Festival will celebrate salmon on Stanislaus

Fans of salmon will gather Saturday at a place where the fish have gathered to spawn.

The sixth annual Stanislaus River Salmon Festival will feature viewing of the fish, educational displays, fly fishing demonstrations, music and more. Admission is free; the Oakdale Lions Club will sell barbecued salmon.

The festival happens amid the annual return of chinook salmon to Central Valley rivers after a few years in the Pacific Ocean. Organizers report nearly 10,000 as of Oct. 31 on the Stanislaus, a fairly strong number.

Salmon are at the heart of the debate over whether flows on the Stanislaus, Tuolumne and Merced rivers should increase at the expense of cities and farms. The fish contend with massive pumps, non-native predators, pollution and other stresses.

Sponsors include fishery agencies, the East Stanislaus Resource Conservation District. the Fishbio consulting firm, the Oakdale Tourism and Visitors Bureau, and the Stanislaus County Fish and Wildlife Committee.

This story was originally published November 9, 2016 at 7:34 PM with the headline "Festival will celebrate salmon on Stanislaus."