August 21, 2025By Yvon Chouinard and Matt Stoecker
California Governor Gavin Newsom announced in the spring the planned upgrade of nearly two dozen state-run fish hatcheries. But is the the right way to help bring state salmon populations back? According to an op-ed by Patagonia founder Yvon Chouinard and California farmer and fisheries expert Matt Stoecker, it is not. Instead, the authors argue that removing “migration-blocking dams” give the salmon a greater shot at survival, while highlighting our Dos Rios State Park project as an example of how to better approach the capture and storage of stormwater.
“Removing dams will also help us transition to smarter water storage solutions. River Partners project at Dos Rios is showing us a better way to capture stormwater on expanded floodplains that can still be farmed, provide wildlife habitat, safeguard communities, and recharge our depleted groundwater aquifers.”
Yvon Chouinard is founder of outdoor apparel company Patagonia and Matt Stoecker is a California farmer and fisheries ecologist
