In California, Salmon Hitch a Ride to the Sea
The state trucks drought-trapped smolts to the Pacific to mature
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California is suffering from one of its worst droughts on record. The state’s reservoirs are one-third below normal, and farmers are allowing thousands of arid acres to go unplanted. More than 800 wildfires have broken out since Jan. 1, three times more than usual, and smog in Los Angeles is increasing without winter rains to clear the air.
The parched Sacramento River is too shallow and warm for millions of young salmon to make their spring migration to the Pacific.