North Coast Science and Monitoring Program
In close partnership with UC Berkeley, CalTrout’s North Coast Science and Monitoring Program is led by UC Berkeley post-doc researcher and CalTrout collaborator Dr. Gabe Rossi. The objective of this program is to pioneer applied science in the North Coast with an emphasis on understanding and recovering the drivers of salmon production.
With partners at the Wiyot Tribe, California Department of Fish and Wildlife, and Stillwater Sciences, the North Coast Science and Monitoring Program is engaged in the first ever salmon acoustic telemetry study in the South Fork Eel. This study tracks the movements and survival of juvenile salmonids from their natal streams to the estuary. We are also working with researchers at University of Nevada Reno to implement novel, machine-learning video monitoring of juvenile salmon in the Eel River. In the Eel River estuary, we are studying river food webs to understand the drivers of salmon growth. In spring of 2023, we will install and operate the newly funded South Fork Eel River fish weir to further pikeminnow suppression and continue to monitor recovering salmon runs.
All these efforts will be synergistic with the Cal Poly Humboldt led TYC strategy for pikeminnow suppression in the South Fork Eel River. Eventually this technology can be expanded to the whole Eel River basin, especially in the upper mainstem as Scott Dam and Cape Horn Dam decommissioning goes to implementation.
Simultaneously, CalTrout is busy advocating for the removal of Scott Dam and Cape Horn Dam, two obstructive barriers on the Eel River that when removed will open hundreds of miles of crucial habitat to native fish. We have a vision for a free-flowing and healthy Eel River, and we look forward to the research partnerships and sound science that will help us achieve that reality.
This research is made possible with support from generous individuals and grants from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Bureau of Land Management, and the Resources Legacy Fund. Learn more about CalTrout’s North Coast Science and Monitoring Program.
Cover Photo: South Fork Eel River. Credit: Mike Wier.
