“To restore populations of salmon amidst hotter and drier weather exacerbated by climate change, Governor Newsom announced California’s first strategy to protect the iconic fish species for generations to come. …The state’s Salmon Strategy specifies the six priorities and 71 actions to build healthier, thriving salmon populations in California.” [Read More]
“Historically, salmon populations returning to California rivers were estimated to be in the millions, annually. Current populations are a fraction of that and depend heavily upon hatcheries. Many state, federal, and conservation management documents detail the multitude of reasons for this decline over decades. Each reason traces to how people use and manage land and water and built infrastructure, now with an overlay of extreme climate disruption, which traces to humans, too.
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Centering restoration around salmon makes sense. A salmon stronghold may be a watershed, or multiple watersheds in a region where the protection and restoration of that stronghold help create climate refugia for the long term. A network of highly resilient, ecologically important watersheds and habitats creates spill-over effects across a broader landscape, improving its capacity to sustain salmon and other aquatic species. Protection and restoration of this network drives partnerships, prioritization, funding investments, on-the-ground project implementation, and monitoring.” [Read More]