Skagit Fisheries Enhancement Group

Lower Day Slough is within the Ross Island reach of the Middle Skagit River. This type of off channel habitat present in these sloughs is critical for the survival of juvenile Chinook salmon and is limited along the Skagit River.

Over the last decade, Skagit Fisheries Enhancement Group (SFEG) has worked with landowners to restore habitat and improve fish passage to increase the quantity and quality of off channel habitat for Chinook salmon in the Lower Day Slough area. There is documented spawning of federally threatened winter steelhead, as well as modeled use by federally threatened Chinook and chum, coho and pink salmon.

The slough is spring fed, has cold water input and maintains sufficient water levels for salmonid rearing year-round. Habitat restoration on Lower Day Slough has been the focus of SFEG for the last decade with multilateral efforts to improve habitat for salmon, including riparian planting and culvert replacement at three downstream sites.

This year SFEG completed the fourth fish passage project on this important slough. Since 2014, SFEG has worked with many private landowners to restore habitat and connectivity for this slough. Together the 4 fish passage projects have opened over 0.63-miles of slough habitat and over 20,00 square meters of juvenile rearing habitat. This type of juvenile rearing habitat is the most critical to restore along the Skagit River to aid in the recovery of ESA listed Chinook salmon.

Check out this video that Skagit Fisheries Enhancement Group produced featuring this project!