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Russian River monitoring to bolster steelhead population

Posted by: Maven on June 17, 2009 at 7:11 am

From the Santa Rosa Press Democrat:

Biologists are closely monitoring the water quality in the lagoon that forms at the mouth of the Russian River at Jenner, a critical but often overlooked habitat for young steelhead. It’s there that the steelhead, which are listed as federal endangered species, may stay for a year to feed and become acclimated to salt water before venturing out into the ocean.

“They eat small shrimp-like animals, plankton, a wide variety of small prey,” said David Manning, a principal environmental specialist for the Sonoma County Water Agency. “It is a place of transition where fish are moving downstream to the ocean.They need time to adapt to the saltwater.”

The National Marine Fisheries Service has ordered the Water Agency to change the way it manages the lagoon and discontinue the practice of bulldozing a breach in the sand bar separating the river from the ocean when the water begins backing up.

Instead, federal regulators want the Water Agency to create a fresh-water lagoon by building and managing a gradually sloping spillway that lets Russian River water flow out, but keeps salt water from flowing back in.

Read more from the Santa Rosa Press Democrat by clicking here.

June 17, 2009 · Filed Under Northern California

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