In a last ditch effort to save crashing salmon and steelhead runs, the Friends of the Eel River have brought legal action before the State Water Resources Control Board to get the state to significantly cut back on the diversion of Eel River water to the Russian River. Conversely, the resulting elevated flows on the Russian are also threatening the State and federally listed Russian River’s endangered salmon and steelhead.

Prior to the diversion project the Eel used to get a run of 500,000 salmon and steelhead....the run today averages 15,000 fish.

LINK (Via: The Times Standard)

The federal government is considering spending $7.5 million to design and build a new fish ladder to help steelhead trout negotiate Santa Paula Creek in Southern California.

LINK (Via: Scripps News)

Santa Paula Creek, located in southwest Ventura County, California, is one of three main historical spawning tributaries for endangered southern steelhead. 

It is time to demand an end to failed hatchery programs.

An IHN outbreak in hatchery reared steelhead has resulted in the culling of all hatchery fish at the Bogachiel State Hatchery. Wild Broodstock fish in the Snider Creek program on the Sol Duc may also be infected and are being closely monitored for the disease.

If the disease spread to the wild population in the Quillayute system, the effects could be disastrous.

LINK (Via: Osprey Steelhead News)