Photo courtesy Stillwater Sciencesn
Southern steelhead need cool, clear, well-oxygenated water with sufficient food for proper survival. Poor and degraded habitat conditions are common in Southern California.
Restoring Riverine Habitat Sespe Creek/Rose Valley Lakes
In Ventura County, CalTrout is focused on the upper Sespe Creek and its tributaries. Historically, the Sespe was one of the most popular rivers for fishing and boasted a healthy resident population of steelhead as well as migratory adults. Sespe Creek hosts the most diverse steelhead habitat in all of the Santa Clara River watershed. This diversity and availability of high value habitats led to the designation of the Santa Clara River watershed as a stronghold under the North American Salmon Stronghold Partnership. A grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation has set us up to complete a feasibility study, the objective of which is to prevent further planting of aquatic invasive species and eliminate warm water habitat in Rose Valley Lakes, a prime spring-fed tributary to the Sespe, and also address four fish passage barriers. This project supports steelhead population recovery in the watershed and increases native species resiliency to future disturbances, such as drought and fire.
Learn more about Southern steelhead and their recovery from scientists, agency officials, and resource managers through our Water Talks videos.