California Fish Tracking Consortium – Real-time Network Report Archive

Good news in the sturgeon world this week:

As of today at noon (from 2/29 @ 9:30), we've detected four new sturgeon - for the first time in 2016 - on the 69 kHz real-time receivers. Two of these are Green Sturgeon transmitters and two White. Additionally, we've re-detected two White Sturgeon that we were previously tracking.

The two Green Sturgeon appear to be heading upstream at a fast clip. The first was heard on Tuesday 3/1 at Hood, then blasted past the CCF and Tower Bridges in Sacramento and made it past the inflow from the Feather River all on Wednesday 3/2. This fish was heard again Thursday at Knights landing and Today at Tisdale Weir. The second Green Sturgeon was heard at Hood followed by CCF and Tower Bridges all yesterday (Thursday).

There were four White Sturgeon detected. One of these has been detected approximately one day a week since 2/14 at Tisdale Weir (final detection Wednesday). The second re-detected fish was previously heard at Tower Bridge on 2/26 and was detected Tuesday at Feather River and yesterday at Knights Landing. The two 2016-new White Sturgeon were heard at Hood, one Wednesday and the other Thursday; the former of which was additionally detected Thursday at the CCF and Tower Bridges.

As the Green Sturgeon appear to be heading upstream quickly, it is quite possible that they will be beyond the edge of our real-time network by my first report of next week. As the UC Davis biotelemetry lab is planning on downloading autonomous monitors in the upper river within the next two weeks, it may be possible to flesh out - in short order - a more complete picture of the upstream migration of the green sturgeon thusfar detected this season, as well as the few White Sturgeon that have made it up river past Colusa this year.

As an administrative note, due to a family issue I will be out of town at the end of next week (and the start of the following week) so I may prepare a report in this series Tuesday 3/8 then some time around 3/13, followed by one around 3/17 or 3/18, bringing us back to our "schedule".

--Matt