This autumn finds us rearing this years crop of about 49,000 steelhead fingerlings, of which well over 17,000 are progeny of Carmel River adults. This is the first time in nearly 10 years that we have been allowed to spawn and rear Carmel River steelhead, and we are looking forward to releasing these fish in our southern region streams next spring. We had a very successful Chinook Enhancement Program this spring thanks in a large measure to Howard Theilbar and his Monterey area crew of volunteers. They released approximately 110,500 Chinook smolts into the Monterey Bay for their journey throughout the Pacific Ocean and their return in about 3 years to enhance our Monterey Bay fishery. To date we have released 772,000 Chinook smolts into the Monterey Bay over the 9 year period of this program. My deepest thanks to all of those who support our efforts in conducting this Chinook Enhancement Program.

On September 8, 2000 the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) put into effect the so-called 4(d) rules of the Environmental Species Act (ESA). It is still much too early to tell how significantly these rules will affect our present methods and procedures of performing fish culture activities, and how they will effect the physical makeup of our Kingfisher Flat Rearing Facility on Big Creek. As a result of these unknown effects, most of our present plans to complete the 1998 storm damage recovery elements are on hold. A much clearer understanding of jow the 4(d) rules will affect our mission, goals, and processes is necessary before we can move forward with the completion of the restoration of our facilities.

Our Project (MBSTP) was advised in late June by California Department of Fish and Game (CDFG) that NMFS and CDFG had decided that grant funds fromthe Pacific Coast Salmonid Recovery Fund (PCSRF) (funding approved by the U.S. Congress in 1999) cannot be used for construction and equipment purposes. This was a severe blow to our earlier understanding that some PCSRF funds would be available to complete our rebuilding program. As a result of this NMFS/CDFG decision we must find new, probably private, sources of funding. We have recently submitted a proposal for private grant funding for a new water filtration system for our fertilized egg incubation and hatching system. This addition is needed in order to prevent the recurrence of a disastrous mud intrusion event into our incubation system that occurred during a huge storm in February of 2000. Grant requests will be prepared and submitted over the next 12 months to solicit funding support for the other significant modifications and upgrades at our Kingfisher Flat Rearing Facility.

The new MBSTP Five Year Plan for rearing steelhead, coho salmon, and chinook salmon had been completed. Our new fish culture permits are being prepared by NMFS and CDFG based on this Five Year Plan. I have recently submitted a permit revision request for CDFG approval to allow us to rear chinook smolts in the Santa Cruz Small Craft Harbor in 2001. This new net pen facility in combination with our net pen in Monterey Harbor will essentially double our Chinook Enhancement Program output to about 240,000 chinook smolts annually for release into Monterey Bay waters.

Over the past 20 years MBSTP has been operating two very effective satellite rearing facilities. At the present time these facilities in the Santa Cruz and Salinas areas are undergoing significant repair and refurbishment activities in preparation for the forthcoming fish rearing season.

We are deeply grateful to the following organizations, groups, and individuals for their financial support of the ongoing restoration and operation of our fish rearing facilities.

* David & Lucile Packard Foundation

*The Fish & Game Commissions of Monterey, Santa Cruz, and Santa Clara Counties

* Salmon Stamp Committee

* Scott Creek Watershed Council

* The many individuals, businesses, schools, and community organizations who have provided outstanding support.

Some things seem to never change such as our annual dilemma of raising enough funds to sustain the operation of our fish rearing and fish culture activities. Many people and organizations are not aware of the fact that we can't continue our highly successful Salmon & Trout Education Program (STEP) in our schools if we don't have sufficient funds to raise the fish to provide for the STEP in-class activities. In order for us to continue spawning, rearing, and planting salmon and steelhead in our local streams, we continue to have an urgent need for your financial support and your volunteer help. Thank you most sincerely for the support in the past and in the future. Please tell your friends, family, and colleagues about us and our needs. Our annual fin clipping party is tentatively scheduled for Saturday, December 2, 2000. See the Volunteers Activities Corner article in the Newsletter for further details. Also our annual Albacore Dinner fund raiser will be held in Castroville on Saturday, November 11, 2000. I hope to see you at these events.

People up and down our coast are seeing a large return of native steelhead. As to what's going on, we're not sure. It could be due to a change of ocean temperatures with an increase in ocean feeding available. This news is particularly heartening to members of the MBS&TP, which is located in Davenport, California. The project members have been working hard each year, in concert with CDFG, on restoration projects of native steelhead and coho salmon. The charter of the project is "restoration", which means helping restore populations of these important native fish. The project rears native fish each year, under CDFG permits, and releases them in local streams. It's the project's way of helping to counter the erosion of fish populations due to the impact of habitat destruction, water loss, and sea lion/harbor seal predation. Does it work? The project was encouraged, in seeing that 55% of the returning fish passing through the Felton Diversion Dam were identified as MBS&TP reared fish.

 This news is particularly gratifying to our area Salmon and Trout Education Program (STEP) students and teachers. STEP is a thematic educational program, wherein area students gain a hands-on education about our important native anadromous fish. At present, the project supports 150 classes in 75 local schools. Now that STEP students are back in school, teachers will integrate STEP resource material with other cirriculum. The highlight of the STEP training occurs during the month of May. At that time, certified STEP teachers will be issued eyed steelhead eggs, so that students can hatch the eggs in their classroom chillers and aquariums. Later, the students will conduct field trips and release the fry in area coastal streams.

If you require information regarding our activities, please contact Hugh Miller, Project Board Member at (408) 268-3945 or email at Hmiller334@aol.com. (back to top)

Over the last 18 months, we have been trying to relocate our Salmon Rearing Pens that were originally located at Moss Landing, to the Santa Cruz Harbor.  Our Moss Landing operation was shut down due to the constant dredging going on to keep the harbor open to commercial as well as sport fishing boats.  This dredging caused too much water pollution to continue to operate our pens during late spring.  We have been working with the DFG as well as the Harbor Master at the Santa Cruz Harbor.  We have been successfully in obtaining a favorable review from our local Fish & Game people but our still waiting on our final permits before we begin construction of our new pens.  We are hopping to hear from them by the end of November 2000.  This should give us enough time to get the pens built in time to receive our first load of fish in May 2001. 

This year we had one of the best Salmon seasons on record.  I personally caught Salmon through September.  Many of these fish were our hatchery fish released from our Monterey Pens each May.  We release over 120,000 fish each year into the Monterey Bay.  These fish are salted to this area by the method we use in holding these fish in fresh water pens first and then acclimating them to salt water over a five-day period.  These fish are then feed for 10 days and then released directly into the bay on an out going tide.  This program helps the fisherman, the local sea lion and harbor seal populations without effecting our native fish populations.  These Salmon have a time cycle that forces them to spawn in the fall of the year, our steams due not have enough water to allow these fish to migrate into our local streams.  This keeps the bio diversity of our local streams in place and allows for recreational as well as commercial fishing in the ocean during the late summer. 

When we get our final permits, the construction face will quickly begin.  The cost will be close to $25,000.00.  We need donations as well as people to help build the new salmon pens.  We hope you can help.  Please contact Al Smith or Larry Wolf at 458-3095 or call me at 688-4257.  I hope to hear from all of you soon.  (back to top)

The salmon season started strong in April and is still going strong as I write this article.  We had a great turn out for our 6^th Annual Mammoth Monterey Bay Salmon Derby.  The top prize went to J. L. Grace from Concord, Ca.  Mr. Grace won a $1,000.00 with a 29.04oz fish, weighed in at Moss Landing.  He caught the fish off the Pajaro hole trolling.  Second place went to J. Moodenbaugh, who won $500.00 with a 26lb.12oz fish.  His fish was weighed in at Monterey.  Third place went to B. Baum, who won $250.00 with a 24lb. 15oz. Fish.  His fish was weighed in at the Santa Cruz Upper Harbor.  We had over 400 fish weighed in during the three-day tournament.  We gave away 30 prizes based on weight.  An additional 30 prizes randomly drawn, to anyone who weighed in a fish.  An additional 15 prizes to people who fished but did not catch any, but the still turned in their weight tickets.  We also gave 3 prizes to mystery weight fish.  New this year was our Three Day Weight Totals.  The total weight for three fish weighed in over three days was 56lbs.03ozs.  The winner was Lauren Nilson.  He won $300.00 and a Penn Sabre Rod & 545 Reel.  Second Place went to Walter Moe with a three-day total of 53lbs. 13ozs.  Walter won a Penn Rod & Reel.  Last, for our Grand Prize Raffle, we gave away 26 prizes.  Ron Beck won the grand prize, which was a trip to Breezes Resort in Runaway Bay, Jamaica, from Felton.  Ron also fished in the derby and turned in his Derby Raffle Ticket when he was done.  All together, we gave away 106 prizes in this yearâs derby. 

The Derby raised over $10,000.00 for MBS&TP.  This money is being used to buy new Salmon Net Pens for the Santa Cruz Harbor starting next year if we receive all the necessary permits.  This operation will replace our Moss Landing Harbor pens that were decommissioned due to constant dredging of their harbor.  With any luck, we should be releasing an additional 120,000 King Salmon directly into the bay.  Many of the fish that are caught during August and September, are our hatchery fish that were released over the last three years.  These fish will not leave this area.  Because we acclimated them to our harbor when we received them, they will not migrate away from this area.  These fish are planted here to take the pressure off native fish returning to streams to spawn.  Sport and commercial fishermen catch our hatchery fish.   Seals and sea lions also get their fair share. 

Again, I would like to thank all of you who helped or fished in the derby.  All the sponsors and their donations were truly appreciated.  Our fishing in the Monterey Bay is some of the best fishing in the world.  We do need more volunteers.  The effort needed of a few is overwhelming but the effort of many is much easier on all of us trying to keep what we have.   Contact the hatchery or me directly if you can spare some time. 

Thanks Again.

Larry Wolf

Our fantastic "core" volunteers have done it again! They gave us terrific effort and support in making all of these tasks so successful in year 2000:

   * Trapping & capturing adult broodstock salmonnids in December 1999 through early April 2000 (special thanks to Matt Rowley & his divers and to all of our great in-stream helpers).

   * Planting steelhead and coho smolts in March and April 2000.

   * Hatchery reconstruction and storm recovery (special thanks to Bob Eustice and his helpers).

   * Chinook Enhancement Program in Monterey (special thanks to Howard Thielbar and his crew).

   *Grant proposals support (special thanks to Bob Eustice, Jerry O'Neill, Matt Rowley, Dave Streig, and Carren Wilson).

   * Sixth Annual Salmon Derby (special thanks to Larry Wolf and our spectacular supporting crew of 23 volunteers).

   * Fish care at Kingfisher Flat Rearing Facility

I thank all of you great volunteers for your outstanding support. Without you we would be out of business!

As i mentioned in our spring newsletter, this year we had the lowest turn out of volunteers, five, to take part in our fish care training program. To make matters worse, shortly their training 4 of the 5 trainees dropped out of the program. We will be deeply concerned if this trend continues in the future. The MBS&TP is an all volunteer organization with one exception, our Facilities Manager and biologist, Dave Streig. It is a matter of fact that all volunteer based organizations go through periods of turnover and drop out for a myriad of human nature reasons. In the past we have been able to survive these cycles thanks to our great "core" volunteers and to some new very dedicated entrants into our project activities. Unfortunately without a continuing number of "new blood" volunteers each year we will eventually die out and cease to exist. We welcome serious minded persons who want to become volunteers to support our mission of restoring and enhancing the endangered and threatened salmonid fish populations in our area streams and Monterey Bay.  

For those of you who are interested in continuing to support us with your volunteer efforts, perhaps you can talk to relatives, friends, or colleagues about what we are doing and see if we can inspire any new dedicated supporters to join us in our mission. I expect to initiate training of new volunteers in March, April, and May of 2001. Anyone interested in being trained to work with us in fish care activities occasionally on a weekend day, holiday, or any day when our Facilities Manager is not on duty, please contact me, Al Smith, at 831-458-3095, or E-Mail MBSTP@AOL.com , or send a note to my attention at P.O. Box 417, Davenport, CA 95017. (back to top)