LAKE COUNTY — After being delayed by heavy rains over the past few weeks, the annual spawning migration of the Clear Lake hitch has finally begun.
Large schools of fish have been observed on Adobe Creek at the Bell Hill crossing and a few scattered specimens have been seen elsewhere, including several who have been attempting to spawn in a vineyard slough in the Cole Creek drainage a a couple of specimens being caught by raptors.
The hitch (lavinia exilicauda chi) is a fish found only in Clear Lake and a California listed Species of Special Concern; they live deep in the lake most of the year, but during a brief breeding season every spring move up into the surrounding creeks.
Once present in unimaginable abundance, hitch were a valuable food source for wildlife and of great importance to the native people of the region, but their population has declined substantially over the past 50 years, for reasons that are not completely understood. Recently they have been found in reliably large numbers only in Kelsey and Adobe creeks.
On Saturday the Chi Council, an organization dedicated to the long-term survival of the hitch that has recruited dozens of volunteers to observe the spawning migration, will conduct its annual field trip to see the spawning run in progress.
This year”s excursion will also include a special opportunity to observe the tribal fish-tagging process on Adobe Creek. Participants are asked to meet at Studebaker”s at 3990 Main St. in Kelseyville at 10 a.m. The event is free and everyone is invited, particularly those who have never had an opportunity to see this thrilling spectacle for themselves.
No reservations are needed.
For more information about the hitch, including still photographs, a video of spawning in progress, and a field guide to Clear Lake fish, visit the Chi Council website, www.lakelive.info/chicouncil.
