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

Home » Del Norte County

Tag: Del Norte County

  • Lower Stotenburg Creek Fish Passage Project

    This project removed all fish passage barriers along the downstream-most 0.6 miles of Stotenburg Creek, a small tributary of the Smith River on the coastal plain of Del Norte County, by upgrading or removing four stream crossings and adding habitat complexity features. The work benefited threatened Southern Oregon/Northern California Coast coho salmon, Central Valley steelhead, coastal cutthroat trout, Chinook salmon, and Pacific lamprey by opening critical non-natal winter rearing habitat and reconnecting the creek to the mainstem Smith River.

  • 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 at Rowdy Creek

    This project installed a dedicated lamprey passage tube at the hatchery diversion structure on Rowdy Creek — a tributary to the Smith River in Del Norte County — which had functioned as a complete barrier to Pacific lamprey at low flows. A video monitoring system was also installed to document passage events, and public educational signage developed for the hatchery visitor area. The passage facility opened an estimated 11.4 miles of upstream habitat and addresses a culturally significant species for the Tolowa Dee-ni’ Nation, who have traditionally harvested lamprey from the Smith River.