'Fish Ladders' For California's King Salmon

State and federal wildlife officials announced earlier this week that they have a plan to facilitate a return of the king - the Chinook salmon - to California waters, despite permanent damages to river-runs inflicted by the building of several massive dams.

Chinook salmon, commonly called "king Salmon," are the largest salmon to swim Californian waters and are infamous for their size and fight on the line. However, by the early 2000s, these kings of the water saw a sudden and catastrophic drop in numbers. Prior to that, the fish was granted protection under the federal Endangered Species Act, according to the NOAA. The Pacific Coast Salmon Recovery Fund was also established by Congress to support the restoration on this species and others.

The Associated Press (AP) reports that dam building was the main cause for this unexpected decline, blocking 90 percent of the passageways historically used by the salmon for spawning.

Now, the NOAA Fisheries and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) have jointly released a pair of plans to restore these kings to their former glory, aiding Central Valley steelhead fish as well.

"It is critical we make strategic investments in our natural resources," Charlton H. Bonham, Director of the CDFW, said in a statement. "The funding of these high-priority restoration projects is not only an example of the coordinated effort between state and federal governments, but an example of California's continued efforts to minimize the effects of drought on fish and wildlife. Central Valley salmon and steelhead deserve nothing less."

According to Jay Ziegler, Director of External Affairs and Policy for The Nature Conservancy, the plan includes "the integration of multiple habitat values... including the importance of expanding lateral river movements to enhance floodplain habitat."

In other words, the plans will be focused on getting these salmon upstream to their spawning habitats one way or another, even if they do not plan to remove any of the massive dams that are in the way.

Maria Rea, assistant regional administrator at the National Marine Fisheries Service in Sacramento, told the AP that they are even considering building "fish ladders" leading up small dams - stair-like structures that the remarkably strong salmon can use to leap to higher and higher ground until they clear the dam.

For taller dams, Rea says they may just truck the salmon where they need to go.

A private transport? Sounds like adequate treatment for a king.