ITEM:		INFORMATIONAL ITEMS/STAFF REPORTS
23.	CARMEL RIVER FISHERY REPORT FOR SEPTEMBER 2016
Meeting Date:			October 17, 2016	Budgeted:	N/A
From:			David J. Stoldt,	Program/	N/A
			General Manager	Line Item No.:
Prepared By:			Beverly Chaney	Cost Estimate:	N/A
General Counsel Review: N/A
Committee Recommendation: N/A
CEQA Compliance: N/A

AQUATIC HABITAT AND FLOW CONDITIONS:  September flow conditions in the lower Carmel River were poor for migration and fair to poor for rearing for all steelhead life stages.  Rearing conditions in the upper watershed were good to fair.

Mean daily streamflow at the Sleepy Hollow Weir ranged from 6.2 to 7.3 cubic feet-per-second (cfs) (monthly mean 6.8 cfs) resulting in 391 acre-feet (AF) of runoff, while Highway 1 remained dry.

No September rainfall was recorded at Cal-Am’s San Clemente gauge. The rainfall total for WY 2016 (which started on October 1, 2015) was 22.25 inches, or 105% of the long-term year-to-date average of 21.12 inches.

WY 2016 is classified as a “Normal” year with 44,340 AF of runoff measured at the Sleepy Hollow Weir.

CARMEL RIVER LAGOON:   September water surface elevations (WSE) rose slightly from approximately 5.7 to 6.2 feet above mean-sea-level due to wave overtopping (see graph below).

Water-quality profiles were conducted in mid-September at five lagoon sites. Water conditions in the main body, north, and lower south arms were generally “fair” for steelhead rearing in the upper 1-meter of the water column, but “poor” in the deeper areas due to high salinity and low dissolved oxygen (DO) levels. Lagoon water temperatures ranged from 64-66 degrees Fahrenheit, DO from 1-11 mg/L, while salinity levels were between 1-15 parts per thousand (ppt). 

STEELHEAD RESCUES:  Only one rescue was needed in early September where 15 fish were removed from an isolated pool in the River Meadows reach. No addition rescues are anticipated this year. After drying back to the Begonia Well area in Mid-Valley (RM 7.8) in late summer, the river has started to advance again, rewetting approximately 1.1 miles of habitat, and is now near Schulte Bridge (RM 6.7).

Mainstem - Summer steelhead rescues started on June 13, 2016 in the main-stem.  Through the end of the September a total of 670 fish have been rescued, including 425 young-of-the-year (YOY), 122 age 1+ year juveniles (1+), 117 age 2+ year residents (2+).  There were six mortalities (0.90%).

Of the 670 rescued fish, 242 were from the drying and isolated plunge pool below Los Padres Dam. They were released back into the river ~100m downstream. An additional 14 rescued fish were released in the Robles Del Rio area when access to SHSRF was limited due to the Soberanes Fire (now at ~132,000 acres).

Tributaries - Rescues were conducted on the lower sections of three tributaries in late May/June.  A total of 247 fish were captured and released into the Carmel River near the confluences. Hitchcock Creek – 177 fish (mostly YOY); Robinson Canyon Cr. – 0 fish; Garzas Cr. – 70 fish (mix of YOY and 1+ fish).   There were also two mortalities (0.81%).

SLEEPY HOLLOW STEELHEAD REARING FACILITY:  The first rescued fish were brought to the Facility on June 13, 2016. On August 24^th, District and NMFS staff PITT tagged (Passive Integrated Transponder Tags) and transferred 361 fish from holding tanks to the rearing channel. PIT tagged fish are individually numbered and can be tracked as they migrate past fixed electrical arrays placed in the river. An additional 15 fish were tagged on September 19 and placed in the rearing channel September 22.

At the end of September there were 350 steelhead in the Facility including: 239 small/medium YOY/1+, 94 large 1+ fish, and 17 extra-large 2+ fish. There have been 57 mortalities (all smaller fish) (14%) (six in quarantine, 26 post-tagging mortality, and 25 missing/presumed cannibalism).

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