Maxwelton Smolt Count a Success!

Juvenile salmonid

The Whidbey Watershed Stewards' annual Smolt Count was conducted this year from May 8th to June 8th under a Scientific Collection Permit from The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. Each year we install a trap in a culvert near French Road to catch, count and release juvenile salmonids that live in the Maxwelton creek. This year we had over a dozen volunteers, half of whom were BeachWatchers.

The count ended yesterday and we're preparing a report that will be used by the state, the county and Wild Fish Conservancy to assess trends in salmon habitat and populations. Preliminary results show we found: (1) Coho fry that hatched in the creek this spring, (2) Coho smolt that have spent the last year in the creek and are ready to migrate to the ocean and (3) cutthroat trout fry and smolt that are either resident to the stream or may migrate to the nearby Sound. Over 450 salmonid fry and nearly 70 smolt were recorded.

Bob Getz and Enid Braun at the fish trap.

Boots required !

Thanks to all our volunteers for making this year's count a great success: Bob Gentz* and all the Beach Watchers* who came with him to learn and observe, Dave Anderson*, Gillian Beattie, Debbie Bitts*, Enid Braun*, Jeanne Brennan*, Kevin Brutsche*, Bob Buck*, Richard Draves, Kathy Fritts*, Bob Howie, John Purcell*, Terri Purcell*, Mary Brennan Quade, Nat Scholz, David Sellers*, Neal Sims, Ken Urstad*, Chris Williams, and John Brown (who came all the way from the mainland to do it!).

Gregg Ridder '05