Acoustic-tagged juvenile late-fall Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawutscha) detections in Shasta Reservoir, McCloud River, CA, 2017-2018, 2024-2025

Three studies were conducted in Shasta Reservoir in California to evaluate downstream migration and behavior of juvenile late-fall run Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawutscha) released in the McCloud River upstream of Shasta Dam in Spring 2017, Fall 2017, and Fall 2024. The goal of this study was to collect data beneficial for citing a juvenile salmon collection system for downstream passage. Under current operations, juvenile salmon cannot pass Shasta Dam without a major flow event causing Shasta Dam to go into flood control. Due to this lack of passage, acoustic receivers were deployed throughout Shasta Reservoir and in its tributaries, Pit Arm, McCloud Arm, and Sacramento Arm, to estimate the survival of salmon during downstream migration. A receiver was also deployed downstream of Shasta Dam to detect any potential fish passing through.