Monday March 3, 2025
ABC News 10 —
A record-setting amount of food for endangered fish was produced this winter on California rice fields, scientists say.
The nutrient-rich water, laden with bugs, is being funneled into the Sacramento River to fuel the journey of juvenile salmon, according to the Floodplains Forward Coalition.
The coalition said 25,000 acres of ricelands are producing 147,500 pounds of much-needed food for endangered fish such as Chinook salmon.
Rice fields are flooded in the late fall and winter to break down the remaining rice straw left over after harvest. The conservation group California Trout reports that these fields are teeming with food for tiny juvenile salmon.