Reclamation District 108 (RD108) and California Trout are soliciting applications for the Fish Food Program, which pays rice farmers and wetland managers to flood their fields for a few weeks and drain the water (full of food) to fish-bearing waterways to benefit out migrating salmon while providing wintering and migratory bird habitat. Landowners do not have to be in RD 108 to apply.

Application deadline is September 10, 2023.

Brief practice requirements:

• Hold water for minimum 3 weeks between October 2023 and April 2024  
• Flood to a target depth of 10 inches of water 
• Drain water back to a fish-bearing waterway 
• No field preparation or straw treatment required

To see more details about the program, including background information, complete practice requirements, and this fall’s application form, please visit the project website:  https://calricewaterbirds.org/fish-food/ 

If you have any questions, please contact Jacob Katz at jkatz@caltrout.org or (707) 477-9978 or Cliff Feldheim, representing California Trout, at cfeldheim@ducks.org or (916) 326-9250. Thank you for your consideration and commitment to conservation!