STOCKTON, Calif. — Both the federal and state governments have recognized California’s species of Chinook salmon as threatened, but for some people living along one creek in north Stockton, that threat is playing out literally in their backyards.
As they try to swim up a slough near Whistler Way upstream from the Bear Creek in north Stockton, dozens of large salmon can be heard sloshing and splashing around all day.
“They can’t get over the irrigation channel’s barriers," said nearby resident Autumn Alessio standing in front of the small dam that holds the fish back. "It's a literal dead end."
Alessio has lived in the neighborhood near John Muir Elementary School for 10 years. She knew something was off weeks ago when she began hearing loud sounds and started smelling dead salmon.
"On the other side of the levee, you can hear this booming happening over and over again," said Alessio. "Then as they die off, it will smell remarkably like dead fish for a good amount of time."
Alessio is not the only one who is concerned.
“I wish they could make their way upstream," said John Morales, who also lives in the neighborhood. "But of course, you have the dam there, and that’s as far as they’re going to go.”
Morales walks his dog along the levee every day, the same place where several people stop to look at the floundering fish.
"There’s a lot more this year than in any other year," said Morales. "And I’ve been here for 31 years.”
In addition to the increase in salmon, Morales has seen an increase in officers with the Department of Fish and Wildlife patrolling to make sure no one tries fishing the threatened species.
A representative with the department said that while fishing for salmon in the slough is never allowed, officers have been on high alert and on patrol due to the recent increase in the salmon population.
The Department of Fish and Wildlife told ABC10 that there has been a record number of Chinook salmon migrating upstream this year. Fish and Wildlife officials say they generally do not pick up dead fish from creeks like the one in north Stockton because the dead fish can replenish and feed other parts of the ecosystem.
Earlier in the year, state officials canceled salmon fishing season due to historically low levels of the threatened species. Those found fishing in the creek could be charged with a misdemeanor.
The migration season is expected to end in December.
With the significant number of salmon stuck in such a vulnerable area, people who live around the creek are hoping for a solution in the future to prevent salmon from meeting death in the middle of their north Stockton neighborhood.
"They are a protected species and to know that they’re ending their life here instead of upriver where they belong is frustrating for everybody," said Alessio. "Downstream, they need to put in a barrier of some sort during the migration to ensure the fish can stay on course."
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