ITEM:		INFORMATIONAL ITEMS/STAFF REPORTS
26.	CARMEL RIVER FISHERY REPORT FOR MARCH 2009
Meeting Date:			April 20, 2009	Budgeted:	N/A
From:			Darby Fuerst,	Program/	N/A
			General Manager	Line Item No.:
Prepared By:			Beverly Chaney	Cost Estimate:	N/A
General Counsel Approval: N/A
Committee Recommendation: N/A
CEQA Compliance: N/A

AQUATIC HABITAT AND FLOW CONDITIONS: During March 2009, Carmel River streamflow conditions were excellent for all life stages of fish migration, and good to excellent for juvenile fish rearing with continuous flow to the ocean.

During March 2009, the mean daily streamflow recorded at the District’s Carmel River at Sleepy Hollow Weir gaging station 117 averaged 348 cubic feet per second (cfs) and ranged from 96 to 1,930 cfs. During March 2009, 3.86 inches of rainfall (117% of the long term March average of 3.30 inches) were recorded at California American Water’s San Clemente Dam (SCD). The rainfall total for Water Year 2009 through March is 17.21 inches, which is 91% of the long-term average of 18.92 inches for the water year to date.

CARMEL RIVER LAGOON: The lagoon sand bar was breached by Monterey County Public Works crews on February 16, 2009 after the lagoon’s water-surface elevation (WSE) rose to approximately 10.5 feet above mean sea level. The breach was accomplished by having the County’s bulldozers dig a short channel in a north-westerly direction across the south-central portion of the beach and allowing the rising lagoon to spill into it. The outlet channel quickly down cut and shifted to the center within eight hours, eventually re-establishing an exit to the southwest.

During March 2009, the lagoon’s WSE ranged from approximately 2.2 to 7.5 feet above mean sea level in a fairly typical March pattern (see 1^st graph below).

ADULT STEELHEAD COUNT AT SCD: The fish counter and video camera were installed at the ladder in January 2009. The first fish was recorded over the counter on February 15, 2009, and through the end of March only 84 adults had been counted (see 2^nd graph below). By comparison, 403 fish had been counted by the end of March 2008.

ADULT STEELHEAD COUNT AT LOS PADRES DAM: Through the end of March 2009, 14 adult fish had been captured and transported above Los Padres Dam (LPD) (see 3^rd graph below). By comparison, 157 fish had been counted at LPD by the end of March 2008.

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