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Nov 17, 2008 7:29 pm US/Pacific
Scientists Begin Tracking Delta Salmon
SACRAMENTO (AP) ―
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A salmon swims upstream.
AP
State and federal scientists are implanting 6,000 young salmon with radio transmitters to track their migration from Northern California rivers to the Pacific Ocean.
The first 500 salmon with the devices were released Friday and through the weekend. Scientists released them into the Sacramento River near downtown Sacramento and two locations in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.
The rest will be released over the winter.
Sixty underwater listening stations will track the salmon as they pass. Two are placed near giant pumping stations in the delta to determine whether any salmon are sucked into the pipes.
Two small remotely operated boats will monitor water flows at critical points.
State Department of Water Resources program manager Victor Pacheco said it's the largest experiment yet to track how salmon move through the delta.
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