CDFW flags cold-water squeeze on Sacramento Chinook redds

California’s salmon rebound still needs cold water. On Sept. 4, 2026, CDFW reminded anglers and water managers that a lingering heat dome is stressing river temperatures while winter-run Chinook eggs are still in the gravel of the upper Sacramento River — and fall-run fish are about to stack in behind them.

CDFW, USFWS, and the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission are surveying about 26 miles from Keswick Dam to Balls Ferry, mapping redds and watching 103 winter-run nests built in shallow water when Shasta releases were high. Field crews have also processed more than 6,300 winter-run carcasses since May. Modeling cited by CDFW (UC Santa Cruz / NOAA Southwest Fisheries) puts roughly 20 percent of this year’s winter-run eggs at risk if temperatures keep rising.

That matters for the sport and commercial seasons that just reopened after three closed years. Fall-run Chinook — usually the Central Valley’s biggest run — are expected to return strongly, but they spawn while winter-run eggs may still be incubating. CDFW says it is feeding flow and temperature data to the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation so Shasta operations can protect both runs through the fall.

Photo: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service / public-domain Chinook image used on The Gillnet.

This is a The Gillnet news desk summary, not a reprint.

Source: CDFW, Reminder of the Importance of Cold Water to Restore and Protect Salmon (Sept. 4, 2026).