Yuba River project to allow salmon, other fish to swim closer to the Sierra Nevada

(BNN)-- California and federal authorities announced Tuesday morning progress on a job that will ultimately enable spring-run Chinook Salmon and other fish to swim further up the Yuba River by themselves.

" Salmon have actually been affected by more than 150 years of facilities…… these things assisted California grow, but it impacted natural habitats," stated Wade Crowfoot, secretary of the Natural Resources Agency.

HAPPENING NOW: Gov. @GavinNewsom visits the Yuba River in rural Yuba County. He's here to reveal efforts to bring back the Yuba River and safeguard salmon and other fish species. pic.twitter.com/cmaPHB2Y8V
—-- Eytan Wallace (@EytanWallace) May 16, 2023

Crowfoot and other authorities spoke along with Daguerre Point Dam in Yuba County, a dam that was integrated in the early 1900s to limit damages to the environment from mining, and which has blocked salmon, green sturgeon and steelhead from moving easily towards the Sierra Nevada.

For years, California has executed jobs that assist move fish around dams and other structures, but when completed, the job at Yuba River will include a channel that enables the species to bypass Daguerre Point Dam on their own.

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The job, which is still in the early stages, includes building a C-shaped channel around the dam that will have a low grade that enables the fish to swim upstream on their own and gain access to "12 miles of prime habitat," stated Charlton Bonham, director of the Dept. of Fish and Wildlife.

Gov. Gavin Newsom stated that the state and federal government, along with the Yuba Water Agency, has already committed funding for the project and that the job is part of the larger conversation about dealing with environment modification effects.

"So frequently, it's a discussion about greenhouse gases or tailpipe emissions, but there isn't adequate talk about huge sequoias, California condors, sturgeon or salmon…… things that unite us all," stated Newsom.