A FISHY EXTINCTION: Saving The Steelhead & Restoring Their Habitat

Steelhead Trout, a type of salmonid native to Southern California, are in dire jeopardy facing extinction in Malibu Creek. The creek used to be an ideal spawning habitat for these fish. The environment in, and around, the creek is contaminated and has turned into a poor haven for the trout population. These trout need riverbanks that contain gravel to spawn. Even though the creek still harbors perfect spawning habitats, these locales remain inaccessible due to the Rindge Dam, an 86-year-old dam that blocks the passage of any Steelheads bound upstream.

Over the last ten years, the Steelhead Trout population has decreased at an alarmingly rate, their numbers diminishing from approximately 42,000 fish, down to only 50 at last count! At one point, their population was in the single digits. The reasons for this extreme die-off are varied and numerous, all of which need to be addressed to improve the overall health of the creek.

The primary culprit is the Rindge Dam located in the Malibu Creek Watershed. Built in 1926, by May Knight and Frederick Hastings Rindge, for flood control and water storage, the dam is no longer in use and filled with sediment. The massive concrete structure blocks the paths of Steelhead Trout swimming upstream to spawn. The situation is desperate and needs to be repaired as it impacts our local ecosystem. We believe that people need to know more about what is happening to wildlife in their community.

Nitrates and phosphates in the water conspire to make the environment even more hostile to these fish. This is caused by the many horse farms and vineyards adjacent to, or near, the creek. Pet waste also flows into the river, polluting and introducing contaminants to the creek’s waters. All of these, along with fertilizers from local vegetable farms are part of the urban runoff finding their way into the creek and then into our ocean. It should be noted that the creek is in good condition for humans to swim in and enjoy; it’s the Steelhead Trout that are suffering. The overabundance of nitrogen and phosphorus can lead to an overgrowth of algae, which can cause a lack of oxygen (which leads to hypoxia). This process is known as eutrophication. Without oxygen, fish cannot survive. Algae-ridden pools of water can be visibly seen throughout the creek, proving the existence of these elements.

A foreign invasion of Louisiana Red Swamp Crayfish is endangering this local watershed, also. These invasive invertebrates arrived here through the Mississippi Drainage Basin, a huge watershed that covers many states in the US. This large water system feeds into many different watersheds, including the Malibu Creek. Clearing out the non-native species of crayfish will lead to a much healthier habitat for native animals. We hope the animals of Malibu Creek will get their homes back soon.

Sediment, which has collected in this area over the past years, is another threat to the Malibu Creek and Steelhead Trout. Surrounding the creek, are many large and very loose rocks, which have also contributed to the creek’s current state. Usually, these rocks would eventually loosen and flow into the ocean due to currents in the creek but, because of the Rindge Dam, the loose rocks stay put after they have fallen. The removal of these rocks would allow water to flow normally and create space for Steelhead Trout to swim upstream. However, there are some possible detriments which could follow the removal of the dam. All of the unhealthy water, which is above the dam, would flow into the ocean. This could cause problems. This is why certain measures need to be taken before it would be safe for this dam to be removed.

We feel that it is very important to spread the word about our project and the Steelhead Trout’s problem. Our group visited the Malibu Creek State Park to see the Rindge Dam and the Tapia Water Reclamation Facility. After that, we tested for small bugs called macro invertebrates in the water. If there were a large variety of these bugs, it would represent more clarity in the water. We took multiple water samples and found only one of these bugs emphasizing the fact that this creek is in desperate need of help! Our hope is that educating the community will lead us closer to restoring this extremely damaged creek, as well as bringing back the Steelhead Trout to their native environment.

In conclusion, the Southern California Steelhead Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) are in danger of becoming extinct right in our own backyards. Any lost species within a community is a tragedy for that community. In order to solve these problems, we need to help. Humans put the Steelhead Trout in this dire situation and the trout will never survive if we don’t do our part to help them and the Malibu Creek’s water quality will continue to worsen. Many things need to be done in order to make this a healthy environment for Steelhead Trout, including planting trees, removing the dam, and introducing certain microbes to eliminate the nitrogen and phosphorus overload.

 It is our goal to save the Steelhead Trout as part of a science project we are undertaking through QuikSCience Challenge. The point of QuikSCience projects are to identify marine science problems and take corrective steps. Currently sponsored by The Wrigley Institute for Environmental Studies at USC, partnered with Quiksilver Inc. and the QuikSilver Foundation, QuikSCience is designed to help middle and high school students learn more deeply about their environment, while making a positive change in the world. Such projects reach out to kids, all across the country, and bring them together for a competition. In our case, it happens to be a life or death situation: the survival of the Steelhead Trout, a fish native to Southern California, dying in our very own backyards. This is a crucial problem that the Malibu Creek is facing and we feel it is our job to take action to fix this major issue.

Written By: Kayla Palleiko, Naomi Miller-Altuner, Fiona Story, Mackenzie Varner, Devin Dempsey, and Maya Reimer

Edited By: James Altuner and John Varner