Starting in mid March, volunteers have been monitoring net traps in upper and lower Fauntleroy Creek twice daily to document how many coho smolts are on their way to saltwater. Lead monitor Dennis Hinton trained several new volunteers to check the traps through mid May, when outmigration typically ends.
The smolts leaving now were released as fry a year ago when the pandemic reduced the number of schools that brought fry to the creek. As a consequence, this year’s smolt count may be down than the 49 recorded in 2021.
With 13 releases in Fauntleroy Park on the calendar, the number of fry released this May should be closer to normal, plus the lower creek is teeming with home hatch from November’s robust spawning.