Monterey Bay Salmon & Trout Project

By Cheryl and Morrow Whitcomb

A disaster preparedness plan has been developed and placed in an orange binder at the MBS&TP Fish Hatchery. The purpose of the plan is to increase awareness and provide actions to be taken in response to the natural risks and hazards found at the hatchery location. These hazards are long standing, however the Lockheed Fire has increased the potential for some of them.

The binder contains copies of the various post-fire risk assessments made by Matt McCaslin and CalFire, and addresses other risks such as earthquakes. It provides guidance on recognizing various hazards and presents the appropriate actions to take in response to each one.

In addition, the first aid kit in the hatchery office has been restocked and expanded and a "Grab and Go" backpack has been stocked with enough items for two persons for three days. A store of extra food and other items for sheltering in place has also been placed in the feed shed.

This past fall has been an interesting and challenging time as the new Hatchery Manger of the Kingfisher Flat Hatchery. On August 8th a wonderful retirement party was held to honor a great man and MBSTP Hatchery Manger for 27 years, Dave Streig, who retired on August 14th just days after the Lockheed Fire ignited the hills above the hatchery on August 12th. The fire resulted in the whole Swanton Area being evacuated for several weeks.

Normally, I would have been cut off from access to the hatchery and the fish while a fire of this magnitude raged through the canyons, during which time the Coho and Steelhead at the hatchery could have possibly perished. Instead, 3 days before becoming the new hatchery manager, I was escorted into the hatchery by another amazing man, CDF Battalion Chief, Matt McCaslin. With Matt’s help I was allowed to spend 1 hour a day to feed and care for the fish. Without Matt’s courageous effort, I believe we would have lost the Kingfisher Flat Hatchery and the fish in the Fire.

So the fire missed the hatchery, and one would think "back to business as usual"… but alas no such luck. I’m writing this article on a sunny Thursday in my office, contemplating the dire National Weather Service Forecast for next week starting Sunday night Dec 6th, with potentially a series of storms to come blasting through all week.

Normally I would be frustrated at the early arrival of some storms, hoping for a delay until New Years eve, but this year has been anything but normal…10” on rain one day in October, forecasts for an El Niño winter and oh yeah… there was a big fire this summer…so some early storms in December, well just another day in the office (or rather, out in the creek).

After much anguish and frustration for the past two years, our King Salmon net pens will finally be back in the Santa Cruz Harbor in April 2010. 120,000 Feather River King Salmon will be released into the Santa Cruz Harbor in early May 2010. There will be some changes this upcoming year. The second set of net pens will not be placed in the Moss Landing Harbor. In the past we were funded $7,500 annually by the Commercial Salmon Stamp Fund. Since they have not been fishing for over two years, they have no money to fund the Project this year. In addition, our hatchery is being included in a 5 year study about California hatchery salmon and their release areas, requiring that 25% of all of our fish be nosed tagged.