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Carmel River Steelhead Association |
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Welcome!
Welcome to the homepage of the Carmel River Steelhead Association. The purpose of this association is the restoration and conservation of the steelhead to the Carmel River and its watershed.
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To contact us: |
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The Carmel River Watershed. Click image for larger size and to learn more about the river. |
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The wild game BBQ is Sunday October 23, 2011 at the Carmel Valley Trail and Saddle Club, 85 West Garzas Road from 1:00 to 4:00. Live music, silent auciton and great food. Rain or shine. Tickets are $40 and available at the door. |
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News Feeds:
We made the Hastings Preserve Blog! Thanks to the Stromberg's for inviting us to do a rescue on Finch Creek, which is the upper tributary to Cachagua Creek.
Imagine this amazing life cycle, Mature Steelhead enter the River from the Ocean at the Rivers' "Mouth" otherwise known as Carmel River Lagoon. In late November through May, depending on Winter Storms, small schools move steadily against the flows upriver. The adult Steelhead that migrate up the Carmel River to reach Finch Creek must first jump over "Old Carmel Dam" about 18 miles up the river from the Ocean, then pass over "San Clemente Dam" via a rickety old narrow fish ladder until they come to the spot where Cachagua Creek meets the main Carmel River. That "confluence" as it is called is about 5 miles above San Clemente Dam and just below Los Padres Dam by the village called Cachagua. Consider that Cachagua Creek even at the highest flows is only the size of a small or medium stream, and only for a few brief peaks after a good rain. During this short window of time they must swim to the upper reaches such as Finch Creek and even tiny James Creek, another couple miles. Thrashing over shallow riffles sometime half out of water, jumping over driveways of cement, rocky chutes and series of narrow channels, etc....all in a matter of a few days or even hours. Just to reach a suitable bed of gravel to dig nests with their tails, lay their eggs into the gravel beds, known as "Redds". Male Steelhead then fertilize the eggs with "milt' and the female covers them with small pebbles and rock called "cobble".This gravel must remain bathed in cool, clean and sufficiently oxygenated water for 45 to 90 days depending on water temperature. They can be destroyed by heavy equipment, covered by sand from road work or road clearing crews in the winter. They need to be safe from pollution by Agriculture or Residential runoff, failed Septic Systems, or de-watered by too many Wells. Additionally, the baby Steelhead, after emerging from the gravel all those days later, endure higher water temps than most any other Steelhead in the World. All those things are already happening in the tributaries of the Carmel River, such as Cachagua Creek. It is amazing how resilient Carmel River Steelhead are. Here is the Hasting Preserve Blog Mark Hastings posted of the trip we made to Finch Creek Thursday. And I have to let you know, not only did we rescue 258 juvenile Steelhead, we enjoyed a gourmet Wild Salmon dinner at Cachagua General Store prepared by Chef and Proprietor, Mike Jones. Thanks Mike for a delicious and healthy meal! http://hastingsreserve.blogspot.com/
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We’re now on Facebook, become a friend of ours! |
