By Sam Davidson

As any “chrome” fanatic knows, fishing for steelhead requires the stoicism of a monk.  The same is true for steelhead conservation.  Just as steelheaders figure it takes ten outings for every actual hookup (at least among us mortals), so too do those of us working to protect and restore native steelhead and their habitat figure it may take years before you see real, measurable success.

On May 8, 2013, the steelhead conservation effort-to-success ratio paid off, when the Monterey County Planning Commission approved the revised plan for the San Clemente Dam Removal Project on the Carmel River.  The commission’s blessing was the final procedural hurdle that had to be cleared in order to initiate this project, which is vital to the recovery of the South Central Coastal Distinct Population Segment (DPS) of steelhead.

Trout Unlimited has been working since 2006 with local, state and federal partners to design and implement this project, which will be the largest dam yet taken down in California and will restore fish access to 25 miles of high quality spawning and rearing habitat in the upper watershed.

Steelhead in the Carmel River might be gone altogether if not for the efforts of a remarkable partnership.  The Carmel River Steelhead Association (CRSA), the Monterey Peninsula Water Management District, the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), the California Department of Fish & Wildlife, and Trout Unlimited have been working together each summer, as segments of the river and its tributaries dry up, to capture juvenile steelhead and relocate them to other parts of the drainage so that they will have a chance to mature and later spawn.  And in the “big picture,” these partners have been working with the California Coastal Conservancy, California-American Water Company, and others to advance the San Clemente Dam Removal Project. 

At the Planning Commission meeting, TU’s Central Coast Steelhead Coordinator Tim Frahm — a resident of Carmel Valley — gave compelling testimony on the benefits of the project for anglers, for the community, and for his family.

“Today, we finally see a lot of effort and investment pay dividends,” said Frahm afterwards.  “But the big payoff is going to be in a few years, when the dam is gone and steelhead are moving in and out of all the newly-accessible habitat, and when my daughter and I will be able hike in there and see them in action.”

On the Carmel River, it’s been a long struggle to keep the native steelhead run alive.  But yesterday’s Planning Commission result was a critical step forward in this campaign.