I'm a scientist, so I love data, but while numbers can tell a great story, a graph really helps illustrate what data can tell us. This graph, and the one below it, chronicle first our knowledge of WHEN coho salmon return to the Lagunitas Creek watershed, and then HOW MANY have returned.
For those that have not yet read the entries below, the coho salmon are HERE NOW and in a spawning frenzy; digging redds, claiming territories, and battling for mates.
The graph below, courtesy of our generous colleagues at Marin Municipal Water District, shows the peak of coho redds observed is usually the third week of December and the first week of January. The "observed dip" in between those two peaks could very likely be due to lack of surveys for redds the fourth week of December (Christmas vacation!) and that not every year has "December week 5"!
This graph below shows "Escapement," which is fisheries biologist speak for "the number of fish that escaped fishermen and returned home to spawn." We see the "extinction vortex" claimed by biologist at the National Marine Fisheries Service: a decline from thousands to less than a hundred. Last year was an optimistic increase in a year-class, the first year-class increase in a decade. This year.....we are still counting! To make a tax-deductible donation to support SPAWN coho monitoring, click here.
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