And then less than half of the fish that made it to Red Bluff also survived to make it out to the San Joaquin Delta. It was one of the worst years on record for winter-run survival, according to the National Marine Fisheries Service.

"Clearly, it was a grim year for winter-run chinook. The temperatures were not favorable in the river, which obviously was a result of the low water (in Lake Shasta) and the high temperatures" in the Sacramento River, said Michael Milstein, a spokesman for the National Marine Fisheries Service.

Even before the past two years of drought, the winter-run were having a rough go of it. The winter-run are an endangered species, and nearly all the fish spawn in the in the river and tributaries in the Redding area.