Southern California Steelhead DPS facts for kids

The Southern California Steelhead Distinct Population Segment (DPS) is a special group of steelhead fish. These amazing fish live in rivers and streams from the Santa Maria River in the north, all the way down to the Tijuana River near the United States and Mexican border.

Just like their relatives further north, Southern California steelhead need enough water in their home streams. This water helps them travel from the ocean or lakes back to their birthplaces to lay eggs. Because of long dry periods, you usually see these steelhead when there's a lot of rain, like during El Niño events.

In 1997, this group of steelhead was declared federally endangered. This means they are at high risk of disappearing forever. When they were first listed, their known range was from the Santa Maria River south to Malibu Creek. Later, in 2002, steelhead were found in San Mateo Creek. This discovery extended their known home to include Los Angeles, Orange, and San Diego counties.

Why Southern California Steelhead Need Help

Many things threaten the survival of Southern California Steelhead. The biggest problems include changes to how water flows in streams and damage to their homes. Barriers that block fish, changes to river channels, and dirty water also cause issues. Non-native plants and animals and climate change add to these challenges. These threats make it very hard for steelhead to survive. Most of these problems are getting worse as more people move to Southern California.

Water Flow: A Big Problem for Steelhead

Having enough water in streams is super important for steelhead. It helps adult fish return from the ocean and young fish travel to the sea. When water levels are too low, fish can't get past sand bars that form at river mouths in summer. Natural water flows also wash away fine sediment and silt. This creates better places for steelhead to lay their eggs.

Higher water flows also bring water to areas along the riverbanks. This helps plants grow, which gives shade and shelter for spawning fish. These plants also help keep the water temperature just right. Human-made structures like dams also stop fish from swimming upstream.

Dirty Water: A Threat to Steelhead Eggs

Water quality is another big problem for Southern California Steelhead. Even if fish find their way back to their home streams, the water is often dirty. Steelhead eggs need clean, flowing water to hatch. Sediment from farms and city runoff can cover the eggs. This can greatly reduce the number of steelhead that survive to return to the ocean.

City runoff can also carry harmful stuff directly into streams. Runoff with industrial or city pollutants can kill fish or make it harder for them to reproduce. Discharges can also make the water too hot for fish. Or, they can create good homes for non-native species like Largemouth bass, carp, and catfish. These fish eat young steelhead and their eggs. Steelhead are like a warning sign for water quality problems. If they are struggling, it often means the water is unhealthy.

Invasive Species: New Neighbors, Big Problems

Introduced species like Largemouth bass, sunfish, carp, and catfish have been put into streams. Our native trout and steelhead can't compete with these hungry predators. These non-native fish are better at living in poor water quality. They do well in the same streams where Southern California Steelhead live. This puts more pressure on native trout and steelhead. Organizations like Trout Unlimited (TU), working with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, have started removing non-native fish from important streams like San Mateo Creek.

Helping Southern California Steelhead Survive

There are many ways to protect important steelhead homes. Like all steelhead, Southern California steelhead need cool, clean water and the right kind of gravel for laying eggs. Better Water management can make sure streams have enough water for young fish. Taking too much water out of streams means there isn't enough left for the fish. Human-made barriers like dams remove water from parts of streams. They also stop fish from moving upstream.

Smart Planning for Steelhead Homes

Building near streams should be controlled. There should be plans to put water back into the groundwater. This helps make sure there's enough water for steelhead to survive during dry summers and long droughts. Working with local groups like Trout Unlimited has helped people learn about steelhead and how to protect them. Removing plants that don't belong there helps native plants grow better. These native plants provide homes and help for damaged streams. Removing non-native fish is another step to improve their habitat and help them lay eggs successfully.

Understanding Steelhead: More Research Needed

We need more research to fully understand Southern California Steelhead. They have small but important differences in how they live. These steelhead rely on rain-fed streams to survive. Some also depend on lagoon and estuary areas. We don't fully understand their egg-laying cycles. Many fish won't return to streams for over five years, while some come back after just one year to try and lay eggs. By truly understanding these fish, we can create better plans to manage them.

Southern California Steelhead are unique fish found in places you might not expect. They have survived in very tough conditions and can even change their life patterns when needed. Human actions are the main reason these fish are in trouble and their numbers are dropping. But with good planning, these fish can survive. Some estimate they could become extinct in the next 50 years without quick action. The actions needed depend on state and local governments and the community working together.

Protecting Steelhead: What We Can Do

Human actions have greatly reduced the number of Southern California steelhead. Helping them recover means making sure the remaining healthy groups survive. Recovery will focus on the biggest watersheds in Southern California, like the Ventura River. It will also focus on smaller watersheds that have breeding groups, like San Mateo Creek. These groups will be the main focus of recovery efforts. By helping these steelhead, the entire Southern California DPS will be better protected.

To help Southern California Steelhead recover, many goals need to be met. Healthy groups must be protected, and their homes must be restored and protected. NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) has set six goals for their recovery:

• Stop steelhead from disappearing by protecting existing groups and their homes.
• Keep steelhead in the areas they live now and bring them back to places they used to live.
• Increase the number of steelhead to healthy levels. This includes all the different ways they live their lives.
• Protect the different types of genetic diversity they have. Also, help them share genetic material between and within healthy groups.
• Keep and restore good living conditions and features in their homes to support steelhead at all stages of their lives.
• Do research and monitoring to make sure recovery goals are being met.

Meeting these goals will greatly impact the future of Southern California Steelhead. It will help ensure successful breeding groups throughout their range.

About 23 million people live in Southern California. For this species to recover, steelhead will need to live in areas that humans have changed. The best way to do this is to focus on larger watersheds with more Southern California Steelhead.

Educating Everyone About Steelhead

Teaching the public will be a key part of helping this species recover. People, as well as state and federal governments, need to learn about the steelhead's life and its role in California's watersheds. Teaching landowners about the best ways to reduce their negative effects on streams and rivers will also be important. State and local governments involved in planning and policy also need to learn about good planning. This includes protecting migration corridors and reducing building along important stream homes. These actions can help not only Southern California Steelhead but also the watersheds and homes that many other species share.

Working together between agencies, like the National Marine Fisheries Service student programs, is important. These programs recruit students to help with issues like this. Better communication about actions that can be taken at all levels of government and public organizations will also help. This will educate the public about this species and its life. It will also allow the public to give information to government agencies about the steelhead.

Removing Barriers and Managing Water

In many watersheds where Southern California Steelhead live now, or used to live, there are barriers. These barriers stop them from reaching important places to lay eggs. These barriers include dams and less water flow from storage and removal. This lowers the basic water level and stops steelhead from reaching their spawning homes. It also stops young steelhead from reaching the Pacific Ocean. These problems can be fixed in many ways, but not all are possible.

Changing dams is one way. This can mean adding fish ladders or diversions to let steelhead reach breeding areas. Another option is "trap and truck," where steelhead are caught and moved above barriers. Removing dams is also an option, though it's not always possible.

Stream flow is another issue for successful reproduction and movement of Southern California Steelhead. Reservoirs and pumping water from groundwater and lakes can reduce the stream flow needed for all stages of the steelhead's life. Managing water use will help these fish. Many methods can be used to do this. One way is to time when groundwater is lowered or refilled during spawning season. This can allow for a higher basic water flow for adult and young fish to pass. Reducing the number of dams and water diversions can also help stream flows. Releasing more water from behind dams when fish are moving upstream and downstream can improve the number of fish reaching spawning areas.

Much of the potential freshwater home for Southern California Steelhead is broken up and not suitable. Most streams and rivers are heavily damaged by building. They are in crowded areas but still have homes that could support the species. Connecting these homes could allow steelhead to repopulate these areas. This would require these streams to get enough water.

Cleaner Water for Healthier Fish

The large human population in Southern California also adds pollutants to important streams and homes. Water quality is directly affected by many things, like fine sediments and chemical pollutants. Sediment pollution damages stream beds by filling the gravel that Southern California Steelhead need for laying eggs. These fine sediments can be reduced by restoring and keeping plants along the streams. These plants can reduce the amount of fine sediment and chemical pollutants entering the stream.

Hatcheries: A Helping Hand

Native fish hatcheries can also help Southern California Steelhead. By collecting adult fish and raising the young in hatcheries, it's possible to protect the species from disappearing. Human damage and natural events in the steelhead's range can cause serious problems. Wildfires that Southern California often has can completely destroy the little home they have left. Fires can completely wipe out groups from streams, either by the fire itself or by mudslides that happen in burnt areas along streams. Hatcheries can also repopulate restored streams faster than nature can. They can also add to populations during years when fewer fish are born.