A record-setting winter on California ricelands is delivering a significant boost to endangered fish populations, with 25,000 acres producing 147,500 pounds of essential food for species like Chinook salmon. This effort is particularly crucial for juvenile salmon migrating down the Sacramento River, where the absence of nutrient-rich floodplains has limited their growth and survival. This season’s Fish Food program is expected to help 3.5 million young salmon double in weight—an advantage that greatly enhances their ability to survive the journey to the Pacific Ocean.
Chinook Salmon
Chinook salmon, native to the Sacramento Valley, are facing population declines. Once thriving in the region’s extensive floodplains and river systems, these fish now struggle with barriers to their traditional spawning grounds and reduced access to the rich food sources they need to survive. Without urgent action, these salmon populations remain at risk of further decline, jeopardizing not only the species itself but also the broader ecological balance of the region. Efforts like the Fish Food program and floodplain restoration are critical to reversing these trends and supporting long-term salmon recovery.
How California’s Ricelands Are Feeding Salmon
California Trout scientists have demonstrated that each 100-acre rice field flooded for a month and then drained back into the river as part of the Fish Food program delivers approximately 250 pounds of nutrient-rich aquatic insects. With each field undergoing two to three flood-drain cycles, this winter’s efforts are expected to result in 59,000 flood-drain cycles overall—bringing an unprecedented amount of food back to the Sacramento River.
A Multi-Benefit Approach to Water and Habitat Management
For decades, California’s rice farmers have flooded their fields in late fall and winter to help break down remaining rice straw after harvest. This practice became widespread after the 1990s ban on burning rice straw, which also led to a rebound in migratory bird populations along the Pacific Flyway. Now, through collaboration among farmers, scientists, water suppliers, and conservationists, these same fields are helping endangered fish. Looking ahead, the goal is to expand this program and flood 500,000 acres of ricelands annually to support fish, birds, and wildlife that rely on these dynamic floodplain habitats.
Why Reconnecting Our Rivers and Floodplains Matters
Scientists and conservation experts emphasize the importance of reconnecting rivers to their historic floodplains to restore habitat and improve ecosystem resilience. Key topics they continue to explore include:
- The role of floodplains in improving fish survival rates
- How lessons from migratory bird conservation are now benefiting endangered salmon
- The interconnected nature of bypasses, refuges, rivers, and farm fields in creating a thriving ecosystem
- The science behind salmon feeding on ricelands and its long-term impact on their health and survival
- Why the Sacramento Valley is one of the most unique habitat and flood management systems in the country
Learn More and Share
Download our four-page Fish Food Program Overview to explore the data, graphics, and key insights on how this program is making a difference for endangered salmon.
Additional Efforts to Support Salmon
In addition to the Fish Food Program, the California Ricelands Salmon Project, led by the California Rice Commission, is exploring new ways to help salmon populations using ricelands. This project evaluated how well young salmon raised in winter-flooded rice fields survive their journey to the ocean. Researchers monitored hatchery fish in specially prepared fields, testing different fish habitat management techniques and tracking nearly 2,000 radio-tagged fish.
Learn more about this project here: California Ricelands Salmon Project PDF.
That is amazing!