AI Summary

Researchers found that the initial 15‑day period of egg development is a key determinant of survival for the winter‑run Chinook salmon, California’s most endangered salmon population. The study links this early developmental window to the species’ limited reproductive success, noting that the fish now spawn in the low‑lying Sacramento River after Shasta Dam blocked their historic cold‑mountain habitats. The findings suggest that conditions during those first two weeks may heavily influence the few thousand salmon that return each year.

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