Early provisional data from real time receivers reporting to the CalFishTrack system are showing great promise for the survival of our first rice field-reared salmon release this season. As of today, 4.5 percent of our salmon have made it to Benicia. This is the last real-time receiver that hears the pings from our fish as they sprint toward the Golden Gate.
Comparatively, 4.5 percent is high and has exceeded our reasonable expectations. In a water-stressed year like this, highly variable survival rates of up to 3 percent are a reasonable expectation. Our current results are more than a full percentage point above that range, and fish are continuing to be counted.
These are very exciting provisional results that certainly inform our efforts to better understand the potential role rice fields may hold to help salmon populations thrive.
For more information on the Rice Commission’s Pilot Salmon Project, contact Environmental Affairs Manager Paul Buttner at pbuttner@calrice.org or 916-206-5340.
