2020 Clifton Court Forebay Predatory Fish Relocation Study
The Clifton Court Forebay (CCF) Predatory Fish Relocation Study (PFRS) was implemented in response to the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) letter dated April 9, 2015. The letter required the California Department of Water Resources (DWR) immediately implement interim measure (a) of condition 3 as part of the larger effort to comply with Reasonable and Prudent Alternative (RPA) Action IV.4.2(2) of the 2009 Biological Opinion and Conference Opinion on the Long-term Operations of the Central Valley Project and State Water Project (NMFS BiOp; NMFS 2009). The PFRS involved capturing and relocating predatory fish from CCF to Bethany Reservoir with the goal of reducing pre-screen loss of protected fish species, particularly Chinook Salmon and steelhead. The PFRS was two years in duration. The Water Year 2019 field season (2019 field season) tested the effectiveness of 5 commercial-type fishing gears and acquired data and other information to advise any gear modifications and method refinements to improve catch effectiveness. The Water Year 2020 field season (2020 field season) incorporated knowledge gained from the 2019 field season to modify and refine the gears and their methodologies to maximize predatory fish capture.
Data files
Supporting files
| Data title and description | Access data | File details | Last updated |
|---|---|---|---|
PFRS 2020 Annual Report The primary objective of the 2020 field season was to continue to evaluate and improve the effectiveness of 3 commercial-type fishing gears in capturing predatory fish. Predatory fish included black basses, catfish, Striped Bass, and sunfish. One “active” gear, a beach seine, was deployed, pulled through the water, and retrieved by field staff. Two “passive” gears, hoop traps and fyke traps, were placed in the water to collect predatory fish and then retrieved 24-48 hr later. Field work typically occurred 4 days per week between 10/8/2019 and 3/12/2020 with 2-3 gears conducted each day. A fourth gear, a Kodiak trawl net, was planned for use, but delays in receiving a feasible net and early cancellation of field work due to the novel coronavirus pandemic precluded its use. | PDF | 06/24/26 |