Wednesday December 27, 2023
Lake County Record-Bee —
Carefully wading through knee-high water in Lagunitas Creek, salmon researchers recorded the fish and nesting sites they encountered.
While the first coho and chinook salmon were observed at the mouth of the creek last month, rain has been slow to start this season. That has contributed to a gradual arrival of the adult fish to their spawning grounds, researchers said.
“Right now is when the most fish are supposed to run,” Ophelia Macdonald, a watershed aide in the Marin Municipal Water District fisheries department, said on Monday. “After these rains, there’s probably going to be a lot of fish by the end of the week.”
To date, 53 coho redds, or nests, have been found by Macdonald and water district researchers. A majority were discovered just before rain fell over the weekend, according to the district. The storm brought more than an inch of rain to several Marin communities and more is expected through Thursday morning.