Spawning habitat is not the limiting factor in the Sacramento Valley or the Klamath system. In-river conditions during outmigration are the main barrier to salmon recovery probably followed by ocean conditions. Improve in-river conditions via habitat improvements and a flow and temperature regime conducive to salmonids and you will begin to see populations rebound.
My hunch is we are seeing the effects of the warm water 'blob' resulting in higher mortality in younger age classes of fish. Chinook runs are down in their entire range, this is not a localized problem to California. Remember, we aren't that far removed from near record runs in 2012-2013. We are unfortunately on a downcycle that hopefully will get better before it gets worse.
“There is a cult of ignorance in the United States, and there has always been. The strain of anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that 'my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge.”
― Issac Asimov
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