SACRAMENTO, Calif. - Rainbow trout and steelhead are being evacuated from two hatcheries amid concern California's drought will cause the water to become warm enough to kill the fish.
The Sacramento Bee reports the state Department of Fish and Wildlife will use tanker trucks on Tuesday to remove about a million trout from the American River Hatchery. The fish will be planted in lakes throughout the state as usual, but at a much younger age and smaller size.
About 430,000 Central Valley steelhead will be released into the American River -- about six months earlier than usual.
Water temperatures of 25.5 Celsius are considered lethal to the fish. Officials say temperatures in the American River could become that warm later this summer because there's so little mountain runoff.
