Article

First Redds and Fish: 2021 Salmonid Spawner Season

A salmon tail poking out from under a log in a stream
A female coho salmon spawner hiding under a log. She was located near a redd, and her tail is discolored and worn from digging.

NPS / Samantha Kuglen

January 27, 2021 - Salmonid monitoring crews surveying streams in Golden Gate National Recreation Area, Point Reyes National Seashore, and Muir Woods National Monument spotted the first coho redds and spawners of the season in early-mid January. Two coho redds and one live coho have been observed in Redwood Creek, while staff have recorded six coho redds and one live coho in Olema Creek. The coho female spotted on Olema Creek (see photo above) had a fork length—the distance between the snout and the center fork of the tail—of approximately 60 cm and was located near a redd, its tail discolored and worn from digging. Additionally, two adult coho carcasses and one unidentifiable jack carcass were found in Olema Creek, likely the result of otter predation. Tissue and scale samples were taken from these mortalities for future genetic analysis.

Stream flows remained extremely low in early January, with a peak of only 34 CFS (cubic feet per second) on January 4 which allowed fish access and upstream passage for a brief period. This week’s storm event is forecasted to produce significant rainfall and high flows which will allow fish access to critical spawning habitat in the upper reaches of Olema and Redwood Creeks. We hope to see a few more coho enter these systems, but we are nearing the end of the species’ typical spawning window. Steelhead trout are already spawning in Lagunitas Creek, meaning our crew will likely observe both coho and steelhead during the next set of surveys.

For more information

See more from the San Francisco Bay Area Coho and Steelhead Blog and Bay Area Nature & Science Blog

Tags

Golden Gate National Recreation Area, Muir Woods National Monument, Point Reyes National Seashore

Last updated: February 4, 2021