7/19/1999 598

CENTER PROPOSES TO INCREASE STEELHEAD HABITAT IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA, REMOVE OUTDATED DAMS

In its comments on the National Marine Fisheries Service proposed plan to designate critical habitat for endangered steelhead trout in California, Oregon and Washington, the Center for Biological Diversity has asked the agency to expand the proposal to protect steelhead spawning habitat above numerous dams. Even though dams are one the greatest threats to steelhead, the agency only designated habitat below dams as "critical," thereby hoping to avoid having to remove or re-engineer dams which are driving the steelhead extinct.

The Center also believes the agency is required to designate additional streams in Orange and San Diego Counties as officially protected steelhead habitat. Steelhead were historically found as far south as the Rio del Santo Domingo in northern Baja California. The agency, however, has proposed to only protect streams north of Malibu Creek in Los Angles County.

Steelhead habitat protection south of Los Angeles has become increasingly important with the rediscovery of the species this spring on Camp Pendleton Marine Corps Base in northern San Diego County. The Center is now pursuing a strategy in cooperation with several environmental and fishing organizations to secure Endangered Species Act protection for this new found population.