How fish and farms can both survive

Fish or farm lawsuits are common in California and typically end with legal decisions that create more bureaucracy but don’t make a significant difference for struggling native fish populations. And no matter who wins in court, giving water to one interest never feels like a solution.

So when water resources dwindled during the drought, many braced for a new wave of courtroom battles. Instead, farmers and fish advocates chose to pursue solutions that benefit both fish and farms. This shows us that a better future for both people and the environment is possible even in the era of climate change and ever-increasing pressures on limited water supplies.

Farmers, conservationists and government agencies have created the Sacramento Valley Salmon Restoration Program aimed at increasing chinook salmon populations by improving habitat conditions in the Sacramento River and its tributaries.

Farmers and California cities both benefit when fish populations rebound because regulations are reduced, allowing water to flow more securely and consistently.

For example, River Garden Farms created 25 fish habitat shelters made of almond trunks and walnut tree root wads. These were bolted to 12,000-pound limestone boulders and dropped into the Sacramento River near Redding. The roots and branches are designed to help juvenile winter-run chinook to survive by serving as a shield against swift river flows and predators. These habitat improvements paid for and implemented by a farm hundreds of miles to the south will allow the salmon more time to mature and grow before making the 300-mile journey to the Pacific Ocean.

River Garden Farms’ project couldn’t have come at a more important time. According to a recent study by the UC Davis Center for Watershed Sciences and California Trout, the winter-run chinook salmon is teetering on the edge of extinction. In the mid-1970s, winter-run chinook salmon totaled 25,000. The latest population count: 1,504.

But there is hope a recovery is just beyond the river bank. A survey in August conducted by wildlife biologist Dave Vogel reveals a large school of juvenile salmon have taken to the tree roots. In just three months since the tree roots were placed in the river, salmon are finding a refuge and the populations appear to be improving.

Through collaborative projects such as this one, we have a shot at reversing these dire downward population trends. But such an outcome is not just for farm communities, or the commercial fishing industry, which operates heavily around the San Francisco Bay coastline, relies heavily on healthy fish populations for survival and expects to have its worst year ever. Projects like the salmon shelters in other key rivers throughout California can help ease the financial burden these fishing families are facing.

We must now put the money, time and energy that we have spent fighting in court and invest in win-win projects that will put fish on a trajectory toward recovery.

By reallocating our effort and money beyond the courtroom and into real-world, science-driven collaborative solutions, we can support cities, farms and fish and wildlife, all of whom depend on California’s water for survival.