The installed rotary screw trap actively fishing the North Yuba River for spring-run Chinook salmon
ROCKY REST — A Rotary Screw Trap (RST), designed to catch young spring-run Chinook salmon after hatching upstream, has been re-installed by FishBio at Rocky Rest Campground after being removed for the summer. Notably, the RST installed near Goodyears Bar last year will not be replaced. Biologists will check the trap Monday through Friday for juvenile chinook, hatching from over 300,000 eggs planted in gravel beds near Downieville earlier in the fall.
Captured salmon will be transported downstream on their way to the ocean, a process during which biologists can accurately determine survival rate. Therefore, unlike last year, the RST will be actively “fishing” with a screen in place to catch any salmon flowing through. Salmon bypassing the RST will live their lives in New Bullards Bar Reservoir.
The Rocky Rest RST as viewed from the campground’s pedestrian bridge
Similar to the trial run last winter, the RST will only be in place during the inactive season for river recreation. Clear warning signage has been placed on either side of the bridge and above the river so that people upstream can avoid the trap effectively. Despite its name and ominous large metal blades giving rise to safety concerns, FishBio has installed similar traps for decades without incident, including since 1993 in the highly trafficked Stanislaus River.
The Rocky Rest RST is part of the ongoing Yuba Salmon Study, a collaborative planning and implementation program led by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries and the California Department of Fish & Wildlife (CDFW). More information is available at yubasalmonstudy.com.