Salmon

P.O. Box 160 • Petrolia, CA 95558
(707) 629-3514 Fax: (707) 629-3577
mrc@mattole.org

P.O Box 223 • Whitethorn, CA 95589
Phone and Fax: (707) 986-1078
upriver@mattole.org

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Topic: Salmon

Where has the water gone?
As mid-October 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. Most of the tributaries south of Whitethorn are dry. Oversummering 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. Flows at the Petrolia gaging station are at all-time record lows. (read more)

County Plans to Replace Culverts
Culverts can present big problem for migrating salmon. Culverts are chutes under roadways that salmon have to negotiate to arrive at the lovemaking climax of their life. These chutes often channel the water too fast, at too steep a slope for many fish to get through to the other side. In addition, water exiting the culvert can create an inaccessible jump pool into the culvert (too high a jump or too shallow a pool). (read more)

Diesel, handle with care
The growing incidence of diesel spills in the Mattole has many residents concerned about contaminated water and the harm to aquatic life. Although diesel can be easily smelled and avoided by humans, aquatic life is very sensitive. Diesel can kill insects, fish, and birds. In large amounts, it could absorb into the soil substrate and contaminate the creek for years to come. (read more)

Mattole Salmon Group Update
The Mattole Salmon Group turns 21 this year. Entering adulthood, we are faced with challenges and excitement… (read more)

Life, Sex, and Death of Salmon and Steelhead: The Salmon Life-Cycle
Mattole salmon and steelhead are anadromous fish, which means they begin life in fresh water, rear in streams and then migrate to the ocean where they spend anywhere from 1 to 5 years depending on the species, and finally return to their “home stream” to spawn and complete the cycle. (read more)

Twenty Years on the River
In the fall of 1980, Mattole Salmon Group workers were in the river waiting for the mouth to open, preparing for our first attempt to trap adult salmon for enhancement purposes. The 1999-2000 trapping season marks the 20th anniversary of our continuous efforts to save native runs of Mattole chinook and coho salmon. For a more extended report about this anniversary year, including details of our surveys, on-the-ground restoration work, and about what we have learned in 20 years of work, visit our web site at www.humboldt.net/~salmon or write to us at P.O. Box 188, Petrolia, California 95558. (read more)

Last modified:
14 January, 2004