Trustee Council funding provides for my position as the Special Events Coordinator, and the bulk of funds needed for event production. Community sponsors, contributors and organizations assist with supplemental funding or discounts. Many materials utilized in the events and programs come from collections made for past presentations and displays. However, upgrading, updating, and expanding exhibits is a continual process. Attendance at the May Take a Kid Fishing Day at Grace Lake was greater in 1998 than the 1997 attendance of 529 children and 176 adults. Fishing was good but heavy rain stopped the event at noon, a half hour early. Our exhibit at the Shasta District Fair in June was rated a success. DFG staff participation was heavy and fair attendance was reported at 97,000. In August, I spent three days at the Siskiyou County Fair. Although Yreka area DFG employees are always very active participants at the fair, some assistance with exhibits and staffing was required. Fair attendance was reported at 60,633. The Mount Shasta Kids’ Fishing Day in September 1998 had the highest number of participants (584 children and 434 adults) since the current program began. Attendance for the 1997 event was 407 children and 340 adults. Three ponds were utilized and fishing was open to all age groups throughout the entire day. Volunteer and self-guided field trips were held at Battle Creek Wildlife Area for local fourth grade classes during October. Volunteers led seven classes, while the instructors guided 17 classes. A total of 586 children and 125 adults participated in the trips. Held in October, the annual Return of the Salmon Festival drew between 9,310 and 10,310 visitors. Festival information booths were located at all of the venues and each displayed exhibits incorporating the grant themes. The DFG booth at the Anderson Nor-Cal Boat and Sports Show in February was very popular. Event attendance was reported at 16,803. Three other events were held in 1998/1999: in May, Grace Lake Take a Kid Fishing Day; in June, the Mt. Shasta Kids’ Fishing Day, and the Shasta District Fair.

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Fish Trapping on Little Castle Creek

During the 1998 grant cycle, the California Department of Transportation submitted a proposal to the Council to install fish ladders in Interstate 5 highway drainage structures. These drainage structures make fish passage extremely difficult, at best. Five tributaries to the upper Sacramento River were targeted to receive fish passage improvements to allow resident rainbow trout upstream spawning access. Prior to funding the proposal, the Council directed Cantara staff to determine the effectiveness of existing structures on two upper Sacramento tributaries, Little Castle Creek and Shotgun Creek. With the assistance of the Department of Fish and Game’s Yreka screen shop, Cantara staff installed a trap at the upstream end of the Little Castle Creek ladder. Staff checked the trap three times a week for the presence of any spawning trout. Three rainbow trout were captured during twenty trapping days. Each captured trout was released upstream to continue it’s spawning migration. Due to high flows and feasibility issues, Cantara staff determined that assessing the effectiveness of the Shotgun Creek ladder was not an option. In addition, this ladder is full of debris from previous high water flows, so it is unknown if trout are actually able to use the ladder. Cantara staff will present the study results at the next Cantara Trustee Council meeting. At that time, the Council may decide to fund the installation of additional fish passage structures in upper Sacramento River tributaries.

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Pollard Flat Dedication

On April 21, 1999, a dedication was held at the new Pollard Gulch River Access. Attended by US Forest Service, DFG, and Regional Water Quality Control Board personnel, the ceremony marked the official opening of the new site. For many years, the site was only accessible through a rough 4-wheel drive road. In 1989, CalTrans began placing dirt fill at the site, and constructed a new road. During the 1997 grant cycle, the Cantara Trustee Council approved $175,000 for the US Forest Service to complete public access improvements to the site. Four picnic areas, a parking lot, a restroom, and a paved river vista trail have been installed. Development of the site and trail took a year to complete. The dedication ceremony included a history of the project, presented by Dennis Poehlmann, USFS, and remarks by Don Koch, DFG Regional Manager and Sharon Heywood, USFS Forest Supervisor for the Shasta-Trinity National Forest. Ceremony activities were concluded with a ribbon-cutting, and a tour of the site.