Armed with nets, coolers, and waterproof waders, over a dozen teenagers can be seen spread across the Petaluma River. Surrounding them are numerous salmon, which are making their annual trips to their spawning grounds to procreate and lay their eggs. This is the Hatchery Program’s Salmon Run—an annual tradition for the Casa Grande program to sample returning salmon and assess their overall population health.
Beginning in the 1990s, the Salmon Run has taken students from Casa Grande’s Environmental Conservation and Restoration class and Field Studies class out to various rivers and creeks in the Sonoma region to gain hands-on experience in conservation. Before 2011, students would capture salmon from these areas before transporting their eggs to be hatched, reared and released to bolster fish populations. After 2011 though, the Salmon Run’s directive changed to its current mission of sampling fish populations and health, where students are responsible for measuring, tagging, and documenting various metrics for the salmon.
Before being allowed to even participate though, students are required to pass a creek test. This assessment ensures students have an adequate understanding of safety within the creeks and river, the history of the hatchery program, and water systems in general. The students who pass are then outfitted with a variety of nets, ranging from basket nets to pole-seine nets, to aid in containing the fish. Students who pass the Tech 2 test, a more specialized and higher ranking assessment, get the privilege of capturing and handling the Salmon. This year, the Salmon Run started on November 8th and was centered on the Petaluma River as well as Washington Creek.
Participating students captured around 30 Chinook salmon that were then transferred into aerated coolers to be cataloged. The salmon were measured for length and sex, with DNA samples also being taken to ensure that the salmon populations had enough genetic diversity to continue thriving. Finally, each fish was given a green or an orange/pink tag based on their sex before being released again.
While catching the salmon can be tough, many students love the experience. Maaz Khan, a two-year veteran with the Hatchery Program, said, “Doing the Salmon Run each year is really fun! It’s hard and you can randomly get soaked, but working in conservation like this has been really awesome!”
Through the Salmon Run, students get hands-on experience in conservation, whilst also helping preserve the population of an animal that has been adversely affected by climate change. From its founding to its current objectives, this program is a unique opportunity for Casa Grande Hatchery students.
