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Published Semi-Annually by:Monterey Bay Salmon & Trout Project

101 Cooper St., Unit 246 Santa Cruz, CA 95060

www.mbstp.org831-531-2051

May 2019 / Vol. 27

In this Issue:

1 15th Sand Crab Classic

4 Helping Hand

5 Healthy Habits

6 AHHHH… The Wonderful Smell

8 Supporting Local Fisheries

9 State of the Hatchery

10 When it Rains it Pours

11 Al Smith, Exceptional Dedication

12 New Field Studies [STEP]

19 Election of Directors Ballot

The views expressed herein are those of the individual contributors and are not to be considered as representing the

official stance or policy of MBSTP unless specifically stated as such.

Conserving and Enhancing the Salmon and Steelhead of the

Monterey Bay

Nearly 400 people gathered On March 11th at Portuguese Hall in Santa Cruz to celebrate what has become a community institution- the Annual Sand Crab Classic Perch Derby. The crowd included anglers vying for trophies and prizes in the Men’s, Women’s, Youth, and Fly Divisions. Separate trophies are awarded for largest barred surf perch and for “other” surf and seaperch. A dedicated crew of some 40 volunteers give their time and effort each year to make the derby an outstanding success.

This was the 15th Annual Sand Crab Classic. As usual, competition was tough, but at least the conditions were difficult and uncomfortable. Many participants found muddy waters from river and creek runoff. The morning also featured some rain and blustery winds. But, with so many surfcasting for perch all around the Monterey Bay and beyond, it’s a foregone conclusion that some big fish will be weighed in every year.

Sand Crab continued on Page 2

15th Annual Sand Crab Classic Perch Derby A yearly benefit for MBSTP

By Allen Bushnell

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Front Cover: Derby GRANDMASTER Joe Gomez celebrates with a nice catch! Congrats Joe! Left-top: Little guy, Big fish! The Perch Derby is a great chance to take your kids fishing! Left-bottom: Pink Boots Rule! Kids have a great time at the Perch Derby every year!

15-inch fish weighing two pounds seven ounces. Repeat winner Samara Cortazzo used pile worms to hook her pile perch from the West Cliff area. Samara’s fish was two pounds, 5.5 ounces and measured 15 3/8 inches. Another perennial winner took the fly fishing top prize. Evan Praskin brought in a barred surf perch that measured 15-inches even. Full results can be found on the Sand Crab Classic Facebook page.

All proceeds from the event directly benefit our local non-profit hatchery and conservancy organization The Monterey Bay Salmon and Trout Project. MBSTP has safeguarded and promoted population of anadromous Monterey Bay fish for over 40 years through its hatchery operations, educational efforts and by protecting and restoring natural habitat for salmon and steelhead trout.

2019 was no exception. Santa Cruzan Joe Gomez took home the

big trophy and gained the title of Grand Master for the year. His winning fish was a barred surf perch weighing two pounds, 15.4 ounces, caught somewhere on the Eastside of Santa Cruz. Salinas resident Jay Punkar took first place for men’s barred perch with a 16.5-inch fish that weighed in at two pounds 15 ounces. Long-time contestant Brian Servel earned first place for men’s seaperch with a beautiful striped perch weighing two pounds 3.6 ounces.

Molly Hanson fished New Brighton Beach where she caught a barred perch weighing 2 pounds 14.9 ounces for the first prize women’s trophy. The women’s seaperch 1st place prize went to Melanie Gilbert who caught a nice Calico perch of one pound seven ounces, again at New Brighton Beach.

The Youth Division barred perch winner this year was Madison Jaurequi. She and her family fished “Zuma” Beach where she landed

Sand Crab continued from Page 1

MBSTP Board of Directors:

Chair Mat Rowley

Vice Chair Bob Anderson

Treasurer Sam Bishop

Secretary Mary Hermansky

Event Coordinator Mary Hermansky

Other Board Members Mike Baxter

Chuck Backman Jeremy Streig

Scott McGilvray Chris Wellise

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It may seem a contradiction that the biggest, best-attended and longest-running fishing derby to support salmon and steelhead in our area occurs in the saltwater and targets perch. Well, the last thing in the world we’d want to do would be to add more fishing pressure to our delicate local streams and river. Plus, steelhead are hard to hook up even when conditions are perfect, which is rare most winters. You can’t schedule a steelhead fishing day, you just have to be ready when it shows up. Perch, on the other hand, are consistently available

along the vast stretches of beach that ring the beautiful Monterey Bay.

Even in the worst conditions with huge swells or gale-force winds, surfcasters will catch perch. In a way, there exists a parallel to steelhead fishing. We’re dealing with moving water and wily prey. We often have to let the currents swing our presentation into the feeding zone, much like river fishing. The fish move in schools, when you’ve found one there’s likely more in the immediate area. Accumulating

a knowledge of nearshore submarine topography is akin to learning the holes and deeper runs of a steelhead river. Except, beach structure can change with each new swell. Luckily, a few days surfcasting every week will keep your mental map updated. And, when a good wintertime steelhead day occurs, you’ll have your waders ready, and be well-practiced for accurate casting!

Bushnell also operates Santa Cruz Kayak and Surf Fishing Guide Service. scruzfishing@ yahoo.com.

Left-top: The General Raffle wall Left-midway: Our Executive Director, Ben Harris, at the MBSTP Perch Derby booth, with 25 new names of interest Bottom-right: Perch Derby commemorative t-shirt

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MBSTP volunteers help with a release of coho salmon smolts to Scott Creek. Central Coast Coho are repopulating streams south of SF Bay thanks to our conservation hatchery!

Here’s to another successful season of coho salmon spawning at Kingfisher Flat Hatchery! Over the past few months, MBSTP hatchery personnel and volunteers helped to spawn hundreds of endangered coho salmon as part of our cooperative rearing program. The offspring of these fish will be raised at the hatchery until they reach smolt stage, when they will then be released to local watersheds.

This program operates in partnership with the California Dept. of Fish & Wildlife (CDFW) and the NOAA Fisheries Ecology Division to help prevent the extinction of locally-adapted populations of coho salmon. Adult fish sourced from captive broodstock at the hatchery are paired with wild fish collected from Scott Creek in order to create the most diverse offspring

possible. This parental pairing and spawning process requires careful application of a genetic matrix for all broodstock.

MBSTP engages in a ‘quality over quantity’ mindset with regard to our coho salmon program. It is our goal to produce the most genetically diverse, locally adapted fish possible- all while working to ensure released juveniles have the best chance of survival to adulthood. Hatcheries often come with a well-earned bad reputation with regard to Pacific salmon management. MBSTP is working to prove that responsibly managed, conservation-oriented

hatchery programs can succeed by helping at-risk fish populations survive

Coho salmon in California have endured a great deal of stress at the population level, yet existing runs of coho continue as far south as the watersheds of Monterey Bay, thanks in part to the efforts of MBSTP’s captive broodstock program. We apply cutting-edge fisheries genetics and the support of a dedicated membership and volunteer base to help prevent the extinction of locally-adapted coho salmon. You can lend a helping hand to native salmon and be a part of the solution by joining MBSTP or volunteering!

A Helping Hand for CohoBy Ben Harris

2 Deer Path Way Cell: 408-603-0022Santa Cruz, CA 95060

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The presence of salmon and Steelhead in our community has a high value in imparting a sense of general health and wellbeing! These iconic fish represent a healthy functioning ecosystem that supports us in so many ways. The knowledge that the system of salmon is functioning, even if imperiled, is so much more uplifting and encouraging than the sense of loss that we would experience if they were lost from our Central Coast! The knowledge that MBSTP is operating a genetics conservation hatchery with measured levels of success over recent decades provides some comfort that we won’t soon lose our local salmon and steelhead. Education and adaptive action by the people will promote a higher quality river and estuary environment for wild native salmonids to recover a more abundant self-sustaining population. The genetics

conservation hatchery process would then serve simply as “insurance” against population declines during protracted drought and scouring floods.

We do have much work before this insured reestablishment of salmonids becomes a stabilized sustainable cycle. Many small to moderate scale habitat conservation and enhancement projects will need to be undertaken at all levels; government, municipal, corporate, and individual. Meaningful improvement will come as the sum of many small actions and projects. First and foremost, it’s all about water. Yes, we can celebrate that the long drought has now ended, but conscious thoughtful water use needs to become part of who we are. Habits of non-wasteful consumption need to become normal healthy behavior for all. Also, there are many things that

people can do to reduce rapid runoff and promote aquifer recharge during the rainy season. These can be simple small projects and larger

ones where appropriate. These do require work and thoughtful design to be properly constructed but the resulting enhancement to our local environment will be very satisfying and enhance our wellbeing as well. Change can be difficult but understanding can help us adapt our values. Many may enjoy the river views up long uninterrupted glides that accentuate the sinuous shape of the channel but with the understanding that messy looking banks and channel with lots of stable stumps, logs and partially rooted downed trees is far better habitat for salmon and steelhead should come to be appreciated as more beautiful than the uncluttered version.

MBSTP has been struggling to enhance the vitality of the Central Coast through salmonid enhancement and conservation for more than four decades. There is much work to be done before we achieve our goals and it is encouraging to see that the support of the general populace is falling into place. Watershed stewardship can be taught by example, and from one neighbor to the next, spread throughout our coastal watersheds. We encourage you to become a champion for our imperiled salmonids as an icon for the health of our communities and general wellbeing. MBSTP thanks you for your support!

Healthy HabitsBy Mat Rowley

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AHHHH... THAT WONDERFUL SMELL OF FISH!!

or The 41st Albacore Feed turned the Aroma Trail into Gold!By Mary Hermansky, Board Member and Event Coordinator

Each year we stand at the entryway of the Castroville Recreation Center and wait with anticipation to see how successful our Albacore Feed will be. We watch the lines form into the darkening distance and hear the chatter of our Fish Faithful build as they arrive. It’s a hopeful sound! Inside the Center, we rush around, making sure that there are enough cups for our award-winning wine donated by Jim Drulias and his friend, Dr. Bill Parker. That we have the right silent auction bid sheets match the certificates and donated prizes collected, and that the coffee and 144 cookies from Pacific Cookie Company have been delivered. And one last thing- the PA system works!! We’re all “button-pushers”, but which one?!?!

Yet- we weren’t disappointed by this year’s turn-out! It was one of our best! There are always new faces from the community who discovered the lure (lure! get it? lure?!!- I digress...) of our Albacore’s saucy ways. Who have come to appreciate the finesse of how we wrap our biodegradable

plasticware in Costco’s over-sized dinner napkins (Thank you Tina Damasco & crew!), laid upon Salinas Wax Paper’s durable table covering. Ah, such beauty, such elan, such sophistication! I think next year that we’ll begin to keep ties on hand for those who forgot to wear theirs!

FOOD FIGHT! Yes, Dr. Ishii’s Castroville Rotary team of cook’s and salad and garlic bread chefs, know how to get everyone’s attention away from pawing over the raffle prizes and out-bidding for the silent auction items! Like Pavlov guppies in a small pond, our guests line up, dinner tickets in hand, and are served THE BEST Albacore ever baked! Mike Baxter, our Board Member par excellance who also has a gift for MC gab, begins his monologue of appreciations, mega-star identifications (Thanks! Mike! Autograph line to the left please!) and the fact that Elvis Has Left The Building! awww... But soon the dissonance dissipates as Becky Fitch (nee Thompson, as in MBSTP’s founder’s daughter), begins her raffle-number calling. All of a sudden, people are

dialed into their long strands of raffle tickets, hoping that their numbers are called. Some hold lucky hands and win consecutive prizes while others miss by JUST ONE NUMBER! their chance to collect a coveted sack of Ocean Mist Jumbo Artichoke Globe or a fresh stalk of Rodoni Farms Brussels sprouts, or dinner at the Crow’s Nest at the Santa Cruz Harbor or even a night’s stay the Chaminade Resort (spatime and breakfast included!).

Last year, I tried to include as many of our donors as possible in my column. This year, we are publishing the entire list and some who’ve donated in the past and may’ve been overlooked due to space. The list will be on our website also.

The response to our donation requests continues to be overwhelming! The generosity of Nepenthe restaurant down in Big Sur, Grasing’s in Carmel, The Sardine Factory in Monterey, Vivolo’s Chowder House in Pacific Grove, Shadowbrook and Crow’s Nest in Capitola and Santa Cruz, the Whale City Bakery, Bar & Grill up in

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Davenport, Severino’s in Aptos and the Alfaro Family Vineyards and Trout Gulch Vineyards in “them thar hills”, and Gilda’s Family Restaurant on the Santa Cruz Wharf, and Scopazzi’s in Boulder Creek, cannot go unmentioned. Santa Cruz Mountain Brewing Co. supplied their “growler” and 2 mugs,

Donor List:A Tool ShedAlfaro Family VineyardsAmerican AbaloneAmerican Ag Credit AnnieglassATT Golf TournamentAugie's Glass Auto MotivesBayonet Black Horse Golf CoursesBenbow Historic InnBoulder Creek Golf & Country ClubCafe CruzCafe FinaCastroville ACE Hardware Cave Springs Resort Chaminade Resort & SpaCorralitos Market & Sausage Co.DeLaveaga Golf CourseDiscretion BrewingDonnelly ChocolatesEl Estero Car Wash Elk’s DinnerFirst AwakeningsGilda's ItalianGilroy Gardens Family Theme ParkGizdich RanchGlaum Egg Ranch Aptos

while for the 4th year in a row, Discretion Brewery served up a certificate enough for a serious party! So many more! Happy Girl Kitchen Company in Pacific Grove donates a cullinder of homemade organic condiments and Meek’s Honey provides a basketfull of 8 different types of honey plus beeswax products.

Granite RockGrasing'sHappy Girl Kitchen CompanyIlluminee Lighting & DesignJ & S Surplus Kahuna SportfishingKaty's PlaceKayak ConnectionLandmark TheatresLittle River InnLloyd's Tire & AutoMarianne's Ice CreamMcCormick's SpicesMeek's HoneyMission Hill CreameryMonterey Bay Whale WatchMonterey's Fish HouseMonterey Plaza Hotel & SpaMonterey ZooMoss Landing Harbor DistrictNapa Auto PartsNepenthe RestaurantOcean Mist O'Neill Yacht ChartersPacific Cookie CoPalace Art & Office SupplyPalapas Restaurant & CantinaPaper Vision

Our golf courses came through and someone went to the AT&T Pro-Am tournament this year or enjoyed Bayonet’s Black Horse Golf Course or Boulder Creek’s Golf & Country Club! Or, sailed on O’Neill’s Yacht Charter or went whale-watching on Stagnaro’s

PassionfishPebble Beach CompanyPhil's Fish Market Play It AgainRefuge Spa Riverside LightingRoaring Camp RailroadsRodoni FarmsSalinas RodeoSalinas Wax PaperSanta Cruz BoardwalkSanta Cruz Charters Santa Cruz Harbor Port DistrictSanta Cruz Mountain Brewing Co.Santa Cruz SymphonySanta Cruz WarriorsShadowbrook and The Crow's Nest

RestaurantsSorensen's ResortStagnaro Bros. Restaurant & Fish-

market Stagnaro Charter BoatsThe Skunk TrainThe Tackle BoxTiedeman's NurseryTurner's OutdoorsmanVivolo's Chowder HouseWild Roots Market

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Albacore Feed continued on Page 16

Albacore Feed Donors

Santa Cruz Bound! These fish from Mokelumne Hatchery will be part of the 2019 coastal release!

Supporting local fish-eries: the 2019 MBSTP chinook release

By Ben Harris

been impacted by the immense loss of salmon habitats in the Bay-Delta and Central Valley regions. Coastal enhancement programs at Half Moon Bay and Fort Baker sites will each release hundreds of thousands of smolts as well, creating a substantial benefit for our local fisheries. MBSTP was the first nonprofit to engage in coastal salmon releases through this program, and we are thrilled to be getting back to work supporting salmon fishing in our local community.

All fish released by MBSTP will be implanted with a Coded-Wire Tag (CWT). This helps monitor adult returns and determine the exact benefit gained by

Our 2019 chinook salmon release is right around the corner! In late May of this year, MBSTP will receive 120,000 chinook salmon smolts from the CDFW Mokelumne River hatchery. These fish will be transferred to a floating barge in Santa Cruz Harbor, towed out into Monterey Bay, and then released. With luck, they will grow to adulthood over a few years, helping to improve salmon fishing for residents and visitors along California’s Central Coast.

These releases are part of a larger CDFW-backed program that uses funding derived from commercial salmon fishing licenses to directly support fisheries which have

California’s recreational and commercial fishing fleets. In past years, smolts were acclimated in the harbor over a period of several weeks. This season the fish will be transferred to a barge and immediately towed out for release- with no acclimation or feeding in the harbor. This will help reduce straying among returning adults, and gives smolts the best chance of contributing to local salmon fisheries.

Be sure to stay tuned to our website and Facebook page for information on the exact release date, salmon season opener, and our plans for additional releases in Monterey Bay in 2020-onward. The outpouring of community support for MBSTP’s chinook salmon program has been tremendous. This is a publicly-popular program that benefits local coastal communities and ensures salmon fishing in California will be around for future generations to enjoy.

Stay tuned to our website (mbstp.org) and Facebook for updates on our chinook salmon release this May!

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Hatchery ‘A-Team’ volunteer Jessie Bush loads coho salmon eggs into the Moist Air Incubator

Each spawn season tends to develop “personality” that uniquely differentiates one from others and this most recent one was no different. This season saw two encouraging achievements; eggs from 82 coho females were successfully harvested and fertilized, the highest number since the coho program’s inception. Another achievement was a significant improvement in survival as developing eggs hatch into sac fry (or alevins). Historically, this rate had been routinely below 50%; this year it improved to 75%.

Through the dedicated efforts of the “A-Team”, evolving efficiency and improvement in coho spawning processes are bringing about increased production and contribution of

endangered coho from Kingfisher Flat Hatchery to local streams. For hatchery staff to have a diligent, experienced team to assist with a highly complex process bodes well for coho recovery efforts. And it’s an honor and pleasure to work with them too!

Fish Culture Highlights

Current numbers of fish at Kingfisher Flat Hatchery:

• 82 captive coho females yielded almost 140,000 eggs.

• Almost 50,000 coho fry actively feeding and another estimated 5,000 in development.

• 1,000 coho fry designated for captive coho brood fish adults,

reaching maturity winter 2021/22.

• 700 captive coho fingerling that will reach maturity during winter 2020/21. From this group, 380 individual fish lacking any physical deformities will be distributed to the NOAA lab in Santa Cruz, Warm Springs Hatchery in Sonoma County and MBSTP retaining a portion for growth to maturation.

• 119 coho growing coho adults that will mature this winter. Another 250 adults will be added to this group late December; those fish brought back from NOAA lab in Santa Cruz and Warm Springs Hatchery in Sonoma County, plus any captured in area creeks that are deemed suitable for hatchery use.

Other highlights

• Hatchery staff & MBSTP volunteers assisted NOAA personnel release 11,340 tagged brood year 2018 coho smolts into the upper and lower reaches of Scott Creek during late-March/early-April. Four more releases totaling another 13,000 to

State of the HatcheryBy Mark Galloway, MBSTP Hatchery Manager

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Hatchery continued on Page 14

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The steelhead run was red hot on the Central Coast this year!

This year’s steelhead season saw a good deal more water than in the previous year. Due to a couple of early rains in the fall, which sent a nice flush of egg eaters up into the system, and a fairly decent rain event just prior to the opener, we were actually able to fish some good water on opening day for a change. Fish in the two to four pound range kept us busy for the first part of December while we awaited the first push of big fish into the river. In mid-December, we got our first significant rain event that pushed the river over 1000 CFS. When the river dropped back into shape, the first reports of adult fish started to trickle in. Because of the big water, the fish were spread out all over the system, which probably accounted for

the low numbers being reported more than the actual number of fish in the river. There were fish being caught all the way up into Ben Lomond. Both Ryan (Yosh) Itamura and Mike Kelly posted pics of 15 pounders they caught after that first rain. There may not have been that many fish in the first push but there definitely were some toads to be had.

January proved a mixture of plenty of egg eaters with the occasional adult fish here and there. Those that put their time in were getting fish when the conditions were right. I fished on my birthday, Jan. 26th, with my buddy, John Race who took the only two fish that day. One, of which, was an 8 pound buck. I thought that was pretty

inconsiderate of him considering it was my birthday and all.

As most of us know, February is always our best month for big fish on the San Lorenzo. Unfortunately, because of storm fronts stacked up one after another throughout the month, there were very few fishable days available to us in February. I actually only logged three days on my card towards the end of the month but the weekend of the 23rd & 24th was magic. Everybody caught fish on those 2 days. They were stacked in Felton and all through the Gorge and up into Brown Gables and Highland Park in Ben Lomond. Joe Baxter’s son landed 3 in the Gorge, Mike Kelly and Fernando tore it up in Felton. Even the fly guys were getting them on the swing. I even managed a chrome bright 8lb. hen at the confluence of Newell Creek and San Lorenzo. Unfortunately the action was short lived because, after that weekend, the river was blown out for the remainder of the season. Many of the dedicated diehards, however, sought solace on other venues such as Aptos or Scotts Creek.

The last day of the season, found some of the hottest sticks on

When it Rains it PoursBy Barry Burt

When it Rains continued on Page 14

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Al Smith, beloved MBSTP Chairman emeritus was a hero to the cause, and will be greatly missed.

Al Smith (1932-Dec. 10, 2018) Exceptional Dedication to MBSTP

By Mat Rowley

Al Smith was a kind and courageous soul with deep commitment to service of the greater good. He was Chairman of the board and Executive Director of MBSTP for over a decade (1998–2009). Al was deeply involved in everything MBSTP accomplished during those years. He acted as chief and hands-on operator for the King Salmon Enhancement,

Coho, and Steelhead Programs. There were many difficult challenges during Al’s tenure, but his focus, diplomacy, extreme effort, and dedication brought MBSTP through those with grace and confidence. The MBSTP community and all of those who fish for salmon and steelhead in the Monterey Bay region, are deeply grateful for Al’s exceptional service. A debt

of gratitude is owed to Al’s family whose forbearance during his retirement years allowed Al to be the ever-present dedicated chief of MBSTP operations. He will be missed, but the memory of Al Smith’s dedication will inspire generations of fisheries champions for years to come.

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STEP Trainer Richard Tejeda teaching local students about the salmon lifecycle at a recent field trip to Waddell Beach

So the STEP training last September flowed, and teachers left inspired and passionate. The training team celebrated! Now what? With the new way of teaching science and new lesson plans, it seemed wrong to just toss the newbies into the deep end without a life preserver! Since we had bins of materials for the lesson plans sitting in storage, we decided we could offer to loan out each bin for a week for a modest fee. Teachers were quick to take us up on the offer once they found prepping

for each STEP lesson was gobbling up their free time and money. We have an Activities Tracking spreadsheet on a Google drive where STEP teachers can log the lessons they give and type in their feedback too. Here’s a comment from Ailish, a first-grade teacher from Santa Cruz Gardens Elementary about the “Gyotaku” or “fish printing lesson”:

“My students loved this project. The kit is amazing!! It has everything you need! We used

real fish and my students loved being able to touch the fish and experience seeing the all the body parts up close on a fish that is not swimming away.”

At this particular lesson, the NOAA Program Officer for our Bay Watershed Education & Training (BWET) grant dropped in to observe, and left at the end grinning giddily, with paint on her hands.

Also, teachers love taking their students out for a day of science field studies! Last Fall, Ben Harris, our Executive Director, and Richard Tejeda, our Lead Trainer, met a class from Lockwood on the Carmel River at Garland Regional Park for a lesson in surveying benthic macroinvertebrates. A class from Amesti Elementary in Watsonville met us at Waddell Creek State Beach at Rancho del Oso for a day of field studies: water chemistry, watershed modeling, salmon survival in an estuary, estuary food web, and a salmonid obstacle course.

“Thank you so much to Richard, Meg, Ben and Jeremy and everyone at State Parks and Monterey Bay Salmon and Trout Project”. My students had so much fun! They are still

New Field Studies & Classroom Activities with STEP!

By Meg Seibert, MBSTP Education & Outreach coordinator

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astonished at the low survival statistic for salmonids, enjoyed playing games to re-enact the obstacles that Salmon face, were intrigued by the forces of nature that impact the landscape, and were interested to learn how collecting data provides us with important information about salmonid habitat. On the bus ride home, they pointed out examples of erosion and several fishing trawlers and commented that they might be fishing for salmon. Today while the wind and rain bellowed outside our classroom, the students also mentioned how much erosion would be taking place. There was definite impact and learning in all the experiences and activities the students engaged in during the field trip. Thank you again! It was so much fun!” – Kind regards, Sylvia.

Three more science field studies are booked in April and May with Los Paseos Elementary of San José, San Antonio Elementary of Lockwood, and Robert Down Elementary of Pacific Grove. While some schools have the means to pay us for our STEP program services, many do not, so we use grant funds to pay for our personnel and transportation costs. Grants are not enough though and need to be supplemented by individual donations and gifts.

mbstp.org and receive info about the training by emailing STEP@mbstp.org.

Thanks for the support!

Additionally, we are planning another STEP training for teachers the last two weekends in

June and are collecting donations for that. You can donate to our STEP program at any time through our website: www.

Kids at Santa Cruz Gardens loved the STEP fish printing activity! Contact STEP@mbstp.org to bring the STEP curriculum to your school!

My students loved this project. The kit is amazing!! It has everything you need!

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happen the remainder of April and into early May.

Once again, the hatchery staff would like to express their thanks, appreciation and praise for fish husbandry job well done by MBSTP’s dedicated contingent of weekend volunteers, volunteering board directors,

partners at NOAA’s Southwest Fisheries Science Center, UCSC student interns and student volunteers…

The Kingfisher Flat Conservation Hatchery: the foundation of our recovery efforts for local salmon & steelhead

A beautiful Central Coast steelhead- help MBSTP recover these iconic fish!

Hatchery continued from Page 9 When it Rains continued from Page 10

the river congregated at the confluence hole on Scott Creek, hoping for that final grab of the year. The water was ripping and really off colored and yet the ever optimistic were there, maybe more for the comradery, than the actual expectation of hooking a fish. After hours of throwing everything in the books at them, Dave hollers, “fish on.” and the rest of us watch as he battles and skillfully lands a 14 Lb. buck. This would be the only reward we would see for all those hours spent that last day of the season. I texted Dave a picture of his fish and found that on his way home he hit Aptos Creek and Landed a Chrome bright 10 Lber. Not a bad way to end the season.

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Charters or Princess Monterey Whale Watching, or caught their limit on Tom Dolan’s Santa Cruz Charters‘ “Mega-Bite”! The list is endless and once again, I may have committed hari-kari by not mentioning the other donors- Santa Cruz Boardwalk, Monterey Zoo (yes! lions kiss you goodnight! elephants serve breakfast!), Santa Cruz Warriors, The Skunk Train (talk about smelly! yech!) and Sorensen’s Resort up in the Sierra’s where you can stay in one of the elves‘ houses whisked away from Santa’s Village when it was closed down in Scott’s Valley!

Well, I’m past my word-count for allotted space, but don’t forget to go to Turner’s Outdoorsman or Bass Pro Shops or Coyote Bait & Tackle. Take a family ride on the Roaring Camp Railroads this summer! Pick up some snacks at the new Wild Roots Market in Felton before boarding!

MY POINT IS: READ THE DONOR LIST!! PATRONIZE OUR DONORS!! That way, they will be able to give as generous as before, to our upcoming November 9th, 2019, 42nd Albacore Feed!! Same time, same place, same actors!

Thank you for participating, attending, and to Sherri Canfield for finding her hostess gift of Marini’s Candies’ salt water taffy at our silent auction for her trip to Hawaii! And, thanks to Josie

Cowden, for mentioning our event in her Good Times “Vine & Dine” column!

Now- everyone have a great summer! And don’t forget to reserve this year’s date!

Albacore Feed continued from Page 7 More STEP (continued from Page 13)

Top: The STEP program is back in a big way! Local kids are getting engaged in watershed conservation for Earth Day! Bottom: Our field trip to the Carmel River Estuary got kids excited about conservation and the environment on Earth Day!

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FULL SERVICE BOAT YARDINCLUDING REPAIRS, MAINTENANCE, MARINE SUPPLIES,

FISHING GEAR AND FUEL DOCK.

MARINE SERVICE CENTER INCLUDING:DIESEL REPAIR SHOP

GAS OUTBOARD/INBOARD REPAIR SHOP

CANVAS/SAIL SHOP

METAL FABRICATION

DO IT YOURSELF SERVICE OR LET US DO IT FOR YOU!

19

MBS&TP Newsletter

MBSTP 2019 Election of Directors

2019 - PLEASE VOTE! – 2019

Return with dues (or pay dues “donation” online) by June 16 to:

MBSTP Election 101 Cooper St. Unit 246 Santa Cruz, CA, 95060

Circle one response for each:---> Yes No, or Abstain --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Slate (elect all listed candidates) Yes No Abstain ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Mathers Rowley Yes No Abstain Mary Hermansky Yes No Abstain Scott McGilvray Yes No Abstain David Toriumi Yes No Abstain

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- We are looking for good candidates for the MBSTP Board! Please let us know if you have someone in mind. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Write-in Candidate – If you know someone that would like to serve on our Board of Directors write in the name below.

Name:_______________________________________ Yes Your vote will be kept secret! But, we need your name to check that you are a member of record (paid your dues) and that we have your information correct and current. The membership dues are $35, however, in order not to exclude anyone, and to promote youth and senior membership, a sliding scale has been instituted. A minimum payment of $25 will keep membership current for those that can’t justify membership at the higher cost. Please consider an additional contribution at this time if you can.

Print your name: ____________________________________________

Signature:____________________________________Date:__________

Address:____________________________________________________

________________________________ E-mail:_____________________

Comments:

101 Cooper St., Unit 246Santa Cruz, California 95060

Return Service Requested

NON-PROFIT ORG.U.S. POSTAGE

PAIDAPTOS, CA 95003

PERMIT #5

Membership ApplicationMembership categories and annual dues:

❏ Youth Under 18 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $ 5❏ Individual . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $ 35❏ Family . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $ 50❏ Small Retailer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $ 50❏ Sponsor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $100-250❏ Corporate . . . . . $500, 1,000 or more

Name: _________________________________

Address: ________________________________

City: _________________ State: ____ Zip: _____

Phone: _____________ Email: _______________

My check for ______________ is enclosed.

I would like to volunteer to: ________________________________________________

101 Cooper St., Unit 246 Santa Cruz, CA 95017

(831) 531-2051www.mbstp.org = ed.mbstp@gmail.com

“Without your immediate donations, we cannot continue at our current level of oper-ations. Please continue to send your greatly needed contributions, and consider urging your friends to get on board with the project. Together we are all making a difference!!!”

— Mathers Rowley, Chair and Bob Anderson, Vice Chair