As November approaches, this is the dominant question being faced by Mattole residents, the Mattole Salmon Group (MSG), and, sadly, the Coho salmon and steelhead in the upper Mattole. In the past three summers, the Mattole River flow has been reduced to intermittent pools in the upper 8 miles of river. This stretch of the river contains the rearing habitat most critical to the recovery of the threatened Coho salmon. This year is the driest that local residents recall. Over-summering Coho and steelhead are stranded in shrinking pools, at risk of predation and asphyxiation as we await rain and search for the causes and long-term solutions to this problem. MSG is seeking funding to rescue stranded fish and move them to safety.
Despite the above difficulties, a great deal of positive restoration work is being accomplished. Sediment reduction projects are being completed along Thompson Creek in the headwaters and on Green Fir Road along the lower main stem of the river. Our rearing facility at Solitude on upper South Fork Bear Creek holds nearly 5000 Chinook fry, which will be released when substantial rains arrive. In cooperation with the Mattole Restoration Council (MRC), MSG is preparing to monitor sediment that may be released from a major road-decommissioning project in the upper Mattole. We are also doing stream-channel assessments in order to establish baseline data prior to future such projects.
In the second year of our ?Rescue Rearing? pilot project, we have rescued 2400 Chinook smolts which otherwise would have faced death in the overheated lagoon at the closed river mouth. In mid-September, MSG marked the fish with coded-wire tags. The hope is that recovery of these tags in future years will indicate how successful this project has been. Support from the Cereus Foundation has been crucial in this year?s project.
In a new proposal to the Calif. Dept. of Fish and Game (DFG), we are planning to tackle yet another challenge, the Mattole estuary, which we believe may be the most significant bottleneck for salmon in the Mattole system. If our proposal is accepted, it will initiate a pilot project to create large scour structures in the Mattole estuary. We hope that these boulder and rootwad structures will scour deep pools, creating complex habitat where none currently exists. If the project is successful, it will be the first of many as we work to rehabilitate the estuary and help it become the fertile fish-rearing habitat it was once long ago.
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