Chinook salmon have tremendous cultural, economic and ecological value in North America - plus, they're delicious. Unfortunately, at their southern range limit in central California, Chinook face several challenges that threaten their survival. One of the most concerning is the large swings in temperature they currently experience, which are expected to worsen due to climate change and human alterations to river water flow. The good news is that managers can help the fish by strategically releasing water from dams to control the temperature of their freshwater habitat. In order to know when, where and how much water to release into the rivers, managers need to know what temperatures keep the fish happy and healthy. Researcher Vanessa Lo at the University of California, Davis, USA, worked with colleagues from the University of California, Davis, the University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands, and NOAA Southwest Fisheries Science Center, USA, to inform Chinook conservation efforts in California by determining which temperatures the fish thrive in.
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