Salmon Content

Restored Stream Supports New Wild Salmon Run

Katherine E Kerlin — March 20, 2025 - 9:00am

A 91��Ƭ Davis study confirms Putah Creek origin salmon for first time, marking a win for creek restoration and wild salmon, and providing hope for other degraded streams around the globe.

Chinook Salmon Face Habitat Challenges

Katherine E Kerlin — October 14, 2024 - 10:23am

A 91��Ƭ Davis study finds that decades of human activities have not only reduced the size of Chinook salmon, but also disrupted their ability to spawn.

The Salmon Diaries: Life Before and After Klamath Dam Removal

Katherine E Kerlin — July 15, 2024 - 9:00am

From the Klamath River to the lab, to the ear bones of fish, 91��Ƭ Davis scientists are helping to answer a big dam question: How will salmon use the river following the world's largest dam removal project?

91��Ƭ Davis to Safeguard Spring-Run Chinook Salmon Broodstock

Katherine E Kerlin — October 12, 2023 - 1:29pm

91��Ƭ Davis joins state and federal fisheries agencies to conserve threatened spring-run Chinook salmon, housing captive broodstock.

Why Are Killer Whales Harassing and Killing Porpoises Without Eating Them?

Katherine E Kerlin — September 28, 2023 - 10:48am

Why do killer whales harass porpoises without eating them? Scientists from 91��Ƭ Davis' SeaDoc Society and Wild Orca investigate a perplexing behavior.

Putah Creek is a Restoration Success Story

Andy Fell — July 10, 2023 - 9:51am

In 1957, completion of the Monticello dam closed off natural stream flows in Putah creek, which flows down from the coastal ranges past the 91��Ƭ Davis campus and into the Yolo bypass. Native fish disappeared from the creek, which sometimes dried up completely in summer time.

Restoration efforts began in 2000 following the Putah creek accord. Since then, native fish have returned to the creek, including spawning salmon first noticed in 2015. The creek is now a stable, flourishing ecosystem, even though 95 percent of the creek's water is still diverted for agriculture.

The Science of Saving Salmon as Klamath Dams Come Down

Katherine E Kerlin — February 24, 2023 - 3:34pm

The world’s largest dam removal in history is slated for 2023. Led by Indigenous tribes in partnership with organizations, lawyers, scientists and activists, the project will remove four dams, clearing the way for the lower Klamath River to flow freely for the first time in more than a century.

What to do About Deadbeat Dams?

Andy Fell — June 25, 2020 - 8:05am

A recent post on the California WaterBlog run by the 91��Ƭ Davis Center for Watershed Sciences takes a look at the state’s almost 1600 dams. These dams were all built for specific purposes, whether to manage water supplies, control flooding, generate power or for other needs.

Can Salmon Eat Their Way Out of Climate Change?

Katherine E Kerlin — December 10, 2019 - 10:09am

Warm waters are a threat to cold water fish like salmon and trout. But a study led by researchers at 91��Ƭ, Davis suggests that habitats with abundant food sources may help buffer the effects of increasing water temperature.

The study, published in the Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences today, Dec. 10, shows that the availability of food in a natural system — not just stream temperature and flows — is an essential component of fish habitat.

Human Actions Impact Wild Salmon’s Ability to Evolve

Katherine E Kerlin — December 04, 2018 - 11:32am

Once spring-run chinook salmon disappear, they are not likely to re-emerge, indicates genetic analysis of the revered wild fish in a study led by the 91��Ƭ, Davis. Prompt conservation action could preserve spring-run chinook, as well as their evolutionary potential.