Threats Assessment for Southern California Coast Steelhead

A critical component of the recovery planning process is an assessment of the threats facing the species.  The threats assessment is designed to describe the range of threats to the species recovery, categorize those threats, and prioritize their severity where possible.  NMFS uses the threats assessment to determine needed actions intended to remove or reduce the existing threats so that the species can recover.  As part of its overall threats assessment process, NMFS funded the development of threats assessment workbooks based on The Nature Conservancy’s Conservation Action Planning (CAP) process.  Use of this methodology allows NMFS to organize the best available information and professional judgment on the threats facing the species into electronic workbooks that are programmed to summarize and track the information for use in developing and implementing recovery actions designed to address the identified threats.  The threats assessment process is intended to be iterative so that new information can be incorporated as it becomes available or as periodic status reviews of the species occur. 

Current conditions of important habitat elements for steelhead were assessed given available information from a variety of sources including published and unpublished reports.  The severity of threats posed directly to steelhead or their habitat was estimated and ranked.  Based on the initial threats assessment, the threats and associated sources of those threats across the range of the DPS, within each BPG, and within specific watersheds were identified.  NMFS selected 44 coastal watersheds, encompassing 73 drainages, across the range of the two DPSs.  These watersheds were selected based on the evaluation of the Technical Recovery Team as those supporting historical and extant steelhead populations.  These watersheds form the foundation for the recovery strategy under development for the two steelhead DPSs.    

Please follow the links below to download the threats assessment summaries for each DPS as well as key tables from the CAP workbooks developed for each watershed.  The files are organized by the Biogeographic Population Groups that make up each steelhead DPS. 

IMPORTANT NOTE:  These files are the products developed for NMFS by contractors and do not constitute the full threats assessment for the steelhead DPSs.  Additional information was utilized for the recovery planning process and will be reflected in the recovery plans.

• Concepcion Coast

• Mojave Rim

• Monte Arido Highlands

• Santa Catalina Coast

• Santa Monica Mountains

Southern California Coast Steelhead Threats Assessment Summary (PDF)