‘Save Santa Barbara Steelhead’ Town Hall Brings Together Historic, Ecological, and Cultural Knowledge
Panelists Spoke about Recovery Efforts and What Needs to be Done to Help Critically Endangered Fish
This article was underwritten in part by the Mickey Flacks Journalism Fund for Social Justice, a proud, innovative supporter of local news. To make a contribution go to sbcan.org/journalism_fund.
For about 13,000 years, Santa Barbara County’s rivers teemed with steelhead trout. They dwelled in its cool pools, journeyed to and from the ocean, and built spawning nests, or redds, in gravely bottoms. Until the 1950s, the area supported runs of tens of thousands of fish journeying upstream to spawn. Today, the Southern California steelhead is critically endangered.
On Sunday, folks spent the afternoon at the Lobero Theatre learning about the southern steelhead. The event, part of the Santa Barbara Flyfisher’s campaign to “Save Santa Barbara Steelhead,” included a town hall with eight panelists who discussed everything from the historic and cultural significance of the fish to how to prevent its extinction.
