Tuesday August 25, 2026
Action News Now —
Snorkel surveys conducted this summer along Trinity River tributaries found fewer adult steelhead and Chinook salmon compared with last year.
The annual surveys were completed between July 14 and Aug. 6 and have been coordinated since 1978. This year, low water levels and warm temperatures led crews to complete the surveys earlier than usual.
For surveys coordinated by the Shasta-Trinity National Forest, more than 41 divers from 10 partner agencies surveyed 62.6 miles of river.
Divers reported five adult steelhead and one Chinook salmon on Canyon Creek, 152 adult steelhead and four Chinook salmon on the North Fork Trinity River, and 352 adult steelhead and 36 Chinook salmon on the New River.
Those numbers are down from last year’s surveys, which recorded four steelhead and nine Chinook on Canyon Creek; 994 steelhead and two Chinook on the North Fork Trinity River; and 1,368 steelhead and 227 Chinook on the New River.
The surveys were conducted in partnership with agencies and organizations including the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, National Marine Fisheries Service, Yurok Tribe Fisheries Department, Bureau of Land Management, Sierra Pacific Industries, Trinity County Resource Conservation District and California Conservation Corps Foundation.