Despite being heralded as one of the most adaptive and hardiest of fish, plus conservation efforts dating back to the 1990s, the health of Southern California steelhead has gone from bad to worse. Human activity in conjunction with climate-related threats such as drought and wildfire have left the species with staggeringly low adult numbers, especially among populations that migrate between salt and fresh water — which are at high risk of disappearing altogether.
The Southern California steelhead will stay on the federal Endangered Species list subsequent to a review of its status in the recently released 2023 five-year plan from National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries. Although most West Coast steelhead species are listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act, the Southern California steelhead is the only one to reach endangered status.
“Steelhead are unique in the sense that they rely on every part of the watershed from the estuary up to the smallest headwaters,” said Mark Capelli, NOAA steelhead recovery coordinator and lead author of the report. “Their health is a good indicator of the overall health of the watershed.”
