Thursday August 4, 2022
Sierra Sun Times —
The Bureau of Reclamation and U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service are partnering to protect winter-run Chinook salmon in a crucial year of their life cycle at the Livingston Stone National Fish Hatchery and third consecutive drought year in California.
The Service operates the hatchery while Reclamation provides water, power, and funding to support operations and maintenance of the facility. Behind the scenes, water managers, fish biologists, and project managers from Reclamation and the Service have been working together to best meet critical water needs anticipated during this unprecedented drought.
During years of average or greater precipitation, water quality at LSNFH is generally suitable for salmon production. However, as water temperatures from Shasta Lake are expected to be elevated this year due to the lake’s low level, Reclamation and the Service have installed several temporary water chilling units to cool and stabilize the water supply to the hatchery.
“We are pleased to work with our federal partners in this third year of unprecedented drought to benefit winter-run Chinook salmon at this stage of their life cycle,” said Reclamation Regional Director Ernest Conant. “Implementing this unique strategy at this critical time is essential to their survival.”