A tribal-led effort to bring endangered winter-run Chinook salmon back to the McCloud River above Lake Shasta is in danger of collapsing after California stopped funding the program.
The Winnemem Wintu Tribe, which partnered with state and federal agencies beginning in 2022 to relocate salmon eggs to the cold, spring-fed McCloud, says the state’s financial support will be gone by the end of June. Staff are already being laid off.
The project marked the first time in more than 80 years that salmon swam in the McCloud, a river central to the tribe’s culture and identity. Gov. Gavin Newsom highlighted the partnership in his 2024 salmon strategy, calling tribal collaboration essential to the mission.
State officials say the roughly $6 million grant was tied to drought emergency response and was always intended as a pilot. A California Department of Fish and Wildlife spokesperson said the work built a foundation for potential long-term reintroduction.
The timing stings. Salmon transported around Lake Shasta have started returning to the Sacramento River, and fertilized eggs hatched on the McCloud’s banks last year. The project also supports an effort to bring descendants of McCloud salmon back from New Zealand, where they were exported over a century ago.