More News

From the Alameda Creek Alliance: Bonnie and Clyde succumb to low water

September 19, 2008 -- Our most famous pair of spawning steelhead, Bonnie and Clyde, made history by swimming up Stonybrook Creek in late February and becoming the first successful steelhead spawners in the watershed in almost half a century.

Unfortunately, this has been a dry year, and the end of summer stream conditions have taken their toll. Bonnie and Clyde spawned after the last major storm system and with dry spring conditions, there was no opportunity for these fish to move back downstream and out to the Bay. The adult pair survived in a small pool until sometime in August, when both succumbed to low water levels and likely raccoon predation.

Of hundreds of young of year steelhead observed in the vicinity of spawning in May and June, by September 10, only one pool still contained juvenile trout, with only 5 fry left.

It has not been a kind year for cold-water loving fish, but fish passage projects we are working on and our efforts to secure cold-water flow releases from upstream reservoirs will increase the chances that more steelhead will spawn and fry will survive in coming years.

Coastal and Creek Clean Up Day This Saturday