When coho salmon or steelhead swim up the South Fork of the Noyo River as far as its confluence with Kass Creek, they will very likely get no farther or be unable to spawn if they do.
A Noyo Watershed Alliance Project aims to help fix that problem by replacing a failing and undersized long stringer bridge with a 60-foot steel structure that has better clearance. The Salmon Restoration Association, host of the 2008 World”s Largest Salmon Barbecue this Saturday, will dedicate the proceeds of the fish-eating fest to the project.
The SRA has become an official partner in the Noyo Watershed Alliance, along with the two biggest timber companies in the area, the city of Fort Bragg and Jackson Demonstration State Forest. All are important landowners in the watershed area.
In addition to replacing the bridge, the project would make the creek more attractive to salmon, which is where the SRA funds will come in. The science of doing that has changed over the years from clearing out streams to putting “natural” logs into the stream, which creates holes where salmon can spawn in clean gravel.
“These actions will restore fish passage into 2.6 miles of high priority stream,” the grant application form states.
It is hoped that a grant from the California Department of Fish and Game will pay for the bulk of the bridge replacement, with word expected early next year.
The new bridge would allow salmon to pass all year. It will be less prone to debris blockage and will be built to survive a 100-year flood event.
All of the Mendocino Coast”s rivers were basically ruined as habitat for migratory fish during the 20th Century, but still have small populations and hope for a return to noticeable fish numbers. While most of the damage can be blamed on historic or “legacy” logging practices which now cost modern timber companies dearly in both log quality and erosion, a variety of developments have caused both muddying and warming of streams, both of which hurt salmon and steelhead.
Another crucial project now under way is reducing illicit uses of Sherwood Road by four-wheel-drive off-road vehicles, which have been causing severe erosion that is unrelated to logging.
The Noyo Watershed Alliance will set up an information booth at the heart of the barbecue grounds in South Noyo Harbor on Saturday, including maps of the 113-square-mile area it is working to restore and introducing the partners and projects.
In 2007, Noyo Watershed Alliance, along with Trout Unlimited and California Coastal Conservancy, produced the Noyo River Watershed Enhancement Plan (Noyo WEP) — an integration of watershed restoration goals and planning efforts in and around the watershed as well as within larger regional, state and federal planning frameworks.
The Noyo WEP identifies 16 restoration, assessment and monitoring projects, and the 2008 Salmon Barbecue will help implement of one of the high priority projects. The WEP, seen as a gameplan to naturally reviving the area”s once great salmon resource, will also be explained at the July 5 event.
Faces of fishermen
Another new booth at this year”s barbecue will be that of the “Faces of California Fishermen” project.
Lori French, the wife of a fisherman from Moro Bay, is documenting the effect of the salmon disaster of 2008 through the faces of working commercial fishermen. French hopes local fishermen who come to the barbecue agree to have their photo taken and get a free t-shirt.
“I have pictures of guys up and down the coast,” French said. Getting the photos of the fishermen in action was harder than she thought.
“Let me tell you it”s hard to nail fishermen down. Including my own husband,” she said.
Her husband, Jeff, is a second-generation fisherman.
“The original idea was a series of newspaper ads with a Website as an offshoot. I applied for a grant from the Central California Joint Fisheries Cable Liaison Committee,” she said.
“One thing led to another and the Website (www.thefacesofcaliforniafishing.com) was deemed the best way to reach people to tell them who we are and what we do. I received a second grant in April to expand the Website and keep going.”
In addition to photos, the Website features stories told by fishermen, recipes, facts about fish farms, sustainability and other issues. Although French uses the term “fishermen” women are shown in her photos as well.
Despite spending a lifetime around fishermen, she says she has learned a whole lot from the photojournalism project.
“Every fisherman has been drastically affected by the regulations, MLPAs, loss of fishing areas — and not in a positive way,” she said.
She said she has learned that commercial fishermen know more about the health of the ocean than anyone in a university.
“Every fisherman is independent, loves the ocean, and is fiercely proud of the work they do. Commercial fishing is not just a job; it is a total way of life. These guys can fix anything with duct tape, neosporin, and crab wire,” she said.
