In Bay Area National Park Creeks, Fish Must Race to Beat the Drought

By Natale Urquhart

Chinook fry swimming in the slow water behind rocks. During a mid-February spawner survey in the upper sections of Redwood Creek, the crew spotted shoals of tiny Chinook that have already emerged from redds dug in November. NPS / Michael Reichmuth

March 18, 2022 - This has been a highly productive spawner season for the salmon in the Olema and Redwood Creek watersheds. The San Francisco Bay Area Network coho and steelhead monitoring crew spotted over 140 Chinook, coho, and steelhead redds (nests) in these systems since November. These encouraging numbers are largely due to the heavy rainfall the Bay Area received in late fall and early winter. However, two months without significant rain has sounded some alarms for our coastal streams.

In January, we struggled to even see redds through the rushing water in Olema, Pine Gulch, and Redwood Creeks. Now, water levels have dropped so much that some redds are becoming exposed, putting the coho and steelhead eggs at high risk of mortality. We’re hoping for spring rain to at least maintain current flows. That would give juvenile fish a chance to emerge from redds and move into deeper pools before summer.

During a mid-February spawner survey in the upper sections of Redwood Creek, the crew spotted shoals of tiny Chinook that have already emerged from redds dug in November. Most of these fry will begin migrating downstream immediately in hopes of leaving the freshwater system by mid-summer. If Redwood Creek becomes disconnected from the ocean, these Chinook, along with other coho and steelhead smolts, will be stuck in the lagoon at Muir Beach until the next major storm event which likely won’t occur until next fall.

As always in California, we will keep our fingers crossed for more rain!

For more information

• San Francisco Bay Area Network Salmonid Monitoring webpage
• Pacific Coast Science & Learning Center Coho & Steelhead webpage

San Francisco Bay Area Coho and Steelhead Blog

• Contact Fishery Biologist Michael Reichmuth

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

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