As of Monday, Dec. 2, the Stanislaus River fall-run salmon migration is at 4,613 salmon. For comparison, the season total was 8,137 salmon at this time last year. Did you know that after salmon die, their carcasses become an important source of food and fertilizer in California’s streams? Salmon bodies are full of nutrients from the ocean, and they transfer those nutrients to rivers and the surrounding environment when they die and decompose, or are eaten by other animals. Chemical evidence of nutrients from salmon can be found in everything from redwood trees to vineyards.

Funding for salmon monitoring at the Stanislaus weir is provided by the Oakdale Irrigation District, South San Joaquin Irrigation District, and Tri-Dam. Data collection is conducted by FISHBIO. For more information, visit www.fishbio.com.