The National Marine Fisheries Service has released a interim Recovery Outline for Southern California Coast Steelhead Fish Species. The planning area extends from the Pajaro River, in the North, to the Tijuana River at the U.S-Mexican border.
The outline identifies Specific threats to steelhead populations, including: (a) Blockage of access to 90 percent of historic spawning and rearing habitat above dams; (b) De-watering of streams by dams and diversions; (c) Loss of riparian vegetation from agricultural, residential, and commercial development, and related flood control activities; (d) Filling and degradation of estuarine habitat; (e) Introduction of non-native, exotic fish and amphibians; and (f) Point and non-point pollution from up-slope land use practices.
Priority recovery actions identified in the document include:
* Establishing access above impassible barriers (road crossings, dams, debris basins)
* Restoring flow regimes for migration and over-summering habitat
* Reducing point and non-point pollution sources
* Developing and implementing a comprehensive habitat monitoring and stock assessment program
For more information, see http://swr.nmfs.noaa.gov/recovery/So_Cal.htm
