surferman
11-07-2008, 08:22 AM
Giant salmon found in Sacramento River
http://www.siskiyoudaily.com/archive/x1196573371/g13c172170d9c163b32fec019edf0277f185185236ac7de.jp g (http://www.siskiyoudaily.com/archive/x1196573371/g258258963ff12db30cfe7c2d4e8138f1b15d6b1768545a.jp g) By Submitted Photo
Dale Morrison of the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission holds a giant salmon carcass found last week on Battle Creek.
By Andy Martin
Daily News
Mon Nov 03, 2008, 09:16 AM PST
Redding, Calif. - Biologists discovered the carcass of a fall Chinook salmon on a tributary of the Sacramento River last week that if found alive could have been bigger than the current state record.
Doug Killam, a Department of Fish and Wildlife biologist, and Dale Morrison of the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission, where conducting a spawning survey on Battle Creek Oct. 30 when the giant salmon was found. The giant male salmon had already spawned and died when biologists saw it in shallow water.
The fish measured nearly 51 inches. The biologists used length and girth measurements to estimate the fish would have been approximately 85 pounds. Since the fish was found more than 100 miles upstream from the ocean, it could have been even bigger when it first entered the Sacramento River.
California’s current state record Chinook weighs 88 pounds. It was caught in the Sacramento River in November 1979 by O.H. Lindberg.
The world record Chinook salmon is a 97-pounder caught from Alaska’s Kenai River.
The biggest salmon outside of Alaska are usually found in the Sacramento and Smith rivers in California and Chetco and Rogue rivers in Oregon.
The big salmon was found as biologists tally this year’s salmon run in the Sacramento River. In some years the run has topped 500,000.
This year only around 12,000 salmon have made it back to Battle Creek. The return to the hatchery on the Feather River has been approximately 6,000, down from 100,000 a few years ago.
The expected small return to the Sacramento led federal fishery managers to shut down ocean salmon fishing in California and most of Oregon this summer. The river also has been closed to salmon fishing.
A larger-than-average salmon return was expected on the Klamath, but the numbers of fish returning to Iron Gate Hatchery are only average.
Some anglers blame large catches in Native American gill nets near the mouth of the river for the lower-than-expected Klamath return.
Through last Wednesday, 8,752 salmon had returned to Iron Gate. Last year on the same date 9,412 has been counted at the hatchery.
Salmon are still returning to the hatchery, however, and should well into November.
http://www.siskiyoudaily.com/archive/x1196573371/g13c172170d9c163b32fec019edf0277f185185236ac7de.jp g (http://www.siskiyoudaily.com/archive/x1196573371/g258258963ff12db30cfe7c2d4e8138f1b15d6b1768545a.jp g) By Submitted Photo
Dale Morrison of the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission holds a giant salmon carcass found last week on Battle Creek.
By Andy Martin
Daily News
Mon Nov 03, 2008, 09:16 AM PST
Redding, Calif. - Biologists discovered the carcass of a fall Chinook salmon on a tributary of the Sacramento River last week that if found alive could have been bigger than the current state record.
Doug Killam, a Department of Fish and Wildlife biologist, and Dale Morrison of the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission, where conducting a spawning survey on Battle Creek Oct. 30 when the giant salmon was found. The giant male salmon had already spawned and died when biologists saw it in shallow water.
The fish measured nearly 51 inches. The biologists used length and girth measurements to estimate the fish would have been approximately 85 pounds. Since the fish was found more than 100 miles upstream from the ocean, it could have been even bigger when it first entered the Sacramento River.
California’s current state record Chinook weighs 88 pounds. It was caught in the Sacramento River in November 1979 by O.H. Lindberg.
The world record Chinook salmon is a 97-pounder caught from Alaska’s Kenai River.
The biggest salmon outside of Alaska are usually found in the Sacramento and Smith rivers in California and Chetco and Rogue rivers in Oregon.
The big salmon was found as biologists tally this year’s salmon run in the Sacramento River. In some years the run has topped 500,000.
This year only around 12,000 salmon have made it back to Battle Creek. The return to the hatchery on the Feather River has been approximately 6,000, down from 100,000 a few years ago.
The expected small return to the Sacramento led federal fishery managers to shut down ocean salmon fishing in California and most of Oregon this summer. The river also has been closed to salmon fishing.
A larger-than-average salmon return was expected on the Klamath, but the numbers of fish returning to Iron Gate Hatchery are only average.
Some anglers blame large catches in Native American gill nets near the mouth of the river for the lower-than-expected Klamath return.
Through last Wednesday, 8,752 salmon had returned to Iron Gate. Last year on the same date 9,412 has been counted at the hatchery.
Salmon are still returning to the hatchery, however, and should well into November.