California salmon recovery efforts expand as fishing set to reopen

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.

Similar efforts are now happening farther north. In Redding, crews are placing large rocks and trees into the Sacramento River to improve spawning conditions and protect young fish.

"This is just one of a hundred different projects we have up and down the Sacramento River," said Roger Cornwell, president of the Sacramento River Settlement Contractors.

"What we're doing is holding those fish longer… letting them get bigger before they head to the ocean."

Those combined efforts appear to be paying off. State officials say improved river conditions, along with recent wet winters, have helped boost salmon populations enough to allow commercial fishing to resume, though under strict limits.

Even with those restrictions, experts say the reopening marks progress. Commercial salmon fishing is scheduled to run from May 1 through May 6.