ITEM:		INFORMATIONAL ITEMS/STAFF REPORTS
24.	CARMEL RIVER FISHERY REPORT FOR DECEMBER 2017
Meeting Date:			January 24, 2018	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:  December 2017 was one of the driest on record and flow releases from Los Padres Reservoir were reduced by three cfs in response to the lack of rainfall and dropping reservoir elevation. Despite the reduction, river conditions for juvenile steelhead rearing remained good to fair all the way to the lagoon.

Mean daily streamflow at the Sleepy Hollow Weir ranged from 16 to 18 cfs (monthly mean 16.8 cfs) resulting in 1,030 acre-feet (AF) of runoff while mean daily streamflow at the Highway 1 gage ranged from 9.2 to 12 cfs (monthly mean 10.3 cfs), resulting in 631 AF of runoff.

There were 0.05 inches of rainfall in December as recorded at Cal-Am’s San Clemente gauge. The rainfall total for WY 2018 (which started on October 1, 2017) is 1.02 inches, or 15% of the long-term year-to-date average of 6.81 inches. 

CARMEL RIVER LAGOON:  During December, the lagoon mouth remained closed and the water surface elevation (WSE) continued to rise from approximately 12 to 12.5 feet above mean-sea-level as higher seasonal inflows filled the lagoon (see graph below).  

Two lagoon water quality depth-profiles were conducted at five sites on December 14^th and 28^th. Salinity level (0.5 ppt) and temperature (48-49 degrees F) remained low while dissolved oxygen (DO) levels were good (6-10 mg/l) resulting in generally excellent steelhead rearing conditions down to 3.0 meters depth.

SMOLT AND ADULT STEELHEAD COUNTS: The District and National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) have been collaborating on a steelhead tagging and monitoring program since late 2013. In December, staff from both agencies worked together to install two new tag reading arrays systems in the lower river to complement the existing one located near the lagoon, and have plans for a forth set-up near Sleepy Hollow to track the migration of tagged out-migrating smolts and previously tagged returning adults.

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