Golden Gate National Recreation AreaPage 200 of 343
Coho Spawners Come Up Short in 2019-2020, but Steelhead Return Looking Strong
Volunteers and a biologist hike along a creek towards the next calm reach where there might be coho or steelhead redds to count and measure. NPS / Jessica Weinberg McClosky
February 2020 - Recent surveys revealed the coho run has ended for our coastal Marin streams. Overall, coho spawning numbers were lower than anticipated, even with beneficial December rainfall. Surveys will continue through April to document steelhead spawning.
On Redwood Creek, salmonid monitoring teams made up of staff and volunteers counted three live adult coho and three coho redds (nests). They also observed adult steelhead in the stream beginning at the end of December which is a bit earlier than usual. We are now halfway through the typical steelhead spawning season, and redd numbers (22 so far) look promising for a second strong season in a row. Biologists could not confirm which species constructed eight additional redds on Redwood Creek.
On Olema Creek, monitoring teams counted a total of two coho redds, 17 live adult coho, and three coho carcasses. In addition,they observed five live steelhead adults, one steelhead carcass, and seven steelhead redds. Only one redd was counted for which salmonid species could not be determined. Most of the live coho adults were observed holding in pools for several weeks in January. They appeared to be male and were likely waiting on late-season females to migrate upstream.
Surveys were also performed on Pine Gulch and Cheda Creeks this season. On Cheda Creek, a small tributary to Lagunitas Creek, survey teams found one redd for which the salmonid species could not be identified. On Pine Gulch, they counted one live adult steelhead and 17 steelhead redds. Contact Michael Reichmuth to learn more.
See more from the Bay Area Nature & Science Blog
Where this belongs
- Golden Gate National Recreation Area
- Muir Woods National Monument
- Point Reyes National Seashore
Where this page came from
This page was imported from National Park Service. Produced by the U.S. National Park Service and, as a work of the United States government, in the public domain.
Nobody has written it yet — it is the source material at a new address, which is why search engines are asked to skip it and why no one earns from it. It is up for grabs: take it on, and it is yours to rewrite and to earn from.