Community Corner

Elkhorn Slough Breeds Sharks

That's not just a marsh. There's a lot to learn when you visit the North Monterey County ecological reserve.

At high tide on a summer's day, dozens shark fins cut through the glassy water on one branch of the Elkhorn Slough.

Parsons Slough, a southeast leg of the meandering coastal waterway, is breeding ground for smoothhound sharks, leopard sharks and several types of rays, according to Mark Silberstein, executive director of the Elkhorn Slough Foundation.

It's just one of the unexpected factoids people discover when they visit the slough, a short drive south from Watsonville.

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"This is an interesting part of the estuary," Silberstein said while giving a tour earlier this week. "These waters are very productive."

Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve is a 7-mile-long tidal marsh that empties into the Monterey Bay at Moss Landing. It's surrounded by farmland that, at one point, encroached right down to the slough's brackish water.

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The Parsons Slough is one of the areas that has been reclaimed from agriculture. It's now home to those sharks, rays, about 100 species of fish and 120 kinds of birds, but for years the marshland was diked, drained and used as ranch land.

The Elkhorn Dairy, as it was known, was in production for more than 50 years. When the Elkhorn Slough Foundation gained control of the land about three decades ago, members discovered a boneyard where deceased cattle had been laid to rest and piles of broken glass milk bottles.

The dairy wasn't unique. Much of Elkhorn Slough was developed as an agriculture resource over the years. Some cattle ranching continues on fringe of the estuary and farmers still grow strawberries on the hills surrounding the waterway, though the practice of cultivating all the way to the water's edge has subsided.

"It's very quick when you stop farming, it regresses back," explained Tom Am Rhein, vice president of Naturipe Berry Growers Inc. He has farmed on the hills above Elkhorn Slough for years on land rented the Elkhorn Slough Foundation, including the old Azevedo Dairy ranch.

So the sharks are back in Elkhorn Slough. At one point in the 1930s, there were so many sharks that the local hunting club—Empire Gun Club—held shark derbies, Silberstein shared.

Those days are long gone. Preservation, education and research are priorities at Elkhorn Slough now.

  • A vibrant visitor's center explains the area's biodiversity to 6,000-8,000 students a year.
  • There are miles of trails, both paved and dirt, to explore (but don't bring your dog).
  • Birding is popular throughout the watershed. Hundreds of species make their homes in the region.
  • People kayak the slough. The best put-in points are in Moss Landing.

For more information about visiting Elkhorn Slough, go to the Elkhorn Slough Foundation website.


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