Distribution and habitat use of juvenile steelhead and other fishes of the lower Feather River

Understanding how fish presence is related to habitat features is
useful in restoration planning and monitoring as better information
about how fish use habitat may lead to more impactful restoration
projects. The California Department of Water Resources (DWR),
conducted a two-year study of microhabitat and mesohabitat in
Feather River. The goal of this study was to identify relationships
between habitat conditions (depth, substrate, velocity, and cover)
and where juvenile Chinook salmon and steelhead occur. Snorkel
surveys were conducted monthly March through August in 2001 and 2002
across 29 different sites, which were selected at random (13 in Low
Flow Channel, and 16 in High Flow Channel). Each sampling section
covered an area 25 meters long by 4 meters wide, running parallel to
riverbank. These data were published to support the Healthy Rivers
and Landscapes Science Program.