SC Harbor ramps are open

From Harbor website:
PRESS RELEASE 4
Saturday, August 2, 2014
4:00 pm

PROGRESS MADE ON ANCHOVY CLEAN-UP

For the past three days, volunteers from the community have been working alongside harbor staff to remove dead fish from harbor waters as the fish float to the surface from the bottom. Productivity of the clean-up effort has slowed over the course of today because there are fewer fish, and those that remain are decomposing to the point that crews are having difficulty netting the fish.

At this time, we estimate that 110,000 pounds of anchovies were removed from the harbor, with Friday’s clean-up effort netting the largest yield, with approximately 58,000 pounds of fish removed in one day.

Harbor management will reassess the situation tomorrow to see if it is possible to remove any more fish waste from the harbor.  Sunday evening, a longer period southwest swell is forecast to arrive which should help keep the harbor waters moving.  It is anticipated that the turbulent water will enhance the ability of the tidal exchange to remove fish debris.

All of the launch ramps are open at this time, but the harbor is still closed to paddleboards due to concerns about water quality.  All harbor businesses are open during normal operating hours.

Acting-Harbormaster John Haynes
Santa Cruz Harbor

 

All of the launch ramps are open at this time, but the harbor is still closed to paddleboards due to concerns about water quality.  All harbor businesses are open during normal operating hours.

They don't consider the hand launch ramp a "launch ramp" as far as I can tell.  They had a sign up on the road by the entrance to the harbor that said "No Paddleboards" but then as you drove down the hill, it had another sign that said "Hand Launch Closed".    So I'm not so sure that the hand launch is open yet or not. 

It smells horrible down there!!!!

I just took a bike ride down both sides of the harbor, I agree, the smell would gag a maggot.
   The sign on the Aldo's ramp says:
  "No paddle boards due to anchovy die off SCPD"
   The sign in front of the kiosk at the entrance road says:
    " No hand Launching"*
   I went over to the concrete ramp on the other side of the harbor and talked to a guy in a white shirt with a star sewn on the front, I think it said Assistant Harbormaster.  I asked him if I could launch my kayak Sunday morning**, and he said I could, they were just concerned with the SUP's and paddleboards because the water quality was so poor.  He said the little mud crabs were trying to get out of the water it was so bad!
   
** I've actually got other non-yak plans, I'll go Monday if it looks good.
* In case you think the harbor folks have no sense of humor, another sign at the kiosk asked for volunteers to clean up the mess and offered "free anchovies".

* In case you think the harbor folks have no sense of humor, another sign at the kiosk asked for volunteers to clean up the mess and offered "free anchovies".

I got a good laugh when I saw that on Saturday.