Crowd gathers at the Downieville Community HallDOWNIEVILLE — On Wednesday evening, South Yuba River Citizens League (SYRCL), Yuba Water Agency, Fish and Wildlife, NOAA Fisheries, and FISHBIO participated in a meeting hosted by Sabrina’s at the Forks in the Downieville Community Hall. Amidst devouring Pastrami, Smokin’ Chicken Sliders, and other scrumptious treats, over 30 community members raised questions and concerns regarding placing rotary screw traps (RSTs) in the North Yuba River. The traps will be large, cylindrical devices floating in the river on pontoons, with spinning internal “wings” to catch spring-run Chinook salmon. The group of agencies hopes to reintroduce salmon to our local waters with the aid of these devices within the decade.

Jason Guignard describes the Old Toll Bridge Road RST installationTo explain the project, Jason Guignard of FISHBIO gave a presentation on what the traps would look like, where they would be placed, and their purpose. RSTs will be installed in two locations, one by Old Toll Bridge Road in Goodyears Bar and the other at Rocky Rest Campground. The RSTs will be placed in the river in October and be active until May, when they will be removed entirely. RSTs at both sites will be eight feet in diameter, but Rocky Rest will have an additional five-foot trap to accommodate different river conditions. Only one trap will be active at a time. These particular traps are part of a pilot program to determine if RSTs can effectively capture young salmon returning to the ocean. Since no salmon exist in the North Yuba, and permits for fish handling have yet to be issued, these test RSTs will not retain any fish trapped, only collecting telemetry such as the number of wing rotations.

Salmon have been prevented from entering the North Yuba since the Englebright Dam was installed in 1941. Over the next few years, SYRCL hopes that adult salmon coming up the Yuba River will be trapped at Englebright Dam and trucked to the cold waters of the North Yuba, where they can spawn as they once did. Once the young salmon emerge from the gravel of the riverbed, they will make their way downstream, where the RSTs will attempt to catch them to be trucked back below Englebright en route to the ocean.

The first and most obvious questions raised by community members concerned safety. An earlier press release from SYRCL didn’t help, stating, “You can easily enter the mouth of the rotating cone, become injured by the rotating wings, and even get pinned underwater. With two of these devices going into the North Yuba River, you must be aware of these dangers.” Guignard admitted risks are always involved but pointed out FISHBIO’s long record of installing similar traps in well-trafficked rivers. A similar RST has been established in Stanislaus River since 1993 without incident in a highly populated river area and a much longer active trapping season. Warning signs will be upstream of the devices, and anchoring cables will extend at least ten feet above the water’s surface, allowing passage underneath. A flashing light and signage will also be mounted on the device, along with contact information.

Attempting to answer Lee Adam’s question of why the Rocky Rest site was chosen despite its recreational popularity, Guignard explained that 19 locations had been judged on various categories such as popularity, safety, and ease of access, and the two chosen ranked highest. In addition, Guignard and others noted the river would be significantly less populated during the installations’ October to May time frame. Guignard also assured attendees that river passage around each contraption would be safe and plentiful.

Goodyears Bar resident Lynn Zanetta raised the concern that landowners in her area had not been consulted or adequately notified of the traps and their effects before the locations were selected. Aaron Zettler-Mann with SYRCL assured Zanetta that the group was doing what it could to inform the community. Still, apprehension remains about projects being implemented without prior input from the most affected parties.

Questions were also raised about salmon reintroduction’s effects on anglers and miners. Though Chinook salmon is classified as a threatened species, the salmon in the North Yuba would be under a “nonessential, experimental population” designation. According to Cathy Marcinkevage from NOAA, this classification would allow fished salmon to be kept, and incidental harm to salmon as a result of legal activities would be acceptable.

Should the trial run of these RSTs be successful, the agencies expect salmon reintroduction to occur within the next two to three years (though government projects rarely deliver on their schedules). The group is simultaneously exploring other salmon-trapping solutions and has made clear that RSTs are not the sole possibility for recapture. Another community meeting is expected to occur once the pilot wraps up and a final report on the phase is issued in September 2024.