Steelhead Rainbow Trout

Lompico Creek harbors these beautiful fish which were once the most famous "fresh" water game fish in California. Amazingly enough, it has so far been impossible for biologists to distinguish between land-locked rainbow trout and sea-run Steelhead rainbow trout. The differences are hidden deep in their genes and only a complete gene sequencing shows the differences.

There are however significant behavioral differences. Steelhead spawn in the fresh water stream of their birth, just as salmon do. Steelhead, however, can return to the ocean after spawning, unlike salmon which die after spawning once. In fact Steelhead can spawn two or three times in their lives if they are lucky enough to survive that long.

It is very hard to see an adult Steelhead in Lompico Creek because they are so rare, but if you were to spot one, it is a thrilling experience for those who love wildlife. It is hard to imagine a large fish making it up Lompico Creek, but Steelhead do this by using the high water of winter storms. Their reproductive strategy it to get as far up in a Creek drainage as they can so that after spawning, their fertilized eggs and fry are less likely to be flushed downstream and destroyed by the next big rain storm. Even this short description of their reproductive strategy makes it clear how precarious their lives are. Steelhead are listed under both the State and Federal Endangered Species Acts. It is a crime to molest them in our Creek.

To create a nest or "redd" the female fish looks for gravel at the tail of a pool in the stream. She turns on her side and uses her powerful body to stir up the gravel and create a depression. Once this has been done, the male and female fish release eggs and sperm simultaneously. The female then buries the eggs with loose gravel to protect them. The gravel that these fish need to build nests is not easy to find and it is often ruined and buried by sand and silt from poorly maintained roads, logging operations and erosion from badly maintained or constructed housing sites. These are conditions that we are all responsible for. The fish also need structure in the Creek to build potential spawning habitat. This structure is often created by boulders or what is called "large woody debris", a scientific term for logs and other large pieces of wood which help provide habitat for the fish. What looks to us like a harmful log jam is usually good for Steelhead. During high water, the wood is lifted by the water and large fish can squeeze through it, or jump over. This large wood is now considered essential for the survival of these animals. Young fish shelter under logs and stumps to avoid predators. Some log jams can block the passage of fish but others do not. It is sometimes necessary to build fish ladders around major obstacles to the passage of fish. There are two such ladders between Lompico Creek and the ocean, both of which were built by Santa Cruz County with help from other agencies.

Young fish spend one to two years living in our Creek before they move downstream, acclimate to salt water in the San Lorenzo Lagoon, and then enter the Pacific Ocean. Once in the ocean, Steelhead roam widely over the continental shelf as far as the Gulf of Alaska before returning to Lompico Creek to spawn. These three to four year old fish look just like a large beautiful rainbow trout with a green back, pink and silver sides and a white stomach. Most are in the range of five to ten pounds but can reach twenty five. Steelhead need cold, clean, abundant water to survive. They are very sensitive to chemical contamination of the Creek. It is very important for all of us to be careful with oil, paints, lawn chemicals, chlorine and any other harmful substances which we might use around our houses or businesses. Everything that lands on the ground in a mountain canyon is carried by the rain into the Creek.

Over forty percent of the salmon and Steelhead runs on the Pacific Coast from here to Washington are now extinct. A run of fish is like a race or sub-species and it cannot be restored with our current knowledge once it has gone extince. We cannot take Steelhead from the Klamath River and release them into the San Lorenzo. They will not survive. They do not possess the special genetic "knowledge" to reproduce here. The Coho or Silver Salmon which once returned to the San Lorenzo are now extinct because we did not protect their habitat. Let's try to do a better job of saving our Steelhead.

With the help of local fisheries biologist Don Alley, the Conservancy has conducted a survey of the Creek to catalogue blockages to migration. All of these problem locations were created by past stream alteration construction which did not take into account the migration of fish, particularly at lower water flow levels.

Low stream flows caused by water use and drought are the most critical problem for these animals. Conserve water in every way you can.