Upper Sac: From Disaster to Destination Fishery
“FAVORITE TROUT STREAM DEVOID OF ALL LIFE FORMS”
The last decade of the millennium got off to a disastrous start when, in July 1991, a 97-car Southern Pacific train derailed at the Cantara Loop near Mt. Shasta and dumped 13,000 gallons of metam sodium into the Sacramento River. Within two days, the spill had reached Shasta Lake, leaving in its wake hundreds of thousands of dead fish and 45 miles of river so scoured of life that not even algae remained. Later that summer, it appeared that the Department of Fish and Game would accede to demands by the town of Dunsmuir to open the river to anglers and plant massive amounts of hatchery fish into the river. Southern Pacific also supported this short-sighted proposal.
CALTROUT RESPONDS WITH A PLAN
In response, CalTrout vigorously opposed stocking and advocated an interim fishing closure on the still healthy tributaries that were untouched by the poison and filled with juvenile wild rainbow trout. Working with Southern Pacific, CalTrout proposed a nine-point recovery plan to restore the fishery within three years. Though the plan met with some local opposition, it proved to be successful. Thanks to these efforts, the Upper Sacramento is now a thriving, blue-ribbon fishery.
BIRTH OF TROUT CAMP
In 1993, in an effort to protect open space along the river corridor, CalTrout purchased a 40-acre parcel of land between Dunsmuir and Cantara Loop. In 2001, the Shasta Springs Trout Camp was established as a place for CalTrout supporters to learn about our conservation activities statewide and to raise public awareness of our efforts to protect wild trout, steelhead, salmon and their threatened habitat. Trout Camp is available for use by Golden Trout Circle members. For more info on booking Trout Camp, please email us at info@caltrout.org.
