Following the devastating Palisades fire, wildlife officials rescued critically endangered steelhead trout and relocated them to Arroyo Hondo Creek. Initially concerned about the potential disruption to their spawning process, they celebrated this month as the trout produced over 100 young ones. However, their survival hinges on finding suitable habitats, which have dwindled due to drought and wildfires. Once abundant, steelhead numbers have significantly declined due to human activity, making this successful spawning crucial for their population in the Santa Monica Mountains.
This whole thing is just a very stressful and traumatic event, and I'm happy that we didn't really kill many fish. But I was concerned that I might have just disrupted this whole months-long process of getting ready to spawn.
More fish require more suitable habitat, which is lacking in Southern California - in part due to drought and the increased frequency of devastating wildfires.
The young fish sighted this month mark the next generation of what was the last population of steelhead in the Santa Monica Mountains.
Steelhead were once abundant in Southern California, but their numbers plummeted amid coastal development and overfishing.
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