California Trout is leading the effort to list Southern California steelhead as endangered under the California Endangered Species Act (CESA). On October 25, 2023, we successfully defended this listing in California Superior Court in Los Angeles. This victory brings us one step closer to providing these fish the protections they deserve.
Southern steelhead are important indicators of healthy watersheds and well-functioning river ecosystems, but they are on the brink of extinction. Steelhead runs that historically numbered in the tens of thousands in Southern California rivers are down to single digits today. It is time for the state of California to take meaningful action and fully protect this important fish.
“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.”
In April 2022, the California Fish and Game Commission unanimously voted to accept the petition for consideration. This action then designated Southern steelhead as a candidate species with ESA protection during a year-long species status review by CDFW. These ocean-going trout are thus fully protected as an endangered species during this review period. At the end of the CDFW species status review, the Commission will then decide whether the species should be listed as endangered, or whether further action is not warranted.
“This is an important day for southern steelhead and for CalTrout,” continued Redgie. “It shows our commitment to Southern steelhead and for protections of our other native fish populations that are in dire need of recovery.”
CalTrout was represented by Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe, and was proudly joined by Center for Biological Diversity, the State of California, and Wishtoyo Chumash Foundation to defend this petition.
Sign up to hear from California Trout! CalTrout’s mission is to ensure healthy waters and resilient wild fish for a better California. Hear about our work and how to get involved through our monthly newsletter, The Streamkeeper’s Blog, “Trout Clout” action alerts, article from our e-magazine, The Current, event invites, and much more! We respect your privacy and will never sell or share your information with other organizations.
Peter Moyle is the Distinguished Professor Emeritus in the Department of Wildlife, Fish and Conservation Biology and Associate Director of the Center for Watershed Sciences, at UC Davis. He is author or co-author of more than 240 publications, including the definitive Inland Fishes of California (2002). He is co-author of the 2017 book, Floodplains: Processes and Management for Ecosystem Services. His research interests include conservation of aquatic species, habitats, and ecosystems, including salmon; ecology of fishes of the San Francisco Estuary; ecology of California stream fishes; impact of introduced aquatic organisms; and use of floodplains by fish.
Robert Lusardi is the California Trout/UC Davis Wild and Coldwater Fish Researcher focused on establishing the basis for long-term science specific to California Trout’s wild and coldwater fish initiatives. His work bridges the widening gap between academic science and applied conservation policy, ensuring that rapidly developing science informs conservation projects throughout California. Dr. Lusardi resides at the UC Davis Center for Watershed Sciences and works closely with Dr. Peter Moyle on numerous projects to help inform California Trout conservation policy. His recent research interests include Coho salmon on the Shasta River, the ecology of volcanic spring-fed rivers, inland trout conservation and management, and policy implications of trap and haul programs for anadromous fishes in California.
Patrick Samuel is the Conservation Program Coordinator for California Trout, a position he has held for almost two years, where he coordinates special research projects for California Trout, including the State of the Salmonids report. Prior to joining CalTrout, he worked with the Fisheries Leadership & Sustainability Forum, a non-profit that supports the eight federal regional fishery management councils around the country. Patrick got his start in fisheries as an undergraduate intern with NOAA Fisheries Protected Resources Division in Sacramento, and in his first field job as a crew member of the California Department of Fish & Wildlife’s Wild and Heritage Trout Program.
4 Comments
Well done Redge, predictably 😊
Scientific rigor et al
xox
Great news, great work!
Good job Redge–you’re the man!
Great work, thank you to the team.