ITEM:		INFORMATIONAL ITEM/STAFF REPORT
18.	CARMEL RIVER FISHERY REPORT FOR JUNE 2024
Meeting Date:			July 15, 2024	Budgeted:	N/A
From:			David J. Stoldt,	Program/	N/A
			General Manager	Line Item No.:
Prepared By:			Cory Hamilton	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:  Above average rainfall this spring kept river flows well above the long-term average for this time of the year, with comparable spring conditions observed in 1996, 2003 and 2005. Steelhead migration conditions were adequate for both adult and juvenile fish in the main stem, some tributaries have started to go intermittent.

To date, only four adult steelhead have been captured in the Los Padres Dam fish trap and moved above the dam. Flows were adequate to start annual Redd (steelhead nest) surveys on May 21. Surveys are getting a very late start this season due to the high flows observed this spring, causing these surveys to be conducted at the end of the migration season and not at optimal timing for enumeration. Redd surveys were completed up to the Page cabin (RiverMile 20) on 6/18/2024, a total of 27 steelhead redds, 15 adults and 634 lamprey redds were observed. Fry (baby steelhead) were observed along the stream banks in many different locations indicating that steelhead had successfully hatched.

June’s streamflow at the Sleepy Hollow Weir gaging station ranged from 25 to 62 cfs (mean 43 cfs), while flows at the Highway 1 gage ranged from 26 to 71 cfs (mean 45).

There was no rainfall in June as recorded at the San Clemente gauge. The total rainfall for Water Year (WY) 2024 (which started October 1, 2023) is 24.17 inches, or 115% of the long-term year-to-date average of 21.05 inches.

FISH RESCUE: Staff conducted rescues in three tributaries (Potrero, Hitchcock, and Cachagua Creeks) as they began to dry back. All fish were released into the Carmel River at the tributary’s confluence. As of the end of June, a total of 1,187 fish have been rescued (1,040 YOY, 132 1+ year olds, and 15 mortalities).

CARMEL RIVER LAGOON:  In June, the lagoon’s Water Surface Elevation ranged from approximately 3.4-11.1 feet (NGVD 1988) (see graph below).

Water quality depth-profiles were conducted at five sites on June 24, 2024, while the lagoon mouth was open, water surface elevation was 4.0 feet, and river inflow was 30 cfs. Steelhead migration conditions were adequate but high salinity observations have reduced the amount of habitat for juvenile fish. There is a salinity stratification layer at about 0.5 meters depth, below this depth salinity increases sharply. Salinity levels ranged from 1-26 parts per thousand (ppt), water temperatures ranged from 53-71 degrees Fahrenheit, and dissolved oxygen (DO) levels ranged from 2.7-16.3 mg/l.

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