Genetic monitoring of both returning adult and emigrating juvenile fish is needed to assess the colonization andpopulation dynamics of threatened spring-run chinook salmon (SRCS) in clear and battle…

The Department of the Interior Fish and Wildlife Service Region 8 awarded a $333,278.00 Cooperative Agreement to the University of California Santa Cruz (UCSC) under the Central Valley Project Improvement Act (CFDA 15.648) program. The project will conduct genetic monitoring of returning adult and emigrating juvenile spring-run Chinook salmon in Clear and Battle Creeks in California's Central Valley. The key goals are to assess the colonization and population dynamics of this threatened salmon population, evaluate migration timing and genetic lineage, and provide accurate population estimates to support effective management strategies. The project will run from September 1, 2023 through March 2, 2026.

Genetic monitoring of both returning adult and emigrating juvenile fish is needed to assess the colonization andpopulation dynamics of threatened spring-run chinook salmon (SRCS) in clear and battle creeks in the centralvalley, california. We will evaluate migration timing, genetic lineage, and the origin of the individual SRCS inboth creeks and provide the required accurate population estimates for effective management strategies.specifically, the project will determine 1) if straying of butte creek or feather river SRCS is occurring onclear and or battle creek, with a primary focus on adults that returned in 2021, 2)assess the reproductive success of translocated spring-run chinook salmon into clear creek, 3)identify parentage of battle creek brood year 2022 juvenile salmon, providing insight into the spawning successof thiamine-treated adults, if possible, and 4) analyze current and archival genetic samples using new geneticmarker that predict migration timing of individual SRCS that have associated otolith samples. Finally, theresults will be interpreted in the context of current management actions to help refine adaptive managementstrategies for these SRCS populations.