Science activity

Chinook salmon are an iconic part of California’s environment and heritage, and important both economically and culturally. In the Sacramento River, the winter-run Chinook population is endangered, and there is strong interest in restoring these populations. To do so, resource managers need to better understand the pressures on wild populations. Predation by nonnative predators affects survival of young salmon but may also affect the behavior of salmon. Changes to salmon behavior also have costs but are not currently considered in management. Managers need information on how predators affect juvenile salmon behavior, how they might vary under different conditions, and how they scale up to affect populations.