Science activity

DWR conducts Feather River fishery studies to estimate adult abundance for both spring-run and fall-run Chinook salmon, and to conduct tagging studies using young fish from Feather River Hatchery. Our program has expanded in recent years and also supports additional fishery studies commissioned for the Oroville Facilities relicensing through the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. The Feather River Fish Hatchery is a joint operation between CDFW and DWR. Generally, CDFW is responsible for raising and releasing the fish. DWR operates the fish traps and analyzes the data for returns and populations. According to their website, of the 5 hatcheries (Feather, Coleman, Nimbus and ??) Feather accounts for most ocean catch. The hatchery also monitors and reports returning adults (https://nrm.dfg.ca.gov/documents/ContextDocs.aspx?cat=Fisheries--FishProductionDistribution&sub=Anadromous_Fish_Trap_Counts)