Blog: Feather River gravel project supports chinook salmon and steelhead spawning
Throughout California’s Central Valley, Chinook salmon and steelhead trout migrate between the ocean and inland rivers to spawn during their lifecycles. Ahead of the fall spawning season, DWR completed a salmonid habitat improvement project in the low-flow channel of the Feather River in Oroville, placing approximately 8,000 cubic yards of spawning gravel between the Table Mountain Bridge and Bedrock Park. “Oroville Dam blocks the upstream passage of some fish to their natural spawning habitat and prevents the migration of gravel that would naturally flow downstream,” said Kassie Henley, senior environmental scientist with DWR’s Feather River program. “Through gravel restoration projects, DWR supports fish that use the Feather River for this critical phase of their lives.”
