Thursday April 23, 2026
CBS —
Efforts to bring back California’s struggling salmon population are continuing, including a project underway in Redding. The work comes just weeks after the state announced it will reopen commercial salmon fishing following a three-year shutdown.
Max Stevenson is the Putah Creek Stream Manager and his work on the Creek has already shown promising results. More than 2,100 salmon returned to spawn, producing nearly half a million juvenile fish.
“That’s a great number… that’s like a small hatchery… but it’s happening naturally in the creek,” he said.
The success stems from a relatively simple approach: reshaping the creek and adding natural structures to create safer habitats. These changes give salmon places to hide from predators and grow stronger before heading out to the ocean.