CDFW News

Naturally Reproduced Coho Salmon Found in Russian River’s Upper Basin for the First Time in Decades

Thu, 18 Dec 2025 13:15:21 GMT

Discovery in Isolated Pool Prompts Fish Rescue by Pinoleville Pomo Nation and CDFW

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SACRAMENTO – Governor Gavin Newsom last week celebrated a monumental achievement for California as salmon are making a comeback in Northern California. This summer, several juvenile Coho salmon were spotted in the Russian River’s upper basin — a first in more than 30 years. California has recently marked significant progress in its comprehensive strategy to help these threatened and endangered salmon species recover — all the more critical as protections for endangered species have been rolled back at the federal level.

“California’s salmon strategy is about more than restoring a species — it’s about restoring an entire way of life,” said Newsom. “It’s about honoring tribal sovereignty, protecting the ecosystems that define this state, and doing the hard, generational work to make sure these rivers still run for our kids and grandkids. The return of this species to the Russian River demonstrates a new win in our strategy to preserve a healthy and sustainable future for all.”

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) announced that juvenile Coho salmon were spotted in a tributary of the Russian River in Mendocino County by a Pinoleville Pomo Nation water specialist — the first observation confirming natural reproduction of Coho in the Russian River’s upper basin since 1991. Governor Gavin Newsom’s Salmon Strategy for a Hotter, Drier Future, coupled with beneficial wet weather conditions, is supporting California’s struggling salmon populations as they return to historical habitats like the Russian River.

The Coho discovery was a sign of recovery for the endangered species, but it also called for swift action to ensure their survival.

Snorkeling in an isolated pool on Ackerman Creek north of Ukiah in June, Pinoleville Pomo Nation Environmental Protection Agency Water Resources Specialist Dakota Perez Gonzalez discovered young Coho salmon. These fish, as well as juvenile steelhead trout and Chinook salmon, were disconnected from surface water flow and other suitable habitat and likely to perish when the pool eventually dried up.

Strong Regional Partnerships

To help the species continue to thrive, Pinoleville Pomo Nation and CDFW partnered for a rescue effort when it was discovered that these juvenile fish had become stranded in an isolated and drying pool.

“Pinoleville Pomo Nation respects the relationship of traditional ecological knowledge, passed down through generations, while learning about contemporary conservation practices,” said Pinoleville Pomo Nation Vice Chairperson Angela James. “We honor Mother Earth by protecting the sustainability of our natural resources. Our Tribal Citizens currently utilize every cultural resource Ackerman Creek provides for us. By actively engaging in habitat restoration, water quality monitoring and the preservation of native species, we reaffirm our commitment to the health of the Ackerman Creek for future generations.”

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) and Pinoleville Pomo Nation staff set out to rescue the Coho and as many other fish as possible from the isolated pool. Teams used nets to collect two Coho, three Chinook, 146 steelhead and hundreds of other native and introduced fish species. Three Pinoleville Pomo Nation environmental interns — T.J. Feliz, Marisol Tlelo and Riley Dizon — provided critical support to the fish rescue.

The adult Coho that spawned these young fish likely migrated in December 2024 from the Pacific Ocean, through more than 90 miles of the Russian River, and into Ackerman Creek. The last confirmed account of juvenile Coho in upper Russian River tributaries was prior to 1991. The 2025 observation of juveniles in Ackerman Creek is the first evidence that adult Coho have successfully reproduced in the Russian River’s upper basin in over 34 years.

This isn’t California’s first salmon rescue operation: during the drought-prone years of 2021-23, CDFW staff engaged in 51 rescue events in 25 waters, saving nearly 14,000 Coho salmon from death in drying pools and warm water. These rescued juvenile fish go on to support healthy adult populations of salmon statewide.

Hatcheries at Work

The Coho were taken to the Warm Springs Fish Hatchery where a Coho captive breeding program has been working to recover endangered Russian River Coho since 2001. The steelhead were also taken to the Warm Springs Fish Hatchery, and other native fish were released into Ackerman Creek near its confluence with the Russian River.

“Coho likely would have disappeared from the Russian River basin by 2004 if not for the Coho captive breeding program,” said Bay Delta Region Inland Fisheries Program Manager Corinne Gray. “While there have been five observed adult Coho that have returned to their natal waters at Coyote Valley Fish Facility below Coyote Dam since 2012, it has been decades since evidence of successful spawning and rearing of Coho has been seen in tributaries in the Russian River’s upper basin.”

In the winter of 2024-25, Coho returned in record numbers to habitat throughout the northern half of the California Central Coast, from the Golden Gate National Recreation Area in Marin County to the Sinkyone Wilderness in Mendocino County. Though there have been successful returns of Coho in the lower Russian River watershed, Coho are not often seen migrating into the upper Russian River watersheds.

CDFW staff actively seek out naturally reproduced Coho juveniles to maximize genetic diversity in the captive breeding program. The Russian River Coho captive breeding program is a multi-agency partnership implemented by the United States Army Corps of Engineers, where these natural origin juvenile Coho are hatchery reared to adulthood and then spawned. This takes a few hundred fish and multiplies them to about 150,000 that are released to local tributaries with the goal of restarting sustaining populations of Coho.

Improved Fish Passage and Habitat Restoration

As the state invests in improved fish passage and habitat restoration, California is starting to see salmon emerge in unexpected and historic watersheds.

This summer, Coho salmon were spotted in the Jenner Headlands Reserve on the Sonoma Coast, their first sighting in the area in roughly 60 years. This area was previously preserved in 2010 thanks in part to funding provided by the California State Coastal Conservancy and the Wildlife Conservation Board. These investments by the state support critically important habitat restoration and preservation opportunities, even years after acquisition.

In November, for the first time since the 1950s, Chinook salmon were documented migrating into the reaches of Alameda Creek in the San Francisco Bay Area. The Chinook were able to swim further up the largest local tributary to the San Francisco Bay as a result of the Sunol Valley Fish Passage Project implemented by CalTrout and PG&E. Developing and updating fish passages is also identified in the state’s Salmon Strategy as a key way to support movement of healthy fish populations.

Additionally, in a key effort to advance the Salmon Strategy, CDFW and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries have partnered on Salmon Habitat Restoration Priorities (SHaRP), a collaborative commitment to restore important salmon and steelhead habitat. SHaRP helps salmon build resilience, and projects in the impacted zones have seen substantial increases in adult Coho salmon returns which in turn can help repopulate upstream areas like Ackerman Creek.

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Media Contacts:
Krysten Kellum, CDFW Communications, (916) 825-7120
Angela James, Pinoleville Pomo Nation Tribal Council

Threatened Coho Salmon Return to Upper Klamath River Basin for First Time in More Than 60 Years

Fri, 22 Nov 2024 12:45:15 GMT

CDFW releases 270,000 fall-run Chinook salmon into Fall Creek, the first yearling hatchery salmon release following historic dam removal

Media Note: Download photos, video and interviews involving CDFW’s salmon work in the Klamath Basin.

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) has seen the first returns of threatened coho salmon to the upper Klamath River Basin in more than 60 years following historic dam removal completed last month. Not since the construction of the former Iron Gate Dam in the early 1960s has CDFW documented coho salmon occupying their historic habitat in the upper watershed.

On November 13, seven coho salmon entered CDFW’s new Fall Creek Fish Hatchery in Siskiyou County, which is located on Fall Creek, a formerly inaccessible Klamath River tributary about 7.5 miles upstream of the former Iron Gate Dam location.

“To see coho successfully returning this quickly to this new habitat post-dam removal is exciting,” said Eric Jones, a Senior Environmental Scientist who oversees CDFW’s north state hatchery operations. “We’ve already seen the Chinook make it back and now we’re seeing the coho make it back.”

Of the seven coho salmon that entered the Fall Creek Fish Hatchery last week, four were male and three were female. Two had missing adipose fins, identifying them as being of hatchery origin. The other five were natural origin fish as all hatchery raised coho salmon in the Klamath Basin have their adipose fins removed for identification prior to release.

The returning coho are being kept at the Fall Creek Hatchery pending genetic testing at the NOAA Southwest Fisheries Science Center laboratory in Santa Cruz. Geneticists will determine which of the seven coho are the least related genetically and direct the spawning of those pairs to maximize genetic diversity.

Coho salmon in the Klamath Basin are listed as a threatened species under both state and federal endangered species acts. Coho salmon typically return to freshwater to spawn in the late fall and winter, later than the more numerous fall-run Chinook salmon.

CDFW’s Fall Creek Fish Hatchery has an annual production goal of raising 75,000 coho salmon to help restore populations in the upper Klamath River Basin post-dam removal.

Also pertaining to CDFW’s salmon work in the Klamath Basin:

** CDFW last week released approximately 270,000 yearling, fall-run Chinook salmon into Fall Creek, the last Klamath Basin hatchery release of the year and the first release following dam removal. The year-old juvenile salmon, approximately 4 to 6 inches in length, were released over four days, mostly at dusk to improve survival, and allowed to swim freely out of the hatchery into Fall Creek without handling.

“We’re releasing various life histories so that gives the fish a chance to out-migrate at different times of the year mimicking what we would see in the river naturally,” said Crystal Robinson, Senior Environmental Scientist and CDFW’s Klamath Watershed Program Supervisor.

Hatchery salmon released as yearlings in the fall show some of the highest rates of return as adults, which is attributed to their larger size at release and optimal fall river conditions with cool temperatures and strong flows.

** CDFW’s Fall Creek Fish Hatchery, a $35 million, state-of-the-art facility in its first year of operation, began spawning returning fall-run Chinook salmon in late October. To date, the hatchery has spawned 100 fish and collected 277,393 eggs. The hatchery has an ambitious annual production goal of 3.25 million fall-run Chinook salmon.

** Multiple state and federal agencies, Tribes and non-governmental organizations are monitoring salmon throughout the Klamath Basin, including the 420 miles of newly accessible habitat following dam removal. CDFW is particularly focused on newly accessible tributaries within the former reservoir footprints, including Jenny and Shovel creeks. To date, a video fish counting weir installed on Jenny Creek has recorded 310 adult Chinook salmon and one Pacific lamprey entering the tributary from the Klamath River. CDFW field crews are surveying regularly for salmon nests, or redds, and post-spawned adults.

The salmon work taking place in the Klamath Basin reflects all six priorities of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s California Salmon Strategy for a Hotter, Drier Future released in January 2024. Those priorities are removing barriers and modernizing infrastructure for salmon migration; restoring and expanding habitat for spawning and rearing; protecting water flows and water quality at the right times to benefit salmon; modernizing salmon hatcheries; transforming technology and management systems for climate adaptability; and strengthening partnerships.

CDFW’s post-dam removal management strategy, as detailed in the recently released Klamath River Anadromous Fishery Reintroduction and Monitoring Plan, is to mostly allow these ocean-going fish species to naturally repopulate the 420 miles of newly accessible habitat as they are now doing.

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Media Contacts: 
Morgan Knechtle, CDFW Northern Region, (530) 598-1743
Peter Tira, CDFW Communications, (916) 215-3858