Over 300 endangered northern tidewater gobies were triumphantly returned to their native habitat in a Malibu lagoon, five months after being saved from the devastating impacts of the Palisades fire. The Resource Conservation District of the Santa Monica Mountains coordinated a rescue in January when biologists and volunteers retrieved the fish to prevent their extinction due to habitat destruction and subsequent flooding. Rosi Dagit, a leading conservation biologist, emphasized this hopeful event amidst environmental and social turmoil, showcasing collaborative efforts to protect endangered species.
In this time of total madness in our world and total upheaval in our environment, there's not many moments when we get a chance to do something as hopeful as bringing the gobies back to their home,
The Palisades fire that sparked Jan. 7 tore through the area, scorching all of the critical habitat for the gobies and an endangered population of steelhead trout that occupied the same watershed.
To save the gobies from that fate, scientists and citizen volunteers arrived on Jan. 17 and used giant nets that served as sieves to retrieve the fish that rarely exceed a length of two inches.
Numerous partners participated in the effort, including the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Geological Survey, California State Parks and Cal State University Channel Islands.
#endangered-species #wildlife-conservation #malibu-lagoon #environmental-restoration #palisades-fire
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