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Can California’s native fish species be saved?

Posted by: Maven on December 24, 2008 at 7:00 am

From Good Times:

Spawning trout and salmon may be lost due to magnetic interference, soil erosion, and water use. Can they be found?

Researchers now postulate that fish can take magnetic imprints of the streams in which they are born, and are thus able to find their way home to spawn. The findings bolster a report published by a local nonprofit—it shows the fish that fed the famous outdoor tourist industry now face extinction, and are in need of critical support.

The San Francisco-based California Trout, Inc. published a comprehensive review of the state’s native fish species in late November. After reviewing 32 independent, unaffiliated studies, they found that 65 percent of steelhead, salmon and trout will likely become extinct within the next 50 to 100 years, including three species found in the Central Coast. Known for its classic maroon sides and dark green heads, the Central California coast coho salmon is nearly extinct today, and is rarely spotted in local waters.

To help prevent future calamity, the organization recommends more stringent environmental laws and local protection efforts. “The report is a message of hope because there is still time left for people to wake up and rally around these fish,” says Scott Feierabend, interim executive director at CalTrout.

The problem is that reintroducing fish species may be more difficult than previously imagined. CalTrout’s report follows a wave of new studies on fish navigation—while many fish return to their home streams to spawn, hatchery fish often don’t fare as well. New findings suggest this may be due to magnetic imprints the fish use to navigate through the water.

“We propose that salmon and sea turtles form imprints of the unique magnetic signature in their area, and this is how they find their way back to their home,” says Kenneth Lohmann, a biologist at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. “We found that some fish and turtles have the biologic equivalent of a GPS system that helps them with navigation.”

Read more from Good Times by clicking here.

December 24, 2008 · Filed Under Wildlife & Endangered Species

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