Southern California is home to the southernmost extant populations of steelhead
rainbow trout. These fish possess unique adaptations, represent an important
part of the state’s anadromous resources, and serve as vital indicators of the
overall health of the aquatic ecosystems of Southern California coastal watersheds.
Until the listing of southern steelhead as an endangered species under
the Federal Endangered Species Act (ESA), scant attention had been paid to
these unique and magnificent fish. While renewed attention has been focused
on the almost forgotten populations, there continues to persist an imbalance in
the effort being made to restore California anadromous fish heritage. The
Southern California Steelhead Recovery Coalition (SCSRC) has been created
as a vehicle to mobilize the interests, energies, and political will of the Southern
California community on behalf of these resources. As part of this effort, the
SCSRC has identified steelhead as the key to restoring the full range of fish
fauna of Southern California aquatic systems and their watersheds, and identified
basic priorities in accomplishing these goals. These include: focusing on
restoring fish passage to historic spawning and rearing areas, addressing watershed
wide degradation of aquatic ecosystems, and ensuring adequate representation
of Southern California interests in all state and federal programs
designed to address the recovery of steelhead in California.