Friends of Gualala River Protecting the Gualala River watershed and the species living within it
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
NOAA Fisheries News
March 5, 2025
[excerpt:]
Last winter, Central California Coast coho salmon returned to Mendocino Coast rivers in the highest numbers since monitoring began. The overall numbers remain low compared to the species’ past abundance, but NOAA scientists are excited by the results.
Last winter, endangered Central California Coast coho salmon (CCC coho) returned to Mendocino Coast rivers and streams in the highest numbers since monitoring began 16 years ago. Monitoring led by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife to track their population status estimated more than 15,000 adult CCC coho returned to spawn during the 2023–24 season. The Ten Mile and Noyo rivers exceeded recovery targets set by NOAA for delisting CCC coho under the Endangered Species Act, and the Big and Garcia rivers experienced record returns.
While the overall numbers remain low compared to the species’ past abundance, NOAA scientists are excited by the results.
“I remember in the 1990s monitoring streams where water temperatures were too hot for CCC coho and lacking in structure, and I thought they would never come back in my lifetime,” says NOAA San Joaquin River Branch Chief Jonathan Ambrose. “I’ve been at NOAA Fisheries for 25 years, and we’ve changed the trajectory for CCC coho salmon. A lot of people think it’s too late—it’s too hard to bring back endangered species. This is a prime example of why it’s not too late or too hard.”
. . .
In the past, hundreds of thousands of CCC coho salmon returned to California rivers to spawn. They provided a feast for people, wildlife, and redwood forests, which grew to towering heights with marine-derived nutrients. However, overfishing, climate change, and habitat degradation from logging, road building, and other practices pushed coho salmon to the brink of extinction.
By the time the species was listed under the ESA in 1996, CCC coho had seemingly vanished from many rivers and streams. Since then, NOAA has invested $82.2 million in restoration work and monitoring of CCC coho salmon in the Mendocino Rivers.
. . .
To read the entire article, visit NOAA Fisheries:
Endangered California coho salmon experience record-breaking spawning season on Mendocino Coast
For more information on the topic, see:
Endangered Salmon Move into Newly Restored Habitat on the Mendocino Coast
and
Endangered Species Habitat Restoration Creates Jobs, Boosts Local Economy
