Most people are excited when they hear that there are 180,000 salmon in Monterey Bay. I am excited, too, as these fish are being pen-raised for a short period of time by Monterey Bay Salmon and Trout Project.
This effort, along with steelhead, Coho salmon and the S.T.E.P. program, is one of the main focuses of the MBSTP hatchery. The hatchery is always looking for new members, and the election for the board of directors is coming up soon.
The hatchery took down the first load of juvenile Chinooks in the middle of May. There will be three loads of fish, and each load will be close to 60,000 fish. They will be transitioned from fresh to salt water and will be fed and released after a week. The idea is to take these fish to Santa Cruz Harbor to help imprint the fish and help with their transition.
This technique has been used in Puget Sound, and the success has been fantastic. It has been found that these fish get an imprint for the local ocean waters where they are acclimated and have a stronger tendency not to migrate with other populations of Chinook, so local sport and commercial anglers can catch them.
The success has already been proven in this area. Salmon counts will continue through the season until the close of the season in the fall. In years past, adult salmon were rarely seen or caught in the Monterey Bay past late July. But returns of these 3-year-old adults have been abundant some years, as schools of Chinooks can be seen roaming the Santa Cruz Harbor.
This year, each Chinook will have a coded wire tag and a clipped adipose fin. These will help watchers determine more about the behavior of the fish. One thing I am sure of is that the addition of 180,000 salmon to our local waters by the hatchery and its volunteers can only help the resource.
Monterey Bay Salmon and Trout Project is a nonprofit and relies on its members to support and continue to direct its efforts.
The MBSTP will have a meeting for members to vote for a new board of directors from 6:30 to 7 p.m. June 10 at the Aptos Grange Hall, 2555 Mar Vista Drive, in Aptos. If you are not a member, you may become one that day and cast your vote. You can also go to the group’s website, www.mtsp.org, to find more information.
Mike Baxter has fished in the Monterey Bay Area since he was a boy and has been a licensed charter boat captain for more than 15 years. Contact him at
ca************@ya***.com
. He also hosts a fishing show on radio station KSCO (1080) from 7:06 to 8 p.m. Thursdays through September.
