Salmon Week, May 15 - 21, 2022

Join the Seymour Marine Discovery Center and UCSC's Fisheries Collaborative Program for a week of festivities celebrating Salmon! Learn more about salmon science at UC Santa Cruz and around the community and how you can get involved.

May 15-21, 2022, In-person and virtual events throughout the week. 

The week's special events include: 

1. Sunday, May 15: Science Sunday Lecture with John Carlos Garza, Ph.D.

Time: 1:30PM - 3:00PM

A UC Santa Cruz adjunct professor and NOAA researcher will present “Coming Home: Decoding the Mysteries of Migration in Salmon and Trout.” The lecture will be offered both in-person and virtually from 1:30-2:30 p.m. In-person lecture attendees are invited to join a small, onsite reception with non-alcoholic beverages and small nibbles from 2:30-3 p.m. More information.

2. Wednesday, May 18: Opening of pop-up kelp and salmon exhibit 

Time: 10:00AM - 4:00PM

Jennifer Parker and OpenLab at UC Santa Cruz created an interactive marine algae exhibit highlighting different species of the Monterey Bay. Kelp forests and marine algae ecosystems play an important role in the salmon lifecycle. The exhibit, on display at the Seymour Center, will show the beauty of kelp and its importance to salmon.

3. Thursday, May 19: Premiere of Southern Range: Salmon in the Santa Cruz Mountains documentary film

Time: 6:00 PM - 7:30 PM

Seymour Center and the Fisheries Collaborative Program at UC Santa Cruz have produced a film with salmon documentarian, Kyle Baker, about salmon in Santa Cruz County. This film explores the connections the Santa Cruz community has with salmon as well as the impact of the CZU Lightning Complex Fires on the endangered fish population. The hybrid premiere event will begin with the 30-minute documentary, followed by a panel discussion and question-and-answer session. More information.

4. Friday, May 20: Members’ only field trip to Scott Creek 

Time: 8:30AM - 12:45 PM

Seymour Center members are invited to join Eric Palkovacs, Ph.D., director of the Fisheries Collaborative Program, on a tour of the Scott Creek watershed, home to threatened steelhead trout and endangered coho salmon. Learn about ongoing efforts to restore the southernmost coho salmon population in California. Visit the life cycle monitoring station, see the effects of the CZU wildfire, and take a tour of the conservation hatchery. The field trip concludes with a screening of Southern Range: Salmon in the Santa Cruz Mountains, a documentary film about ongoing efforts to save our iconic salmon. More information.

Space is limited to 20 participants. Advance reservations are required.

Not a member? Join or renew today!

5. Saturday, May 21: World Fish Migration Day Festival

TIme: 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM

Where: Seymour Marine Discovery Center, 100 McAllister Way, Santa Cruz, CA 95060

Organizations from around the world are organizing celebrations for World Fish Migration Day. Join us at the Seymour Center for a family-friendly festival that will include:

• UC Santa Cruz researchers sharing their latest fishy discoveries
• Community organizations sharing what they’re doing to protect and maintain our local fishery
• Food trucks
• Games
• Arts & crafts for the kids

The festival is free with admission to the Seymour Center.

Thank you to our Sponsor, the Repass-Rodgers Family Foundation

It's o-fish-ially the best week of the year!