Science Institute News Recent accomplishments of CDFW's scientific community Iron Gate Hatchery February 1, 2019 in General At Iron Gate Hatchery in Hornbrook, the fall 2018 spawning operation has just concluded. Iron Gate spawns both Fall-Run Chinook Salmon and Coho Salmon from the Klamath River. For Chinook, the hatchery staff manually collect the eggs and mix it with the milt immediately after the fish come into the facility. CDFW environmental scientists also collect heads from adipose fin clipped salmon, in order to retrieve implanted tags in the snout. The retrieved tags tell the biologists which hatchery the fish is from, and when it was released. They also collect scales, which enable them to determine the age of the fish. For Coho Salmon, the process is a little more involved. The Coho are measured and samples taken, but the samples are sent off to a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) laboratory in Santa Cruz for analysis. While the samples are processing, the fish are kept in individually-numbered holding tubes at the hatchery. They will be spawned after the tissue analysis determines which fish are the best genetic match. CDFW Photos For more information about Iron Gate Hatchery, please visit: www.wildlife.ca.gov/Fishing/Hatcheries/Iron-Gate. Media Contact: Kirsten Macintyre, CDFW Communications, (916) 322-8988 Related Posts Stacking the Odds to Stock California’s Waters The beginning of trout fishing season in Southern California is just around the corner, and CDFW biologists and hatchery staff are striving to maximize hatchery trout availability for the many anglers who will cast lines in coming weeks. Trout angling in lower-elevation waters of Southern California generally begins in November and continues through April, to correspond with colder water temperatures that can sustain stocked trout. New Issue of CDFW’s Scientific Journal Reviews Environmental Impacts of Cannabis Cultivation The fall 2020 issue of California Fish and Wildlife (PDF), CDFW’s quarterly scientific journal, features a series of scientific articles on the environmental impacts associated with legal and unpermitted commercial cannabis cultivation. Once primarily hidden deep in the forests of the Emerald Triangle, cannabis cultivation activities are now occurring all over California. CDFW Drone Program Provides a Bird’s Eye View for Environmental Scientists In March 2019, there was late winter flooding at the Yolo Bypass Wildlife Area in Yolo County near Davis. Wildlife area supervisor Joe Hobbs wanted to check a series of old railroad trestle mounds to make sure there was no wildlife stranded there. In previous years when there had been flooding, staff went out on a boat to check the trestle mounds. But that approach had downsides: From a boat, it could be difficult to see exactly what was on the mounds, and the sound of the boat’s motor could potentially spook the animals. Fish Tags Identify Spring-Run Chinook Salmon Broodstock The California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s Feather River Fish Hatchery in Butte County recently completed the tagging of 2,746 spring-run Chinook salmon in May and June. New Heritage Trout Production Program for Inland Fisheries For more than a century, CDFW’s Trout Hatchery and Stocking Program has been providing recreational fishing opportunities to anglers throughout California. Today, the trout hatchery program is composed of 13 hatcheries, which oversee 20 distinct fish production programs to produce 17 strains, species and subspecies of trout. Saving Endangered Coho Salmon in Central California Coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch), also known as silver salmon, have lived in California’s coastal watersheds for thousands of years. Today their populations have declined to just a fraction of historical levels, endangered by a wide range of factors. In Central California in particular, the situation is dire, with the species listed as endangered under both the state and federal Endangered Species Acts. Many populations are in danger of declining to the point of local extinction. Tagged With: biologist, chinook, coho, environmental scientist, hatchery, iron gate, klamath, klamath river, salmon, scientist
Subscribe to receive Science Institute news by email. Email Subscribe Recent Posts New Salmon Habitat Created Along the Sacramento River Near AndersonJanuary 11, 2021Restoring Habitat at Southern California’s Salton SeaJanuary 6, 2021New Issue of CDFW Scientific Journal Focuses on WildfireJanuary 4, 2021Spotlight: Kokanee Salmon Egg Collection from Stampede ReservoirDecember 14, 2020New Issue of CDFW’s Scientific Journal Reviews Environmental Impacts of Cannabis CultivationOctober 30, 2020Read More Archives 2021January (3) 2020January (1) February (1) March (2) April (1) May (3) June (3) July (4) August (3) September (2) October (3) November (1) December (1) 2019January (2) February (3) March (4) April (4) May (2) June (2) July (2) August (1) September (1) October (1) December (1) 2018January (5) February (4) March (3) April (5) May (4) June (2) July (5) August (3) September (4) October (4) November (1) December (2) 2017February (2) March (3) April (4) May (5) June (3) July (3) August (5) September (4) October (4) November (4) December (3) Mammals Birds Reptiles and Amphibians Fish Invertebrates Plants Ecosystems Pollution and Water Quality Climate and Renewable Energy