The Carmel River near Paso Hondo Road

Four major floods boosted the Carmel River’s natural processes and improved the spawning habitat for steelhead trout since the dam removal in 2015.

The river structure has become more complex, mainly due to large wood and coarse gravel that has drifted from upstream.

The steelhead were not the only ones who managed to swim up. Pacific lamprey have appeared upstream for the first time in 20 years. But non-native species have also flourished upstream, like the striped bass that eat the young steelhead.

From Monterey Herald
Picture by Vern FisherThe Carmel River near Paso Hondo Road in Carmel Valley