ITEM:		INFORMATIONAL ITEM/STAFF REPORT
17.	CARMEL RIVER FISHERY REPORT FOR JULY 2020
Meeting Date:			August 17, 2020	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:  The Carmel River continued its slow, steady decline in July, providing fair rearing conditions for steelhead young-of-the-year (YOY) in the mid to upper watershed and poor conditions in the lower valley.

July’s mean daily streamflow at the Sleepy Hollow Weir dropped from 17 to 10 cubic-feet-per-second (cfs) (monthly mean 12.5 cfs) resulting in 768 acre-feet (AF) of runoff. Mean daily streamflow at the Highway 1 gage fell from 8.7 to 1.2 cfs (monthly mean 3.67 cfs) resulting in 226 acre-feet (AF) of runoff.

There were 0.00 inches of rainfall in July as recorded at the San Clemente gauge. The rainfall total for WY 2020 (which started on October 1, 2019) is 17.57 inches, or 83.5% of the long-term year-to-date average of 21.05 inches. 

CARMEL RIVER LAGOON:  The lagoon mouth closed for the summer on June 16, 2020. During July, the lagoon water surface elevation (WSE) dropped from 10 to 8 feet (North American Vertical Datum of 1988; NAVD 88) (See graph below).

Water quality depth-profiles were conducted at five sites on July 10, 2020 while the lagoon mouth was closed, water surface elevation was 7.05 feet and filling, and river inflow was 4.4 cfs. Steelhead rearing and migration conditions were generally “fair”. Salinity ranged from 0.4 - 29 ppt but was <1.0 at all sites except the south arm deeper than 2 meters where it jumped to 29 ppt. Dissolved oxygen (DO) levels ranged from 6-18mg/l, and water temperatures were generally warm during the day, ranging from 65-76 degrees F. 

TRIBUTARIES STEELHEAD RESCUES:  Staff completed seven days of fish rescues in Cachagua Creek between mid-June and July 1, 2020 and one day in Garzas Creek on July 6. A total of 4,379 juvenile steelhead were rescued including: 4,279 young-of-the-year (YOY), 76 age 1+ fish, and 24 mortalities (0.5%).  Staff tagged 57 of the larger fish and there were two recaptured fish.

CARMEL RIVER MAINSTEM STEELHEAD RESCUES:  Mainstem rescues began on July 7, 2020. Staff completed 11 days of fish rescues in the lower river in July between the Crossroads shopping center and Rancho San Carlos Bridge. A total of 5,657 juvenile steelhead were rescued including: 3,887 young-of-the-year (YOY), 1,761 age 1+ fish, and nine mortalities (0.2%).  Releases – 1,686 fish were released in the upper Carmel River (tagged 182 of the larger fish) and 3,962 fish were released at the Sleepy Hollow Steelhead Rearing Facility.

SLEEPY HOLLOW STEELHEAD REARING FACILITY: Facility upgrades were completed in mid-July and the first rescued fish were brought to the facility on July 27, 2020. By the end of July, 1,276 fish had been placed in rearing channel including: 76 older fish (age 1+ years [1+]), 206 medium sized 1+ fish, and 994 young-of-the-year (YOY) fish. There were 9 YOY mortalities.

Carmel River Lagoon Plot:

U:\staff\Boardpacket\2020\20200817\InfoItems\17\Item-17.docx