On October 25th River Garden Farm’s hosted the 2018/2019 Fish Food Program Season Kick-Off to celebrate the start of the field season for floodplain food web and salmon research in the Sacramento fields. In addition to CalTrout, the diverse guest list included farmers, state and federal resource agencies and other conservation partner organizations.
This is the third field season CalTrout’s Central Valley Program will be partnering with River Garden Farms and other organizations for its Fish Food on Floodplain Farm Fields Program. This winter we will continue our pursuit of harnessing the power of the puddle by growing “fish food” on flooded rice fields and researching the best methods and places to deliver the food to salmon in the Sacramento River. Our team will also be out in the field conducting experiments to figure out what farm management practice that creates temporary floodplains lead to the most productive food-webs.
The Fish Food Project aims to reconnect floodplain-derived fish food to endangered salmon populations. The pilot project is a partnership between UC Davis Center for Watershed Sciences, CalTrout, Northern California Water Association, and California rice farmers. The group is using existing rice fields to produce an abundance of bugs that endangered salmon like to eat.
River Garden Farm’s Saving the Salmon video provides a great overview on the Fish Food concept.
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Peter Moyle is the Distinguished Professor Emeritus in the Department of Wildlife, Fish and Conservation Biology and Associate Director of the Center for Watershed Sciences, at UC Davis. He is author or co-author of more than 240 publications, including the definitive Inland Fishes of California (2002). He is co-author of the 2017 book, Floodplains: Processes and Management for Ecosystem Services. His research interests include conservation of aquatic species, habitats, and ecosystems, including salmon; ecology of fishes of the San Francisco Estuary; ecology of California stream fishes; impact of introduced aquatic organisms; and use of floodplains by fish.
Robert Lusardi is the California Trout/UC Davis Wild and Coldwater Fish Researcher focused on establishing the basis for long-term science specific to California Trout’s wild and coldwater fish initiatives. His work bridges the widening gap between academic science and applied conservation policy, ensuring that rapidly developing science informs conservation projects throughout California. Dr. Lusardi resides at the UC Davis Center for Watershed Sciences and works closely with Dr. Peter Moyle on numerous projects to help inform California Trout conservation policy. His recent research interests include Coho salmon on the Shasta River, the ecology of volcanic spring-fed rivers, inland trout conservation and management, and policy implications of trap and haul programs for anadromous fishes in California.
Patrick Samuel is the Conservation Program Coordinator for California Trout, a position he has held for almost two years, where he coordinates special research projects for California Trout, including the State of the Salmonids report. Prior to joining CalTrout, he worked with the Fisheries Leadership & Sustainability Forum, a non-profit that supports the eight federal regional fishery management councils around the country. Patrick got his start in fisheries as an undergraduate intern with NOAA Fisheries Protected Resources Division in Sacramento, and in his first field job as a crew member of the California Department of Fish & Wildlife’s Wild and Heritage Trout Program.
1 Comment
The “power of the puddle…” It’s inspiring – so many people of such diverse backgrounds, coming together to make things right! Thank you for all of your hard work and efforts! May God bless each of you. The ripples created extend far beyond the imagination.