Logo of the California Fish Passage Forum

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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Forum Funded Restoration Projects

Since 2012, The Forum has helped support projects across California, from research, assessment, implementation and monitoring of fish passage improvement and habitat enhancement, collectively representing a significant investment in the recovery of anadromous fish populations statewide.

  • Pacific Lamprey Passage Assessment Database (PAD) Project

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    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.

  • Manly Gulch Coho Access and Habitat Restoration Project

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    This project replaced a failing road-stream crossing on Camp Road in Manly Gulch — a tributary to the Little North Fork of the Big River flowing through Mendocino Woodlands State Park in Mendocino County — with a 30-foot span timber bridge and realigned approximately 600 feet of channel. Log steps, pools, boulder weirs, rootwads, and a backwater alcove were installed to improve habitat. The project opened approximately 4,000 feet of upstream habitat for federally endangered coho salmon and threatened steelhead, species for which Manly Gulch is designated critical habitat.

  • Juvenile Fish Passage Criteria Assessment Project

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    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.

  • Central California Traction Railroad Bridge Fish Passage Improvement Project

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    This project improved fish passage at the Central California Traction Railroad Crossing on the Stockton Diverting Canal, within the lower Calaveras River system near Stockton in San Joaquin County. A second flume, notches, and a downstream roughened rock ramp were installed to provide passage at flows between 30 and 1,000 cfs. The project opened approximately 13.4 miles of stream to fall-run Chinook salmon and Central Valley steelhead — a core recovery population in the Southern Sierra and San Joaquin watershed.

Places and Partners

Use the tag cloud below to explore Forum-funded restoration projects by lead partner, river, or county!

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Big River Calaveras River California State Parks Conner Creek Contra Costa County Contra Costa RCD Del Norte County Eel River Eel River Watershed Improvement Group Five Counties Salmonid Conservation Program Gold Ridge RCD Humboldt County Humboldt County RCD Klamath River Mendocino County Merced County Mid Klamath Watershed Council Mormon Slough NOAA Fisheries Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission Pescadero Creek Russian River San Joaquin County San Joaquin River San Mateo RCD Santa Barbara County Siskiyou County Smith River Sonoma County Sonoma County Public Infrastructure South Coast Habitat Restoration Stockton East Water District Stotenburg Creek The Watershed Project Trinity County Trinity County RCD Trinity River Trout Unlimited USDA Forest Service US Fish and Wildlife Service Van Duzen River Weaver Creek Western Fishes Wildcat Creek Yager Creek