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A collaborative partnership formed to protect and revitalize anadromous fish populations in California by promoting collaboration among public and private sectors for fish passage improvement projects and programs

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Category: Assessment

  • Weaver Basin Fish Passage Assessments

    This project assessed 37 unassessed or unknown-status fish passage barriers in the Weaver Creek watershed, a headwater tributary to the Trinity River near Weaverville in Trinity County, to provide baseline data for future fish passage remediation projects benefiting Coho salmon, steelhead, Chinook salmon, and Pacific lamprey, while engaging local students and tribal partners in the assessment process.

  • Designing for Sturgeon Passage in the San Joaquin River at the Eastside Bypass Control Structure (Phase 2)

    This project deployed an acoustic telemetry array to track White Sturgeon movement and habitat use in the San Joaquin River Restoration Area downstream of the Eastside Bypass Control Structure in Merced County, in order to inform fish passage design improvements to that structure for the benefit of White Sturgeon, Green Sturgeon, and spring-run Chinook salmon.

  • Native Fish Passage in the San Joaquin River at the Eastside Bypass Control Structure

    This project provided technical assistance, environmental permitting, and compliance support for the physical modification of the Eastside Bypass Control Structure (EBCS) on the San Joaquin River in Merced County — a gated flood control structure identified as a significant low-flow passage barrier within the San Joaquin River Restoration Program’s Restoration Area. By funding the renewal and completion of required environmental compliance documents, the project is enabling construction of a 380-foot engineered rock ramp and structural modifications to the EBCS that will improve migration conditions for spring-run Chinook salmon, steelhead, White Sturgeon, Green Sturgeon, and Pacific lamprey.

  • Designing for Sturgeon Passage in San Joaquin Eastside Bypass (Phase 1)

    This project used acoustic telemetry monitoring of White Sturgeon in the San Joaquin River Restoration Area to directly inform the design of fish passage improvements at the Eastside Bypass Control Structure (EBCS) in Merced County. By tracking when, where, and how adult White Sturgeon move through the restoration area relative to the EBCS — a gated flood control structure identified as a low-flow passage barrier — the project aimed to ensure that planned structural modifications and a new engineered rock ramp are designed to facilitate upstream migration by White Sturgeon, Green Sturgeon, Chinook salmon, and other native fishes in the…

  • Application of FISHPass in the Smith River

    This project applied the FISHPass barrier prioritization tool to the Smith River watershed in Del Norte County, California — the largest undammed river in the state — to develop an optimized list of fish passage barrier removals for the benefit of Coho salmon, Chinook salmon, steelhead, coastal cutthroat trout, and Pacific lamprey. Field verification of 82 sites updated the California Passage Assessment Database and demonstrated the importance of accurate input data for barrier prioritization modeling. Note: FISHPass has since been phased out in favor of the National Barrier Prioritization Tool developed by the NFHP National Aquatic Connectivity Collaborative.

  • Lamprey Passage Design for Priority Obstacles in the Sacramento Basin

    This basin-wide research, prioritization, and design project improved tools and data for Pacific lamprey recovery across the Sacramento River system. Work included extending the state’s Pacific lamprey distribution GIS layer to include third-order streams in the Sacramento Basin, refining a standardized field barrier assessment form, using FishPass software to prioritize barriers, and developing passage modification designs for three high-priority sites. The Sacramento Basin has been severely impacted by impassable dams limiting lamprey to roughly half their historical range, and this project advances the integration of lamprey needs into California’s broader fish passage planning framework.

  • Pacific Lamprey Passage Assessment Database (PAD) Project

    This statewide data and GIS infrastructure project developed standardized barrier assessment tools specifically for Pacific lamprey to complement existing salmonid-focused assessments in California’s Passage Assessment Database. Work included creating historical and current distribution GIS layers, defining lamprey-specific data fields, and developing a standard barrier assessment form. The project directly supports prioritization of barrier removal to aid Pacific lamprey restoration across California, where current distribution is estimated at roughly half the species’ historical range due largely to impassable dams and water infrastructure.

  • Juvenile Fish Passage Criteria Assessment Project

    This research project tested the leaping abilities of juvenile steelhead and coho salmon ranging from 40–130mm at the Warm Springs Fish Hatchery on Dry Creek in Sonoma County, using a flume with waterfall heights of 6, 12, and 18 inches. Four experiments examined waterfall height, fish size, species differences, and water temperature. Findings directly informed the 2019 NMFS Guidelines for Salmonid Passage at Stream Crossings, including an increase in the allowable maximum hydraulic drop for juvenile salmonids from 6 to 12 inches.