April 24, 2007
The 11th Annual Summer Steelhead Dive in the Mattole River watershed was held on July 14-15, 2006. Forty-seven local fish enthusiasts donned their wetsuits and snorkeled throughout 24 reaches of the Mattole River to find the elusive summer steelhead. Thank you to divers from the MSG, MRC, Mattole community, USFWS, NMFS, Nick's Interns, and Americorps who contributed their time and expertise to make the 2006 dives a success.
Adult Summer Steelhead enter the river in spring, before the river mouth closes. They oversummer instream, then spawn during the ensuing rainy season. "Half-pounders" are immature steelhead that enter the river in the spring, then feed instream until the following winter. They migrate to the ocean again before returning to the river to spawn.
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Less frequently, summer steelhead are observed in cool, favorable microsites in the lower river. Summer steelhead also oversummer in Honeydew and Bear Creeks, the two largest tributaries to the Mattole.
Steelhead counts by MSG divers during the Summer Steelhead Dive have shown a noticeable decline in recent years. Over the past four years, MSG divers observed less steelhead per mile (both adults and "half-pounders") than in the seven years prior. From 1996-2002, the average numbers of adults observed per mile was 0.56; in comparison, an average of 0.29 adults per mile were seen during the 2003-2006 survey years. "Half-pounder" sightings per mile have shown an even more severe decline; an average of 1.57 "half-pounders" per mile were seen in 1996-2002, while an average of 0.63 "half-pounder" sightings per mile occurred in 2003-2006.
For more information:
707/629-3433 or
www.mattolesalmon.org
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TOC for Forest & River News, Spring 2007