Abstract

Lower Santa Ynez River Southern Steelhead Restoration and Population Trends
Track: Forestry and Wildlife Management
Authors: Timothy Robinson

Fisheries monitoring and habitat restoration efforts by the Cachuma Water Agencies on the Lower Santa Ynez River (LSYR) in Santa Barbara County have shown a modest increase over the past decade in smolt production and returning adult southern steelhead (Oncorhynchus mykiss). A developed multi-variant GIS-database assists in tracking population trends and the benefits of completed habitat restoration projects. General environmental condition and specific stream ecology affect growth rates and population trends that are seen when integrating migrant capture, snorkel survey, genetics and scale analysis data within the LSYR basin. Specifically, LSYR tributaries Salsipuedes Creek (closest to the ocean) and Hilton Creek (furthest from the ocean) show different population trends based on their hydrology, proximity to the ocean, habitat and water quality, and gene pool. Data on smolt production and returning adults will be presented in context of environmental variables that influence life history strategies within these two drainages.