ITEM:		INFORMATIONAL ITEM/STAFF REPORT
18.	CARMEL RIVER FISHERY REPORT FOR AUGUST 2021
Meeting Date:			September 20, 2021	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: Continued dry weather and low river flow resulted in poor rearing conditions for juvenile steelhead throughout the watershed. By month’s end, most of the lower valley below Robinson Canyon Road, as well as the De Dampierre Park reach, was dry or had isolated pools.

August’s mean daily streamflow at the Sleepy Hollow Weir fell from 4.4 to 3.5 cfs (monthly mean 3.45 cfs) resulting in 107 acre-feet (AF) of runoff, while the river at the Highway 1 gage is dry.

There were 0.00 inches of rainfall in July as recorded at the San Clemente gauge. Since January there have only been 1.41 inches of rain. The rainfall total for WY 2021 (which started on October 1, 2020) is 10.85 inches, or 52% of the long-term year-to-date average of 20.99 inches. 

CARMEL RIVER LAGOON:  During August, the lagoon mouth remained closed. The water surface elevation (WSE) remained fairly steady at ~6.0 to 6.5 feet (North American Vertical Datum of 1988; NAVD 88) (See graph below).

Water quality depth-profiles were conducted at five sites on August 26, 2021, while the lagoon mouth was closed, water surface elevation was 6.25 feet, and river inflow was 0.0 cfs. Steelhead rearing conditions were generally “fair to good”. Salinity was low, ranging from 1 - 3 ppt, dissolved oxygen (DO) levels were variable, ranging from 0 – 11 mg/l, while water temperatures were cooler than last month ranging from 64 - 68 degrees F.

CARMEL RIVER MAINSTEM STEELHEAD RESCUES:  Mainstem rescues began on May 27, 2021. In August, Staff completed 4 days of fish rescues in the lower river, primarily in the Berwick area. By the end of August, a total of 7,623 steelhead had been rescued including: 6,588 young-of-the-year (yoy), 993 age 1+ fish, 11 kelts, with 31 mortalities (0.4%). Most juvenile fish were transported to the Sleepy Hollow Steelhead Rearing Facility while the adult kelts were released in the ocean at Stewart’s Cove.

SLEEPY HOLLOW STEELHEAD REARING FACILITY:  The first rescued fish were brought to the facility on May 27, 2021.  Due to the very small size of many of the fish, fry/yoy are being quarantined and held in the rectangular “rearing troughs” until they are large and healthy enough to be transferred to the rearing channel.

By the end of August, 6,016 fish had been stocked in the rearing channel, including 5,047 yoy fish (small/medium size) and 969 age 1+ fish. The survival rate has remained high at 93%, indicating the new upgrades to the Facility, along with the modified stocking and handling protocols are working.

Carmel River Lagoon Plot:

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