Wednesday February 1, 2023
KRCR —
For the second consecutive year, Turtle Bay Exploration Park teamed up with Coleman Fish Hatchery to release more than 150 Chinook Salmon into the Sacramento River Tuesday evening as part of a Conservation Head Start Program.
KRCR talked to Sharon Clay the Curator of Animal Programs at Turtle Bay and she explained why the Salmon are important to the area.
“The Chinook Salmon in the Sacramento River are super special to our community because there are different runs of Chinook salmon and most rivers will have one or two of them, but the Sacramento river through here actually has all four runs of the Chinook salmon and Chinook Salmon are so important because they are important to the entire environment, so we really need them in our system.”
The Chinook Salmon were given to Turtle Bay as tiny fish, only about half an inch. In the year that the Salmon were in Turtle Bay’s care, they have grown to be 2-3 inches, increasing their chances of survival in the wild.