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Topanga Creek’s steelhead trout find a new home in Santa Barbara
Wildlife officials collect steelhead trout ahead of a rainstorm last month.
(
California Department of Fish and Wildlife
)
Topline:
Hundreds of endangered fish that were evacuated from Topanga Creek are swimming freely once again.
Why now: The Southern California steelhead trout were successfully relocated to a Santa Barbara County stream on Monday, according to Kyle Evans, environmental program manager with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.
The backstory: The fish survived the Palisades Fire, but they faced localized extinction late last month as rain was about to wash suffocating sediment, heavy materials and ash from burn-scarred Topanga Canyon into their habitat.
Why it matters: The trout, 271 of them, were rescued from Topanga Creek. That amounted to more than half of the estimated population in the creek. They were taken to the Fillmore Fish Hatchery. Topanga Creek is home to the last SoCal steelhead in the Santa Monica Mountains, the species’ historic habitat where it is now considered critically endangered.
What's next: Topanga Creek will continue to recover while the Southern California steelhead trout live in the wild.
Read more: Topanga Creek’s steelhead trout faced localized extinction: ‘We got to go get these fish’
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