Monday January 20, 2025
South Yuba River Citizens League —
Through SYRCL’s participation in the River Management Team (RMT), our staff receives monthly updates on the number of Chinook and steelhead adults utilizing the fish ladders at Daguerre Point Dam. This information is collected using VAKI River Watcher camera systems installed in the North and South ladders, which snap a photo every time a fish swims past it.
It is important to recognize that passage numbers at the fish ladders are just one piece of the puzzle that helps us understand the population of adult salmon returning to spawn in the lower Yuba River. Data from redd and carcass surveys are also collected and plugged into models that will produce a more accurate population estimate of adults that make it to all stretches of the lower Yuba River. Further complicating the VAKI reporting data this season is that the system on the south ladder has been functional for less than one third of the time since the beginning of the reporting period in March. On average, about 3% of the fish that make it past Daguerre Point Dam use the south ladder.
These numbers appear encouraging. Total salmon counts are up by 487 from last year with two more months of the monitoring season to go. Much of this increase can be attributed to a boost in spring-run this year, which migrate upstream between March and September.