Species Status:

The Central Valley (CV) steelhead DPS is thought to have occurred historically from the McCloud River and other northern tributaries to Tulare Lake and the Kings River in the southern San Joaquin Valley.  It is estimated that more than 95 percent of historical spawning habitat is now inaccessible to this DPS, and little information is available regarding the viability of the naturally spawning component of the CV DPS.  Anadromous steelhead spawning above Red Bluff Diversion Dam (RBDD) have a small population size and exhibit strongly negative trends in abundance and population growth rate.  No escapement estimates have been made for the area above RBDD since the mid-1990s.  A crude extrapolation from the incidental catch of out-migrating juvenile steelhead (captured in a midwater-trawl sampling program for juvenile Chinook salmon below the confluence of the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers) estimated that, on average during 1998–2000, approximately 181,000 juvenile steelhead were naturally produced each year in the Central Valley by approximately 3,600 spawning female steelhead.  Prior to 1850, there were 1 to 2 million spawners, and in the 1960s about 40,000 spawners.  The Biological Review Team (BRT) reported that recent spawner surveys of small Sacramento River tributaries (Mill, Deer, Antelope, Clear, and Beegum Creeks) and incidental captures of juvenile steelhead via monitoring on the Calaveras, Cosumnes, Stanislaus, Tuolumne, and Merced Rivers confirmed that steelhead are distributed throughout accessible streams and rivers.

Although steelhead appear to remain widely distributed in Sacramento River tributaries, the vast majority of historic spawning areas are currently located upstream of impassable dams.  Coastal steelhead are widely distributed in the Central Valley basin, with approximately half of the available habitat upstream of impassable dams.  At higher elevations, habitat appears to support high densities of steelhead.  It is not evident how CV steelhead and resident populations interacted before these dams were built.  Steelhead produced from hatcheries have been widely stocked throughout the CV, Sierra Nevada, and southern Cascades.  Stocking may have deleterious effects on native wild populations.  There are reports of native wild populations in some areas having received stocked fish.   Identification of any particular resident populations that may be part of the CV DPS has not been possible due to the lack of sufficient status and trend data.

Two artificial propagation programs are considered to be part of the CV steelhead DPS; both are located in the Sacramento River Basin, consisting of large-scale mitigation facilities intended to support recreational fisheries for steelhead, and not to supplement naturally spawning populations.  All production is marked and the hatchery fish are integrated with the natural-origin fish.

Informed by the BRT’s findings, and NMFS’ assessment of the effects of artificial propagation programs on the viability of the DPS, the Artificial Propagation Evaluation Workshop concluded that the California CV steelhead DPS altogether is “in danger of extinction.”

Recovery Plan Status:

No recovery plan has been completed for Central Valley steelhead, but a draft multi-species recovery plan including this distinct population segment (DPS) is anticipated in summer 2007, with a final plan in December 2007.

 Literature Cited

55 FR 24296. 1990. Endangered and threatened species; listing and recovery priority guidelines. Federal Register, 55: 24296-24298.

62 FR 43937. 1997. Endangered and threatened species: listing of several evolutionarily significant units (ESUs) of west coast steelhead. Federal Register, 62: 43937-43954.

71 FR 834. 2006. Endangered and threatened species: final listing determinations for 10 distinct population segments of West coast steelhead. Federal Register, 71: 834-862.

Busby, P. J., T. C. Wainwright & G. J. Bryant. 1996. Status Review of West Coast Steelhead from Washington, Idaho, Oregon, and California. U.S. Department of Commerce, NOAA Technical Memorandum, NMFS-NWFSC-27. 261 pp.

Good, T. P., R. S. Waples & P. B. Adams. 2005. Updated status of federally listed ESUs of West Coast salmon and steelhead. U.S. Department of Commerce, NOAA Technical Memorandum, NMFS-NWFSC-66. 598 pp.

Leidy, R. A., G. S. Becker & B. N. Harvey. 2005. Historical distribution and current status of steelhead/rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) in streams of the San Francisco Estuary, California. Center for Ecosystem Management and Restoration, Oakland, CA, Oakland, CA. 275 pp.

McEwan, D. & T. A. Jackson. 1996. Steelhead restoration and management plan for California. California Department of Fish and Game, Sacramento. 234 pp.

Recovery Priority Number:         7

The Recovery Priority Number for the CV steelhead DPS was derived from a moderate magnitude of threat, because more than 95 percent of historic spawning habitat is inaccessible (due to impassable dams) and because CV steelhead require cooler water at higher elevations (again, found largely above impassable dams).  The recovery potential was determined to be low to moderate due to a lack of suitable habitat (requiring cold water and high elevation) below impassable barriers, inadequate status and trends data to assess DPS viability, and the widespread stocking of hatchery fish (which could negatively impact wild steelhead populations).  Conflict was determined to exist because of anticipated future development and habitat degradation issues, as well as increasing demands for Central Valley water supplies.

Threats and Impacts:

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The primary limiting factor to the CV steelhead DPS is the inaccessibility of more than 95 percent of its historic spawning and rearing habitat due to impassable dams.  Where steelhead are still extant, natural populations are subject to habitat degradation and various impacts from water development activities and land use activities.  This DPS requires cool water found at higher elevations, now largely above impassable dams. The lack of adequate status and trend monitoring and research limits our understanding of the viability of this DPS and our ability to determine how steelhead populations may have interacted before the dams were built.  The geographically wide stocking of hatchery fish may have deleterious effects on native wild trout populations, but this cannot be assessed.  It is likely many of the threats affecting Chinook salmon are also negatively impacting steelhead, such as inadequately screened water diversions, excessively high water temperatures, and predation by non-native species.

Priority Recovery Actions Needed:

The inability to adequately conduct viability assessments for the CV steelhead DPS is largely due to the lack of comprehensive abundance and trend data for steelhead in the Central Valley.  Recently, the CALFED program identified a proposal for development (but not implementation) of a CV steelhead monitoring program for directed action funding.  Development and implementation of a monitoring and assessment program for CV steelhead is critical for assessing population viability and responses to extensive habitat restoration efforts funded by CALFED and CVPIA.

CALFED’s Battle Creek Restoration Project is a priority action that has already restored stream reaches in the 42 miles of Upper Battle Creek suitable for steelhead.  The upper reach will be fully restored under an agreement between Pacific Gas and Electric (which operates nine hydroelectric dams in this reach) and several resource agencies.  The intent is to remove five of the dams and dedicate the water rights to the environment.  The remaining dams would have increased instream flows, thereby increasing habitat by 500 to 800 percent.  The remaining dam structures would be modified with optimally designed fish ladders and screens, and meander belt and riparian forest would be restored.  Continued funding and implementation of CALFED’s Ecosystem Restoration Program and the CVPIA remain an overall priority for continuation of habitat restoration efforts, screening of diversions, flow and temperature monitoring, status and trends research monitoring, modification of structures to improve fish passage, and overall water quality improvements.

Conservation Actions:

During 2004–2006, progress was made toward addressing some of the limiting factors and threats to this DPS, largely through ESA section 7 consultations and other ESA-related conservation efforts in the Central Valley.  The Central Valley Project section 7 consultation with the Bureau of Reclamation likely contributed to habitat improvements benefiting the CV steelhead DPS, such as flow and temperature improvements.   

In addition, two large, comprehensive conservation programs in the Central Valley provide a wide range of ecosystem and species-specific protective efforts that benefit steelhead – the CALFED Bay-Delta Program and the Central Valley Project Improvement Act (CVPIA).   CALFED works with local communities to improve water quality and reliability for California’s water supplies, and to restore the San Francisco Bay-Delta ecosystem.   Although not fully implemented, CALFED’s Ecosystem Restoration Program has funded projects involving habitat restoration; floodplain restoration and/or protection; instream habitat restoration; riparian habitat restoration/protection; fish screening and passage projects, research on and eradication of non-native species, as well as on contaminants; research and monitoring of fishery resources; and watershed stewardship and outreach.   The Environmental Water Account is used to offset losses of juvenile fish at the Delta pumps, and to provide higher instream flows in the Yuba, Stanislaus, American, and Merced Rivers to benefit salmonids.

The CVPIA balances the priorities of fish and wildlife protection, restoration, and mitigation with irrigation, domestic water use, fish and wildlife enhancement, and power augmentation.  The CVPIA has conducted studies/investigations and implemented hundreds of actions, including modifications of Central Valley Project operations, management and acquisition of water for fish and wildlife needs, flow management for fish migration and passage, increased water flows, replenishment of spawning gravels, restoration of riparian habitats, screening of water diversions, and habitat restoration. 

The Delta Pumping Plant Fish Protection Agreement and the Tracy Fish Collection Mitigation Agreement mitigate for State Water Project and pumping plant impacts by screening water diversions, enhancing law enforcement efforts to reduce illegal fish harvest, installing seasonal barriers to guide fish away from undesirable spawning habitat or migration corridors, restoring salmon habitat, and removing four dams to improve fish passage on Butte Creek for Chinook and steelhead.  Approximately one-third of the approved funding for salmonid projects specifically targets spring-run Chinook salmon and steelhead in the upper Sacramento River tributaries.

Ongoing measures to protect steelhead in the State of California include 100 percent marking of all hatchery steelhead, zero bag limits for unmarked steelhead, gear restrictions, closures, and size limits designed to protect smolts.  The State also works closely with NMFS to review and improve inland fishing regulations.

02/20/08