The Park fire is burning along creeks that provide vital spawning habitat for California's spring-run Chinook salmon. Biologists worry the fire will cause harm.
California’s spring-run Chinook salmon were already in the midst of a population crash before the Park fire exploded into the state's fourth-largest wildfire in history. Biologists now worry the fire could push the fish closer to extinction by scorching forests along creeks that provide critical spawning habitat.
The salmon spawn in late September and October in clear, cold stretches of water, laying their eggs in gravel. Johnson has been returning to the area regularly for more than 20 years to carry out surveys, walking for miles on trails to reach the spawning areas. “This is some of the most beautiful salmon habitat remaining in the Central Valley,” Johnson said. “It’s going to hurt to see it if it’s severely damaged.
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