CalTrout News
Now is the time to raise your voice to protect an iconic native species from extinction!
The evidence is undeniable: Southern California steelhead teeter on the brink of extinction. Southern steelhead serve as crucial indicators of watershed health and river ecosystem integrity. These fish play a role within the ecosystem that you, your family, neighbors, and friends are also a part of. If one piece of the ecosystem changes or disappears this ripples throughout the rest of the ecosystem affecting every other species - plant, animal, and human. Historically, Southern steelhead thrived, with tens of thousands of them swimming through Southern California rivers and streams. Today, it’s rare to see them in double digits. Their dwindling numbers stem from habitat loss, fragmentation, and the encroachment of urbanization. We must act urgently to prevent the irreversible loss of this species.
In 2021, conservation nonprofit CalTrout submitted a petition to the California Fish and Game Commission to fully protect Southern steelhead as endangered under California’s Endangered Species Act. Listing these fish as endangered would promote actions to protect them including removing obsolete dams, improving habitat, securing instream flow, and restoring watersheds. All of these actions would also benefit human communities. For example, improving aging infrastructure would reduce the risk of flooding and increase public safety and holistic watershed restoration would enforce and build strong relationships throughout the community.
In January 2024, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife submitted a peer-reviewed species status report to the Fish and Game Commission. Their extensive review came to the same conclusion as CalTrout’s initial petition – the Commission found the petitioned action to list Southern steelhead as an endangered species under California’s ESA to be warranted.
We need your help! The Fish and Game Commission needs to hear that allowing this species to disappear is not acceptable. Sign our letter below to tell the Commission that you fully support listing Southern steelhead as endangered under California’s ESA.
How did we get here?
In 2021, CalTrout submitted a petition to the California Fish and Game Commission to fully protect Southern steelhead as endangered under California’s Endangered Species Act. We used the best-science available to support our petition. Listing these fish as endangered would promote actions to protect them including removing obsolete dams, improving habitat, securing instream flow, and restoring watersheds. All of these actions would also benefit human communities. For example, improving aging infrastructure would reduce the risk of flooding and increase public safety and holistic watershed restoration would enforce and build strong relationships throughout the community.
In April 2022, the California Fish and Game Commission unanimously voted that the state ESA listing of Southern steelhead “may be warranted” initiating a year-long species status review by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. During this time, Southern steelhead were considered a candidate species with full ESA protection.
In October 2023, CalTrout successfully defended the petitioned listing in California Superior Court in Los Angeles. This victory brought us one step closer to providing these fish the protections they deserve. “As predicted, the strength of our underlying petition really carried the day,” said Redgie Collins, CalTrout’s Legal and Policy Director. “Ruling in CalTrout’s favor, Judge Chalfant noted the scientific rigor of our petition, which is a testament to the hard work and diligence of CalTrout’s Dr. Sandra Jacobson and Russell Marlow.” Learn more here.
In January 2024, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife submitted a peer-reviewed species status report to the Fish and Game Commission. Their extensive review came to the same conclusion as CalTrout’s initial petition – the Commission found the petitioned action to list Southern steelhead as an endangered species under California’s ESA to be warranted. With the CDFW species status review period complete, the Fish and Game Commission has tentatively scheduled this item for their April 2024 meeting. In this meeting, the Commission will formally decide whether the species should be listed as endangered, or whether further action is not warranted.
Cover Photo: Southern steelhead by Michael Wier
