• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

The Valley Citizen

Nature, Environment, History & Politics

The Valley Citizen

  • Arts
  • Education
  • Environment
  • History
  • Nature
  • Politics
  • Wit
  • About
  • RSS Icon

Tuolumne River Salmon: Fish in a Barrel?

June 21, 2014 By Eric Caine Leave a Comment

La Grange Dam by Peter Drekmeier
La Grange Dam by Peter Drekmeier

About the only thing most everyone agrees on about salmon on the Tuolumne River is there aren’t as many as there used to be. Disagreements arise when people try to explain why. While there are some exceptions, most of the disputants fall into one of two groups.

The “flow” people argue that dams and consequent reduced flows along rivers during migration have decimated salmon runs. They say that reduced flows lead to loss of spawning habitat and temperatures too high for salmon survival.

The “predation” people argue that salmon populations have fallen because of depredation by striped bass, an introduced species that preys on young salmon.

Both sides have plenty of evidence to support their claims. That’s most likely because both sides are right. The one thing the “predation” people tend to overlook is that reduced flows make predation much easier.

Consider a field full of rabbits. Rabbits are preyed upon by snakes, hawks, foxes, coyotes, weasels, and other predators. As long as the rabbits have places to hide—atriplex, coyote brush, and other dense cover—enough rabbits can elude predators to maintain a viable population. Remove the hiding places, and the rabbit population would soon be devastated beyond recovery.

The situation is much the same with salmon. Reduced flows reduce habitat. That means salmon are concentrated in smaller spaces. They have less room to hide from predators.

Reduced flows also result in lost wetlands. Wetlands provide young salmon refuge from predators. They offer places to rest and build stamina for the long run to the sea. Without places to rest and hide, young salmon are like fish in a barrel. They’re easy prey for any predator, not just striped bass.

Striped bass were introduced in California in 1879. For decades, salmon maintained healthy populations despite the introduced predators. Dams are a different story.

There is a clear relationship between dams and reduced fish populations below the dams, not just in California, but around the nation. In places were dams have been removed, fish populations, including salmon, have made dramatic recoveries.

In the case of the Tuolumne River, it’s not feasible to remove the dams, which include the O’Shaugnessy, Don Pedro, and La Grange dams. However, it is possible to regulate flows along the river in order to enhance salmon survival.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) monitors environmental consequences of energy production, especially as it relates to dams. During the licensing process, FERC considers the manifold effects of dams on everything from aesthetics to the economy. Two guiding principles are multiple use and the Public Trust Doctrine. FERC has the power to determine beneficial uses of dams, include those involving flows along rivers.

Salmon are a classic multiple use asset. They provide economic, recreational, and aesthetic benefits. No one wants to see salmon reduced to the status of fish in a barrel. Increased flows during migration will set them free.

Filed Under: Environment, Featured Tagged With: FERC Tuolumne River, La Grange FERC, salmon predation striped bass, Tuolumne River salmon

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Note: Some comments may be held for moderation.

Primary Sidebar

Off The Wire

So What if Romney Doesn?t Solve the ?Root Causes? of Poverty?
So What if Romney Doesn’t Solve the Root Causes of Poverty?
We handle problems all the time without dealing with their root causes.
nymag.com
The Facts of Life - The Bulwark
The Facts of Life – The Bulwark
My suggestion last week that perhaps the best way some of us who’ve been conservatives can now help the country is to help the Biden administration succeed, and help the Democratic party move to the center, seems to have stirred up a minor tempest in the conservative teapot. I asked whether one shouldn’t consider allying…
thebulwark.com
WSJ News Exclusive | Texas Electric Bills Were $28 Billion Higher Under Deregulation
WSJ News Exclusive | Texas Electric Bills Were $28 Billion Higher Under Deregulation
Texas’s deregulated electricity market left millions in the dark last week. For the past 20 years, its consumers have paid more for their electricity than state residents who are served by traditional utilities, a WSJ investigation found.
www.wsj.com
The making of Madison Cawthorn: How falsehoods helped propel the career of a new pro-Trump star of the far right
The making of Madison Cawthorn: How falsehoods helped propel the career of a new pro-Trump star of the far right
Cawthorn has emerged as one of the most visible figures among newly arrived House Republicans, who have promoted baseless assertions and pushed a radicalized ideology that has become a driving force in the GOP.
www.washingtonpost.com
Los Angeles Just Opened a Tiny Home Village for the Homeless
Los Angeles Just Opened a Tiny Home Village for the Homeless
The colorful community was built in just 13 weeks!
www.housebeautiful.com
California's coronavirus strain looks increasingly dangerous: 'The devil is already here'
California’s coronavirus strain looks increasingly dangerous: ‘The devil is already here’
California’s coronavirus strain is more transmissible than its predecessors, is more resistant to vaccines and may cause more severe cases of COVID-19.
www.latimes.com
More Than 150 Biz Leaders Endorse Biden's Sweeping COVID Package
More Than 150 Biz Leaders Endorse Biden’s Sweeping COVID Package
More than 150 business leaders from various industries have signed a letter backing President Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief…
talkingpointsmemo.com
Exclusive: Defeated and impeached, Trump still commands the loyalty of the GOP's voters
Exclusive: Defeated and impeached, Trump still commands the loyalty of the GOP’s voters
www.usatoday.com
The Christian Prophets Who Say Trump Is Coming Again
The Christian Prophets Who Say Trump Is Coming Again
In the growing community of charismatic Christian prophecy, faith in Donald Trump’s imminent return to the White House is a new dividing line.
www.politico.com
AOC raises $1 million in Texas relief, heading to Houston as Ted Cruz douses Cancun flames
AOC raises $1 million in Texas relief, heading to Houston as Ted Cruz douses Cancun flames
The New York congresswoman said she would travel to Houston to highlight the problems faced by Texans hit by power outages and freezing weather.
www.newsweek.com
Rush Limbaugh Did His Best to Ruin America
Rush Limbaugh Did His Best to Ruin America
How the right-wing talk radio icon corrupted the Republican Party, spread hate, racism, and lies, and laid the groundwork for Trumpism
www.rollingstone.com
?I Don?t Trust the People Above Me?: Riot Squad Cops Open Up About Disastrous Response to Capitol Insurrection
“I Don’t Trust the People Above Me”: Riot Squad Cops Open Up About Disastrous Response to Capitol Insurrection
Interviews with 19 current and former officers show how failures of leadership and communication put hundreds of Capitol cops at risk and allowed rioters to get dangerously close to members of Congress.
www.propublica.org

Find us on Facebook

The Valley Citizen
PO Box 156
Downtown Bear Postal
1509 K Street
Modesto, CA 95354

Email us at:
thevalleycitizen@sbcglobal.net

Footer

The Valley Citizen
PO Box 156
Downtown Bear Postal
1509 K Street
Modesto, CA 95354

Email us at:
thevalleycitizen@sbcglobal.net

Subscribe for Free

* indicates required

Search

• Privacy Policy

Copyright © 2021 The Valley Citizen

Dedicated to the memory of John Michael Flint. Contact us at thevalleycitizen@sbcglobal.net

Editor and publisher: Eric Caine

Website customization and maintenance by Susan Henley Design