Southern California’s wildfires turned tens of thousands of people into displaced evacuees, after their homes were destroyed or damaged. Some ended up in Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties.
But, it’s not only people who’ve found temporary homes in our region. In a groundbreaking emergency project, Ventura County is hosting hundreds of endangered Southern California Steelhead Trout. Fire related ash and debris has polluted their home, Topanga Creek.
"This was kind of the first time that we have gone out and tried to capture every one of these Southern Steelhead from a creek," said Kyle Evans, who is a California Department of Fish and Wildlife Environmental Program Manager.
He helped put together the steelhead rescue project. "What's even more daring is this was the first time we have tried to move these wild fish from the creek into a hatchery, to hold them for some amount of time before putting them back in the landscape," said Evans.
"We were concerned about the fires themselves, and the devastation that cause for all of the communities," said Evans. "We all live in this area. They are our neighbors, our friends, and our staff. And then, within our role in the Department of Fish and Wildlife, we also look at what are the biological resources, the endangered species, the things that could be impacted as well. What about this population of Steelhead Trout in Topanga Creek? It's the only population of the fish that still remains in the Santa Monica Mountains. "
Evans said state and federal agencies have been monitoring the Southern California Steelhead population for some time. The species is in trouble.
"Southern California Steelhead are critically endangered throughout their entire range, from Santa Barbara County to the Mexican border," said Evans. They are on both state and federal endangered species lists. They've been hit by the loss of habitat, as well streams and creeks being blocked, which affects their migration.
The concern in the Santa Monica Mountains is ash and debris from the Palisades Fire ending up in Topanga Creek, especially when it rains. It could wipe out the creek’s entire Steelhead Trout population, which is estimated to be 400 to 500 fish.
Evans said they organized a unique rescue mission. The goal was to catch as many of the fish as possible and temporarily move them to the Fillmore Fish Hatchery. Because they’ve been monitoring the fish, they knew where to look, and focused on a three mile section of Topanga Creek. On January 23, a small army of people from a half dozen agencies went into action.
"It was a hectic day," Evans admits.
They caught 271 of the endangered fish. They were moved to the Fillmore Fish Hatchery, and are separated from other fish to prevent accidental exposure to disease. How are they doing?
"There were a lot of questions about would they be okay (because of the trauma of being moved)." said Evans. Would they eat? "We were able to get the fish into the hatchery, and after a few days, they started eating." A handful of the fish died during the move and its aftermath, but the majority are doing well at their temporary home in Ventura County.
The State Fish and Wildlife official said the intent was the rescue the fish, and when it’s safe return them to Topanga Creek. But, Evan says it soon became clear that in the short term, that idea wouldn’t work. The contamination from fire debris could last years, as storms continue to wash materials into the creek.
The plan now is to transplant the fish into other Southern California creeks. Then, when Topanga Creek is clean enough to support the trout, some will be reintroduced to it.
So, as recovery efforts continue for people in the region, the same thing is happening for some of its wildlife. It may be some time before Topanga Creek is clean enough to support them, but the hope is to eventually get steelhead trout back living in Topanga Creek.
