CDFW Newshttps://wildlife.ca.gov/NewsGrant Funding Available for Habitat Enhancement Projectshttps://wildlife.ca.gov/News/Archive/grant-funding-available-for-habitat-enhancement-projectsPublic SafetyFri, 02 Sep 2022 16:18:22 GMTCDFW's Office of Spill Prevention and Response is seeking grant applications to help fund projects that enhance or restore habitat for wildlife, with available funding totaling $750,000. All eligible agencies and projects are encouraged to apply.<p>The California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s (CDFW) Office of Spill Prevention and Response (OSPR) is seeking grant applications to help fund projects that enhance or restore habitat for wildlife, with available funding totaling $750,000. All eligible agencies and projects are encouraged to apply.</p> <p>The grants stem from the Environmental Enhancement Fund (EEF), whose selection committee includes representatives from the California Coastal Conservancy, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and OSPR. The committee may select multiple projects. Previous EEF awards have typically ranged from $100,000 to $300,000. Applications including multiyear projects may also be submitted.</p> <p>To qualify, an environmental enhancement project must meet all the following requirements:</p> <ul> <li>Be located within or immediately adjacent to waters of the state,</li> <li>Have measurable outcomes within a pre-determined timeframe,</li> <li>Be designed to acquire, restore or improve habitat and/or restore ecosystem function for the benefit of fish and wildlife.</li> </ul> <p>Funds come from OSPR’s EEF, which collects fines and penalties from spill violations in accordance with California’s <a href="https://nrm.dfg.ca.gov/FileHandler.ashx?DocumentID=75532&inline" target="_blank">Lempert-Keene-Seastrand Oil Spill Prevention and Response Act</a>. Disbursement of grant money is contingent on the availability of funds in the EEF.</p> <p>Grant applications must be received by 5 p.m. on Oct. 18, 2022. Selected projects will be notified in spring 2023. Interested parties can find <a href="http://www.wildlife.ca.gov/OSPR/Science/Environmental-Enhancement-Fund/About">more information about this funding opportunity</a> on OSPR’s website, or by contacting OSPR Environmental Scientist <a href="mailto:mailto:Daniel.Orr@wildlife.ca.gov">Daniel Orr</a> at (916) 559-1381.</p> <p><em><strong>CDFW Photo: European beachgrass at Point Reyes North Great Beach.</strong></em></p> <p>###</p> <p><em><strong>Media Contacts:</strong><br /> <a href="mailto:Daniel.Orr@wildlife.ca.gov">Daniel Orr</a>, OSPR Resource Restoration Program, (916) 599-1381<br /> <a href="mailto:Steve.Gonzalez@wildlife.ca.gov">Steve Gonzalez</a>, OSPR Communications, (916) 715-9072</em>  </p> CDFW Trucks Salmon Smolts Around Adverse River Conditionshttps://wildlife.ca.gov/News/Archive/cdfw-trucks-salmon-smolts-around-adverse-river-conditionsSalmonFri, 17 Jun 2022 09:27:43 GMTThe California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) is nearing the completion of its efforts to transport 19.7 million hatchery-raised fall-run and 960,000 spring-run juvenile Chinook salmon (known as smolts) to the San Pablo Bay, San Francisco Bay and seaside net pens this spring and summer.<p>The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) is nearing the completion of its efforts to transport 19.7 million hatchery-raised fall-run and 960,000 spring-run juvenile Chinook salmon (known as smolts) to the San Pablo Bay, San Francisco Bay and seaside net pens this spring and summer.</p> <p>CDFW raises the fish at Feather River, Nimbus, Mokelumne and Merced salmon hatcheries and monitors river conditions carefully to estimate the smolts’ chances of successful migration. During times of drought, low flows and elevated water temperatures can be a lethal mixture for the young salmon. This year, conditions are expected to be particularly poor, prompting CDFW to move more than 95 percent of the smolts down river, thus bypassing 50 to 100 miles of hazardous river conditions.</p> <p><img alt="A silver CDFW fish stocking tanker truck is parked in front of the Golden Gate Bridge at night, with lights from the bridge reflecting off of the truck." src="/Portals/0/Images/OCEO/News/SmoltTruck_resized.jpg" style="float: right; margin: 5px;" /></p> <p>“Three consecutive years of drought have resulted in critically low reservoir water storage, low river flows and poor river conditions overall, which we know decreases the survival of juvenile Chinook salmon as they move downstream toward the Pacific Ocean,” said Jason Julienne, CDFW’s North Central Region hatchery supervisor. “In years like this, when drought conditions are bad and anticipated in-river survival is low, trucking young salmon to downstream release sites has proven to be one of the best ways to increase overall survival of hatchery produced fish to contribute to adult returns in the coming years.”</p> <p>To increase survival rates, multiple release sites and release methods are used. In some locations, the fish are released directly into the water by specialized fish-hauling tanker trucks. At others, the smolts are released into net pens, which are then towed out to deeper waters before being released. Releases can happen during daylight hours or at night. CDFW fisheries biologists and salmon hatchery managers tailor these methods according to tide conditions, temperatures and the presences of potential predators at each site.</p> <p>Prior to each release, approximately 25 percent of the smolts have their adipose fin removed and are fitted with a coded wire tag the size of a small pencil lead in its nose. When the fish are caught later, CDFW staff can use the tag information to determine when, where and from which hatchery the fish came. CDFW fish counters check both commercial and sport catch to secure tags and retrieve this information, which helps determine the success rate of each batch of fish released.</p> <p>“The trucking of these salmon smolts helps ensure both sport and commercial anglers of salmon in the future,” said John McManus, president of the Golden Gate Salmon Association. “CDFW staff has gone above and beyond in their willingness to move the release sites further west, which means we'll see much better survival for those fish released closer to the ocean. This is greatly helping to keep the salmon industry afloat as we suffer through drought.”</p> <p>The releases began in March and are scheduled to conclude by June 23. One of the last releases will happen over the weekend at Brickyard Cove in Richmond on Sunday, June 19 at 8:45 p.m. The Golden State Salmon Association and the City of Richmond will assist with the release of approximately 200,000 smolts at this site. Media are welcome; please contact Ken Paglia at (916) 825-7120 for details and directions. The city will require attendees to sign a waiver in advance.</p> <p>###</p> <p><em><strong>Media Contacts:</strong><br /> <a href="mailto:Jason.Julienne@wildlife.ca.gov">Jason Julienne</a>, CDFW North Central Region, (916) 496-4985<br /> <a href="mailto:Ken.Paglia@wildlife.ca.gov">Ken Paglia</a>, CDFW Communications, (916) 825-7120<br /> <a href="mailto:Harry.Morse@wildlife.ca.gov">Harry Morse</a>, CDFW Communications, (208) 220-1169</em></p> State Agencies Partner to Support Salmon Populations While Supplying Water to Millions of Californianshttps://wildlife.ca.gov/News/Archive/state-agencies-partner-to-support-salmon-population-while-supplying-water-to-millions-of-californiansSalmonMon, 09 May 2022 10:39:26 GMTCalifornia’s severe climate-driven drought is having a significant impact on the state’s water supply, but it’s also putting the state’s salmon population at serious risk. Managing California’s water needs during this water supply crisis means minimizing the impacts of drought and water management on the environment while meeting the health and safety needs of communities and supporting the economy and agriculture. DWR and CDFW are actively working to respond to drought and climate change impacts on native species and ecosystems.<p>California's severe climate-driving drought is having a significant impact on the state's water supply, but it's also putting the state's salmon population at serious risk.</p> <p>Managing California’s water needs during this water supply crisis means minimizing the impacts of drought and water management on the environment while meeting the health and safety needs of communities and supporting the economy and agriculture. The Department of Water Resources (DWR) and Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) are actively working to respond to drought and climate change impacts on native species and ecosystems.</p> <p>Scientists and fish biologists from DWR and CDFW have a long history of working together to protect and support California’s salmon populations. Collaborating through shared projects, funding, and research efforts, DWR and CDFW are identifying critical challenges facing salmon and using the best available science and technology to find ways to promote salmon health and survival.</p> <p>The state has embarked on dozens of projects to ensure the success of California’s salmon populations. These projects include restoring critical habitat for salmon and other fish species, improving salmon migration corridors to and from the ocean, and increasing monitoring efforts to better track the status of populations and devise new strategies to improve their status.</p> <p>Among the recent highlights:</p> <ul> <li>In April, DWR and CDFW staff began work to remove vegetation from a key migratory path for adult spring-run Chinook salmon in the Sutter Bypass that runs parallel to the Sacramento River southwest of the Sutter Buttes. Each year, from February through June, salmon migrate through the East Borrow canal of the bypass on their way to spawning grounds near Chico. Waters are warmer in the bypass because of the severe drought and changing climate, and that has resulted in extensive overgrowth of aquatic vegetation that impedes adult salmon migration. DWR and CDFW scientists are working together to clear this migration pathway and ensure improved mobility and water quality for migrating adult spring-run Chinook salmon returning to their spawning grounds. A video of the project is available on the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7zz45brfKfM" target="_blank">DWR YouTube channel</a>.</li> <li>Further up the Sacramento River, returning salmon will find a new side channel with gravel suitable for spawning and riverbank vegetation to help reduce water temperatures. The warming climate and dry conditions are leading to increased river temperatures that can have fatal consequences for salmon. The new side channel was designed by DWR engineers and constructed by a tribal contractor near Anderson at a location where DWR and CDFW scientists observed numerous salmon taking advantage of the calmer waters to spawn. The side channel doubles as a place where juveniles can grow and thrive after hatching and emerging from the gravel. Similar activities to improve spawning locations through the application of suitable gravel have occurred in the Feather River, the Sacramento River’s largest tributary, and more are being planned.</li> <li>Also underway along two tributaries of the Sacramento River in Tehama County is an enhanced research and monitoring project for spring-run juvenile salmon in Mill and Deer creeks by CDFW biologists under funding by DWR. These are two of a handful of streams in the Central Valley that still support the unique yearling-type juvenile salmon, which remain in the waterbody after hatching for nearly a year before beginning downstream migration and are believed to be the only salmon from these two streams that survive drought conditions and eventually return to spawn. Yearling-type juvenile salmon were plentiful in streams across the Central Valley prior to dam construction and were likely a key factor in the resiliency of Central Valley salmon populations.</li> <li>A major multi-agency effort is underway to assist migration of winter- and spring-run adults and juveniles around dams on the Upper Sacramento River and tributaries so they can access historical spawning and rearing-habitat that has been inaccessible for decades since dam construction. This summer, DWR and CDFW will participate in an effort with multiple agencies, tribes and interested parties to test a system intended to collect juvenile salmon as they make their way downstream – a critical component of the assisted migration process. This and other similar relocation projects are being considered as one of many ways to help ensure Central Valley salmon persist through the extended droughts predicted for California’s future.</li> <li>State, federal, and university scientists are working to uncover new information and develop new actions to support and protect California’s salmon. For the last two years, scientists observed that many baby salmon are dying before they hatch, or shortly thereafter, and discovered the cause was a thiamine deficiency in their parents resulting from a shift in the ocean food web, a phenomenon recently observed in a number of fish populations around the globe. While a simple thiamine bath has proven effective in alleviating this deficiency in hatchery fish, naturally spawning salmon in the rivers continue to be heavily impacted. Last spring, DWR and CDFW began thiamine treatments on the large number of adult spring-run salmon that pass through the Feather River Fish Hatchery but are released back into the river to spawn in an effort to help this already drought-stricken salmon population weather the period of altered ocean conditions.</li> </ul> <p>These projects are a few examples of many long-term collaborations among federal, state, local, non-governmental, tribal, and academic partners that have joined forces to support salmon survival.</p> <p>To learn more about collaborative projects protecting salmon populations, check out the <a href="https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/ec90d4a7ba744688973d9073d9b75aed" target="_blank">DWR website</a> highlighting these efforts and more. Additional projects will be featured throughout the summer.</p> <p>###</p> <p><em>Photo of Chinook salmon spawning in the Feather River courtesy of the Department of Water Resources.</em></p>