Everything Southern Humboldt and more
Sometimes you can see the results.
From the Friends of the Eel River:
Van Arsdale Fish Count Station
November 19, 2012
A total of 1,271 Chinook salmon entered the station this past week. The season total stands at 1,904: (1,013 male, 578 female, 313 jacks). On November 18, the single day record was broken: 765 fish were counted.
 | Miss Criyant on For a Crisp Spring Saturday… |
| Miss Criyant on For a Crisp Spring Saturday… |
| Miss Criyant on For a Crisp Spring Saturday… |
 | suzy blah blah on For a Crisp Spring Saturday… |
 | Narration on For a Crisp Spring Saturday… |
| suzy blah blah on For a Crisp Spring Saturday… |
| Narration on For a Crisp Spring Saturday… |
| Miss Criyant on For a Crisp Spring Saturday… |
| Narration on How does vinegar mix with tin… |
| Narration on How does vinegar mix with tin… |
| suzy blah blah on For a Crisp Spring Saturday… |
| Miss Criyant on For a Crisp Spring Saturday… |
| Narration on For a Crisp Spring Saturday… |
| Miss Criyant on For a Crisp Spring Saturday… |
| suzy blah blah on How does vinegar mix with tin… |
16 comments
Comments feed for this article
November 20, 2012 at 3:16 pm
Fred Mangels
Are you sure you can point to “environmental policy” as the reason for a good run of salmon?
November 20, 2012 at 3:31 pm
no
It shows the railroad is not as big deal as environmentalists are making it out to be.
November 20, 2012 at 3:35 pm
tra
According to the FOER’s website, as of Nov. 20th of last year (2011) “A total of 654 Chinook salmon entered the station this past week, bringing the season total to 890.”
The week after that, Nov. 7th 2011, “A total of 1,281 Chinook salmon entered the station this past week, bringing the season total to 2,171.”
In the three weeks following that, the numbers were 225, 23, and 11, and the eventual total for the 2011 season was 2,436.
The weekly totals for the 2011 season looked like this:
13 10/25/11
39 10/31/11
89 11/06/11
83 11/14/11
654 11/20/11
1281 11/27/11
225 12/04/11
23 12/11/11
11 12/18/11
0 12/25/11
5 01/01/12
1 01/08/12
So far, the weekly totals for the 2012 season look like this:
194 11/04/12
439 11/12/12
1271 11/19/12
? 11/26/12
… …
So the question is, have we just passed the peak of this year’s count during the past week — with the peak of the run coming about a week earlier this year than last year — in which case the total number will end up being about the same as last year? Or is the peak still to come, in which case the total will be significantly larger than last year?
If I had to guess, based on personal observation and anecdotal reports, I’d guess that we have not yet passed the peak, and that the totals for this year will, indeed be significantly higher than last year.
I guess we’ll find out next week.
November 20, 2012 at 4:53 pm
Eric Kirk
Are you sure you can point to “environmental policy” as the reason for a good run of salmon?
Can I prove it absolutely? No. Correllation is not causation. But it is correllation.
It shows the railroad is not as big deal as environmentalists are making it out to be.
What railroad runs by the Eel River?
November 20, 2012 at 5:10 pm
mbsouthpaw
Congratulations on a glimmer of hope for the Eel River!!! What specific environmental policies are being lauded here?
November 20, 2012 at 6:01 pm
no
Really Eric?
November 20, 2012 at 6:42 pm
Fred Mangels
Can I prove it absolutely? No. Correllation is not causation. But it is correlation..
I heard from salmon fishermen over 30 years ago that salmon run in cycles. Most reports I’ve read of improved salmon runs mention that favorable ocean conditions have a lot to do with the better runs.
Yet at least Erik suggests this is because of some environmental policies. Can Friends Of The Eel, or anyone else, be more specific as to what policies brought about the return of the salmon?
I’d suggest not but they’ve (probably inadvertently) set this up so they can’t lose. They can claim all their efforts, whatever they were, led to the comeback. I’d be surprised if they can point to anything specific.
If salmon runs stop improving, they’ll just say we didn’t follow their advice enough. If they keep improving, they’ll point to some policy in place that led to the improvement. Again, they can’t lose.
Another example; many enviros suggest we have “fish killing dams” on the Klamath, yet the Klamath has led the state in record runs of salmon. Might those runs still increase due to ocean conditions, even after those dams are torn down? Then the enviros claim it was because of dam removal regardless of runs increasing before the dams were torn down?
Forgive my skepticism about more skullduggery from the enviros, but it happens all the time.
November 21, 2012 at 9:03 am
Dave Kirby
I remember when the Salmon would stack up in the lower Eel and they would be easy pickings for the snaggers and meat hogs. I think the most effective measure that has contributed to improved runs is the low water closure of river fishing. After all, these are the survivors that have completed the daunting cycle to return and spawn.
November 21, 2012 at 10:13 am
Ernie's Place
One of the main factors to improving on-shore habitat has come from Mother Nature herself. We have had moderate consistent rainfall, and the old resting holes have scoured out. The river gravel load from the 1964 flood, and more recent ones, is flushing out to sea. The river is the best that I’ve seen it since before 1964.
If I were a fish I would be so happy that would spawn also. The resting holes are vitally important. I guess you would have had to have been there to understand.
November 21, 2012 at 11:25 am
ICU812
Great point Ernie, however it helps when there is water in the river too, in the summer and early fall months. The So Fork Eel dried up in 2009, between Phillipsville and Miranda, as in NO FLOW, and it continues to have lower and lower seasonal flows. Water needs to stay in the So Fork Eel watershed and basin, not trucked and sold to pot grows far far away that don’t have water in their own watershed and headwaters..
And you are so right about Mother Nature, she will heal herself, if we stop now and respect her.
November 21, 2012 at 11:25 am
Dave Kirby
Ernie…Did you guys eat river Salmon other than smoked?
November 21, 2012 at 10:03 pm
Ernie Branscomb
Oh yeah, We ate salmon as far up as Laytonville. The meat is white when it has been in the river long. It tastes like a cross between mud and soap. When you don’t know the difference, and you go to bed with a full belly, life is good. I’ve eaten ground squirrel and jack rabbit also.
I guess that it was tough for a logger family to get though the winter but we sure didn’t know it. Most all the logger families lived of the land. Deer meat was considered a delicacy. Most loggers pretty much lived off deer meat, gravy, and biscuits.
November 22, 2012 at 11:55 am
HUUFC
Happy Thanksgiving!
November 22, 2012 at 12:08 pm
Narration
Cheers also, HUUFC.
And Ernie, thanks for the down-home story. Enough of my friends, growing up.
November 23, 2012 at 9:47 am
Fred Mangels
Record run of salmon on the Russian River, too:
http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20121122/ARTICLES/121129876/1350?Title=Record-salmon-run-in-Russian-River
November 27, 2012 at 9:04 am
Joe Blow
I guess we all know what part of this country your family came from — BEFORE. My family must have been the exception. Ground squirrel and jack rabbit would have made a good meal for the dogs. Did eat my fair share of deer meat, no doe meat though.