The true, pure strain McCloud River redband trout were hit especially hard by the California drought. The creeks that hold pure strain McCloud redband are disconnected from the mainstem McCloud River. These small creeks well up from springs and only flow for a mile or two before going sub-surface again. Due to the nature of the habitats and how they swell with the spring runoff then dry up and become disconnected in the summer, there is always some level of mortality on a few of these creeks. However, in 2013, DFW biologists noticed conditions were reaching critical levels for fish in a large portion of the available habitat. In late summer, dissolved oxygen levels were getting low and temperatures were rising. In the winter, the small creeks are subject to freezing if the water levels and flow are too low. After careful consideration, the hard decision was made to bring some of these fish into captivity to reduce mortality and potentially lose important meta populations in the wild.
Fortunately, the DFW has a hatchery facility nearby in the town of Mount Shasta that is run off very cold spring source water, much like the McCloud River redband are used to in their natal streams. A portion of the facility was equipped with a state of the art self-contained Recirculating Aquaculture Systems (RAS). Fish captured from the wild were kept separate in their distinct family groups from each individual stream and treated different than typical hatchery raised fish that are to be released for sport. To keep the McCloud River redband as “wild” as possible, handling was kept at a minimum to avoid association with humans and food and they were fed natural insects to while in the hatchery facility.
Luckily for the McCloud River redband, the winter of 2016 brought above average precipitation and conditions in the creeks improved greatly. Continued monitoring of the creeks have yielded favorable data. That along with projected weather forecasts led to the decision to begin releasing most of the fish back into the wild to their home waters.
McCloud River Redband Rescue and Recovery from California Trout on Vimeo.
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