Bubble Barrier at Georgiana Slough

Reader and Baja Ha-Ha vet Randy Garrett, who keeps his Beneteau First 42 R3 at Oxbow Marina in the Delta, called to let us know that a salmon barrier had been erected at the head of Georgiana Slough. "We were thinking of heading up that way, but someone told me that the barrier is only four feet below the surface of the water — we draw 9′ 6"," said Garrett. That seemed a little fishy to us so we did a little digging.

It turns out that the barrier Garrett was told about is, in fact, in place at the head of Georgiana Slough. Its purpose is to deter ocean-bound Chinook salmon from wandering off the beaten path, where 65% of them would likely die. The "bubble barrier" does this by flashing strobes and emitting annoying noises inside a curtain of bubbles. The fish apparently don’t want anything to do with the cacophony so they hightail it back to the Sacramento River.

But according to Project Manager/Engineer Jacob McQuirk, the depth of the barrier is much deeper than Garrett was told. "It’s no less than 10 feet at a normal low tide," he said. A little reconnaisance trip on a cruising boat that draws six feet proved that, while the bubble barrier looked intimidating, the trip through the minefield of buoys was the most hazardous part, especially in a ripping spring current. An inverted staff gauge at the entrance tells the clearance above the barrier, just in case you need visual proof.

McQuirk says the project — which includes a study of its efficacy — was granted an extension and is now slated to end mid-May, with the barrier being removed no later than June 15.