Current Issues

Fishing and Conservation Groups Sue PG&E over Harms to Salmon and Steelhead on Eel River

Fishing and Conservation Groups Sue PG&E over Harms to Salmon and Steelhead on Eel River Groups take legal action to reduce lethal impacts on imperiled fish from utility’s operation of...
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Action Alert: Protect Public Access to Fisher Road

Background Fisher Road has been used by the fishing community for nearly 100 years to access the Van Duzen River, a major tributary to the Eel. Last fall the southernmost...
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The Eel River: A River of Opportunity with Implications Beyond Its Basin

Friends of the Eel River facilitated an inspiring session at Salmonid Restoration Federation's 40th Annual Conference. The Friday morning session, The Eel River: A River of Opportunity with Implications Beyond...
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Declaration of Solidarity with Round Valley Indian Tribes’ State of Emergency

DECLARATION TO STAND IN SOLIDARITY WITH THE ROUND VALLEY INDIAN TRIBE STATE OF EMERGENCY In response to the Round Valley Indian Tribes Resolution No. RV-2023-07, A Resolution Declaring a State...
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Friends of the Eel River Celebrates Most Endangered River Listing for California’s Eel River

We are grateful that the Eel River has been selected by American Rivers as one of America's Most Endangered Rivers®! The list features ten rivers at a crossroads with real...
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Scott Dam and its Shaky Seismic Stability

Tune into the EcoNews Report for big news about Eel River dam removal – PG&E is finally taking dam safety seriously! On March 16 the company announced big changes to...
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PG&E Admits Scott Dam Faces Serious Seismic Risks

PG&E Admits Scott Dam Faces Serious Seismic Risks In a March 16, 2023 press release, PG&E has admitted that Scott Dam faces previously unacknowledged risks from seismic activity. Those risks...
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Congressman Jared Huffman Returns to the Show to Spill All the DC Tea

We don't know why he continues to join the show—doesn't he realize he's palling around with a bunch of treehugging dirt worshipers?—but Congressman Jared Huffman joins the EcoNews again for...
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Core Programs

One of Friends of the Eel River’s long-term goals, decommissioning and removal of the Eel River dams, may soon become a reality.

Click here to learn more about the two Eel River dams and what we are doing to get them removed.

Friends of the Eel River’s 2017 win at the California Supreme Court helped pave the way for a new future along the old Northwestern Pacific Rail line. Thanks to Senator Mike McGuire and many others, the right of way is transitioning into a rail-to-trail project known as the Great Redwood Trail.

Click here to learn about the transition and the vision for the Great Redwood Trail.

Friends of the Eel River advocates for beneficial land-use policies and effective regulations at the county-level and encourages land owners to practices watershed stewardship.

Click here to access landowner resources and learn about our advocacy.


Eel River Fish Count Station at Van Arsdale Reservoir

 

Cape Horn dam impounds the river to form Van Arsdale Reservoir. It is located downstream from Scott dam, is the smaller of the two dams, and has a fish ladder.

2022-2023 Adult Migration Season: May 8 – 14, 2023

May 14, 2023

Over the past week, 0 adult steelhead were observed migrating upstream at VAFS; the season total for migrating steelhead stands at 145 (58 female, 66 male, 21 unknown, 0 subadult).

During the same period, 113 adult Pacific lamprey were observed migrating through the VAFS via the lamprey tube passage system; the season total stands at 173.

The last Chinook salmon was observed migrating upstream on December 15, 2022. The season total for Chinook stands at 277 (91 Female, 116 Male, 36 Unknown, and 34 Jack).

Andrew Anderson

PG&E | Aquatic Biologist

 

Learn more about fish counts on the Eel River here.