16 Oct. 27- Nov. 10, 2017 VOL. 36 • ISS. 23

denied endangered species protection to the winter-run Chinook salmon that for many thousands of years spawned in the McCloud River that drains the Mount Shasta Glacier.

Hal Bonslett, the late founder and publisher of the Fish Sniffer, and I were there at the meeting in Sacramento on a crusade to stop the extinction of the fish, a unique Chinook subspecies that may have once numbered in the millions, but even as late as 1969, numbered over

The mouth of the Feather River is one of the most popular spots for anglers to target salmon every summer and fall. Photo by DAN BACHER, Fish Sniffer Staff.

117,0000 spawning adults.

The Department of Fish and Game Director at the time, Pete Bontadelli, argued that the population“ was relatively stable over” the previous four years.

But as Bonslett testified, the alleged“ relatively stable” population at the time was only two-tenths of one percent what the winter run population was 20 years before.

A small but vocal and passionate group, including Chuck De Journette of the Tehama Fly Fishers and John Merz, then the executive director of the Sacramento River Preservation Trust, Bonslett and I argued before the Commission to put the fish on the state endangered species to prevent it from going extinct, but to no avail.

However, we kept going to the Commission meetings and working on the federal level for the listing of the winter run Chinook as endangered. Hal and I wrote one editorial after another calling for the designation.

We finally succeeded on the state level later that year when the fish was listed as“ endangered.” The National Marine Fisheries Service also listed the winter run as“ threatened,” five years after the agency received the petition calling for the listing. After receiving another petition, NMFS listed the fish as“ endangered” in 1990.

Historically. winter-run Chinook spawned in the upper reaches of Sacramento River tributaries,

Hopefully, Netchi will see the return of winter-run

Chinook salmon to the McCloud River above Lake Shasta.

Photo by DAN BACHER, Fish Sniffer Staff.

Winnemem Wintu Chief Caleen Sisk and Rob Reimers of Rustic Rob’ s Guide Service travel down the Sacramento to Colusa stretch of the Sacramento River on September 15 during the Run4Salmon on September 15.

Photo by DAN BACHER, Fish Sniffer Staff. including the McCloud, Pit, and Sacramento rivers. Shasta and Keswick dams now block access to the historic spawning areas.

The remaining fish were able to take advantage cool summer water releases downstream of Keswick Dam. In the 1940’ s and 1950’ s the population recovered, with the run reaching 117,000 in 1969.

However, beginning in 1970, the population experienced a dramatic decline, to a low of approximately 200 spawners by the early 1990’ s, due to dramatic increases in water exports to corporate agribusiness interests through the State Water Project and Central Valley water project pumps in the South Delta.

In the years since the initial listing, run numbers have bounced up and down, with a number of measures taken, including the screening of unscreened diversions on the Sacramento, the removal of the Red Bluff Diversion Dam and some restrictions on Delta pumping resulting from federal biological opinions.

Unfortunately, record exports of water under the Schwarzenegger and Brown administrations and poor management of upstream reservoirs, combined with a historic drought, counteracted the proactive measures taken, leading to the decline of the fish in recent years.

It’ s now September 15, over 28 years after the initial listing, and the winter run Chinook salmon is still in deep, deep trouble. I’ m boating down the river with Rob Reimers of Rustic Rob’ s Guide Service during the second year of the Winnemem Wintu Run for salmon.

Caleen Sisk, her son Michael, Gary Thomas, a Pomo Roundhouse leader from Lake County, and documentary filmmaker Will Doolittle and I are on the river for the section of the run going from Sacramento to Colusa.

To recount, the Run4Salmon is a“ participatory, prayerful journey” that took place this year from September 9 to 22 to“ raise awareness and build public support to help protect and restore declining salmon populations, California river systems