Fish. Water. People.
For more than fifty years, CalTrout has worked at the intersection of California’s rivers, the fish that depend on them, and the people whose lives they shape and support.
WHAT WE DO
Five ways the work gets done.
From reopening rivers to legislation to advancing freshwater science — these are the five ways we translate our mission into measurable impact.
Reopen Rivers
California’s rivers hold thousands of miles of wild fish habitat that are out of reach. We’re opening them back up.
Dams, road crossings, and other barriers have severed fish from their homes for over a century. We identify, advocate for, and remove them — including the four Klamath dams.
RESTORE & PROTECT STREAMS
From headwaters to estuaries — every link in the chain.
We restore floodplains, reconnect estuaries, and protect headwater meadows so rivers can do what rivers do: feed fish, clean water, and buffer the state from drought and flood.
ADVANCE SCIENCE
We don’t guess. We measure.
Science Program · State of the Salmonids · the most comprehensive salmon monitoring program in the West. Conservation that works has to be conservation that’s measured.
ADVOCATE & Shape Policy
Conservation is not possible
without policy.
Our policy team works at the state and federal level — protecting flows, listing species under CESA, advocating for water budgets, and standing up in court when necessary.
BUILD PARTNERSHIPS
Restoration relies on relationships.
50+ years of partnerships with Tribes, agencies, NGOs, landowners, universities, and communities. None of the work happens alone. None of it lasts without them.
North Coast
Eel River · estuary restoration · Wild & Scenic protections · coastal steelhead recovery
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PROJECTS
Shasta Cascade
Eel River · estuary restoration · Wild & Scenic protections · coastal steelhead recovery
17
PROJECTS
Central California
Eel River · estuary restoration · Wild & Scenic protections · coastal steelhead recovery
20
PROJECTS
South Coast
Eel River · estuary restoration · Wild & Scenic protections · coastal steelhead recovery
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PROJECTS
WHY IT MATTERS
The case for the work.
Three reasons California’s rivers are worth fighting for. The stakes, the science, and the connection between fish, water, and the state’s future.
HEALTHY NATIVE FISH
Salmon, steelhead, and trout
tell us when a river is broken.
California has 32 species of native salmonids. 80% are at
risk of extinction this century. The fight to keep them here
is the fight to keep California’s water working.
WATER FOR ALL CALIFORNIANS
Salmon, steelhead, and trout
tell us when a river is broken.
The same waters fish swim through are the waters Californians rely on — for drinking, irrigation, fire, and recreation. What is good for fish is good for the state.
TACKLE CLIMATE CHANGE
The best mitigation is in our
waterways.
Rising temperatures, shrinking snowpack, longer
droughts. The same restored rivers that keep fish alive
are the most powerful climate adaptation California has.
GET INVOLVED
The work continues. Pick a way in.
CalTrout is a community that is welcome to everyone. Whatever you want to donate, learn more, or meet people who also love California and want to protect it – there’s a place for you here.
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Donate
Fund the next dam removal, the next tagged smolt, the next legal petition.
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Attend an Event
Join an event near you. Eel River Expo · Trout in the Classroom · regional days.
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