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 one-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 across
24 different sites, which were selected at random (12 in Low Flow
Channel, and 12 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.