Join us on your lunch break to learn more about steelhead and other fish in the San Lorenzo River! Staff from the Coastal Watershed Council, the City of Santa Cruz Water Department Watershed Section and Hagar Environmental Science will be leading a tour along the Santa Cruz Riverwalk to observe and discuss fish monitoring activities on September 23rd from 12:00 to 1:00 p.m. 

Throughout the summer the City of Santa Cruz Water Department routinely conducts seining along the lower San Lorenzo River to determine the size of steelhead populations, fish growth and age and size class compositions of the lagoon steelhead population. Seining is a method of monitoring fish using a seine, a net that hangs vertically in the water and is deployed from shore or by boat. During routine seining events, crews work carefully to catch, measure, count and then release steelhead.

The City of Santa Cruz invites fish enthusiasts to come take a closer look into this fish monitoring. During this session, attendees will be able to observe how seining is conducted while learning about steelhead biology and lagoon dynamics. Fish biologists conducting the seining may also join the observers to describe the process and answer questions about their findings. However, their main priority is fish safety and survival and they will break to meet with the group only as their monitoring protocol allows. 

We hope you will join us for a fish-filled afternoon! This tour is limited to 30 participants. Please RSVP below to reserve your spot on the tour. We will meet at 12:00 p.m. on the west side of the San Lorenzo River Trestle Bridge and may move down to Main Beach or up the Riverwalk depending on where the crews are working.