ITEM:		INFORMATIONAL ITEM/STAFF REPORT
28.	CARMEL RIVER FISHERY REPORT FOR JANUARY 2022
Meeting Date:			February 24, 2022	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: This action does not constitute a project as defined by the California Environmental Quality Act Guidelines Section 15378.

AQUATIC HABITAT AND FLOW CONDITIONS:  Following December’s welcome rain, the storm window slammed shut in January and the watershed received very little measurable precipitation. Carmel River steelhead migration and rearing conditions were “fair to good”.

January’s mean daily streamflow at the Sleepy Hollow Weir dropped from 200 to 38 cfs (monthly mean 77.3 cfs) resulting in 4,750 acre-feet (AF) of runoff, while the streamflow at the Highway 1 gage dropped from 261 to 45 cfs (monthly mean 98.6 cfs) resulting in 6,060 acre-feet (AF) of runoff.  

There were 0.04 inches of rainfall in January as recorded at the San Clemente gauge. The rainfall total for WY 2022 (which started on October 1, 2021) is 9.56 inches, or 86% of the long-term year-to-date average of 11.16 inches.

CARMEL RIVER LAGOON:  During January, the lagoon water surface elevation (WSE) ranged from ~ 4.0 to 12.0 feet as the river mouth opened and closed (North American Vertical Datum of 1988; NAVD 88) (See graph below).

Water quality depth-profiles were conducted at five sites on January 28, 2022, while the lagoon mouth was open, water surface elevation was 6.0 feet, and river inflow was 51 cfs. Steelhead rearing conditions were generally “good”. Salinity increased with depth, ranging from 1 - 26 ppt, dissolved oxygen (DO) levels ranged from 7 – 11 mg/l, while water temperatures remained cool, ranging from 47- 55 degrees F.

LOS PADRES DAM ADULT STEELHEAD COUNT: Los Padres Reservoir filled and spilled on December 14, 2021, reaching a peak daily mean outflow of 629 on December 23, 2021.  The fish ladder and trap began operating on December 22, 2021. One adult steelhead was counted in January 2022.

RESISTANCE BOARD WEIR:  As part of the District’s steelhead life-cycle monitoring program, a fish weir was installed in the lower river to temporarily trap upstream migrating adult steelhead for tagging and measurement. The weir was installed January 6, 2022, and the first fish were captured on January 7th.

As of January 31, 38 adult, sea-run steelhead had been captured and PIT tagged, with one recaptured fish. Lengths ranged from 595 mm to 750 mm (ave. 675 mm) (24 – 32 inches).

SLEEPY HOLLOW STEELHEAD REARING FACILITY:  Eight months after the first rescued wild juvenile steelhead were brought to the Facility in May 2021, all fish were released back into the lower Carmel River in January 2022.

Preliminary results - 5,001 healthy steelhead were released between Robinson Canyon Bridge and Rancho San Carlos Bridge including: 830 older fish (83.6% survival) (from RC# 1/10/11/12/13) and 4,171 younger fish (80.0% survival) (from RC# 3/4/5/8/9/14), for an overall survival rate for fish stocked in the rearing channel of 80.5%. Additionally, 3,193 facility fish were PIT tagged. Approximately 19.6% of the fry rescued from the drying river during the summer of 2021 died in quarantine from handing stress and/or disease. The long-term average Facility survival rate is 44%.

Carmel River Lagoon Plot:

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