Mokelumne River Salmon Runs Top 30,000 Fish
The record-breaking 2024-25 season saw thousands of salmon return to the river in a single day.
Updated on Oct. 31, 2026 in Fishing
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The Mokelumne River recorded over 30,000 salmon for the 2024-25 run, continuing a multi-year upward trend. A record 3,824 salmon passed the dam in a single day, highlighting the importance of the river to the regional ecosystem.
Why it matters
Mokelumne River salmon account for half of the commercial catch off the California coast. Water managers facilitate these returns by releasing cold pulse flows from the Camanche Reservoir to guide fish upstream.
The 2024-25 salmon total of 30,000 fish surpassed the previous season count of 28,698. In addition to salmon, the hatchery reported a run of more than 730 steelhead, which are currently listed as threatened.
The players
Woodbridge Irrigation District
This agency manages the diversion dam where the salmon counting ladder and video monitoring equipment are located.
Endangered Species Act
This federal law provides the legal framework for protecting threatened species such as the California Central Valley steelhead.
The details
Fish are counted as they navigate a ladder at the Woodbridge Irrigation District diversion dam using video monitoring. Water managers carefully time releases from the Camanche Reservoir to attract Chinook salmon while maintaining necessary flood control capacity.
Timeline
Record keeping for river salmon runs began in 1940.
Annual average salmon run calculations started in 1998.
The largest single-day salmon count in over 30 years occurred on October 16, 2024.
The salmon run exceeded 30,000 fish during the 2024-25 season.
Culture Shift
The management of the Mokelumne River aligns with the strict protections afforded under the Endangered Species Act. These conservation efforts reflect a broader shift toward balancing human water usage with the survival needs of threatened aquatic species.
Commercial salmon fishing enthusiasts and industry professionals may see improved catch availability due to the robust run totals. These population trends help inform state-level fishing regulations and season planning for the California coast.
The takeaway
Maintaining pulse flows from upstream reservoirs remains a critical tool for supporting annual fish migrations. Readers interested in regional ecology can observe the annual run counts to better understand the health of local river systems.
Further reading
Learn more about local angling and conservation efforts in the California Fishing section.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Ecoportal.
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