We have an opportunity for you to take action and protect Southern California steelhead trout. CalTrout is currently leading the effort to have this fish (Oncorhynchus mykiss) listed as endangered under the California Endangered Species Act (ESA). We need you to join us at the California Fish and Game Commission meeting (virtually) on Thursday, Feb. 17 to voice your support.
Listing this species as endangered will be the first step that California state agencies take to better inform their future fishery management decisions. Southern steelhead are an ecologically important species, serving as one of the best indicators of total watershed health. Protecting native fish will ultimately restore our rivers.
It is imperative that we relay these messages to California’s Fish and Game Commission (FGC) and urge a ‘yes’ vote to list Southern steelhead. We are anticipating opposition groups to also attend, so we really need our members showing their support of protecting Southern steelhead and healthy Southern Californian rivers. Special districts opposing the State listing have delayed their duties to protect these fish under their federal ESA listing, which demonstrates the need for state listing.
Mark your calendar for Thursday, February 17 starting at 8:30 am and join the meeting online. This is where the Commission will provide the opportunity for any person to request 2 minutes to submit vocal comments. Here are some suggested main talking points:
Here is the FGC meeting agenda and instructions to join the virtual meeting.
Click here to read about the importance that this species plays in watershed integrity and water security in the public support letter CalTrout has been circulating.
We look forward to seeing you all virtually this Thursday as we all show up to support the further protection of native Southern California steelhead trout.
Cover photo by Mark Capelli.
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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.
2 Comments
“I support the petition to list Southern California steelhead as endangered under CESA.”
“This species’ continued existence is clearly threatened by loss of habitat.”
“I urge the Commission to vote ‘yes’ and move this process forward today. There is no time to waste before we lose this species forever.”
Please list Southern California steelhead as endangered.