Introduction to Population Status

Two species of salmon and trout (collectively referred to as salmonids) live out their freshwater life stages in San Mateo and Santa Cruz Counties: coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) and steelhead trout (O. mykiss). Chinook salmon (O . tshawytscha) may have historically used coastal streams as far south as the Ventura River (Ventura County), but as of 1998, there were no known populations south of San Francisco Bay (Myers et al. 1998). In San Mateo and Santa Cruz Counties, both coho and steelhead have experienced substantial population declines. While steelhead are still found in numerous streams, coho remain as spawning populations in only a few streams. To augment these declines, a regional salmonid hatchery is collaborating with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries Science Center. This facility is a supplemental/conservation hatchery for wild coho salmon and a production hatchery for steelhead trout (Monterey Bay Salmon and Trout Project 2004). Salmonid populations are declining throughout much of the Pacific Coast and populations are federally listed as endangered or threatened under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and California. The Central California Coast evolutionary significant unit (ESU) – which includes San Mateo and Santa Cruz Counties – was among the first in which both coho and steelhead were listed.

map of historic coho streams within San Mateo and Santa Cruz Counties

Historically, coho salmon have run in the following streams of San Mateo and Santa Cruz Counties: San Vicente Creek, San Gregorio Creek, Pescadero Creek, Butano Creek, Waddell Creek, Gazos Creek, Scott Creek, San Lorenzo River, Soquel Creek, and Aptos Creek.

Coho Decline

The southernmost population of coho salmon (O. kisutch) in the United States currently occurs in Santa Cruz County. Historically, coho were reported from streams as far south as the Santa Ynez River (Santa Barbara County) (Bryant 1994), but coho have not been documented south of Santa Cruz County recently. Within San Mateo and Santa Cruz Counties, spawning populations of coho were thought to live in most streams emptying into the ocean. Historic coho runs include, but are not necessarily limited to, San Gregorio Creek, Pescadero Creek, Butano Creek, Gazos Creek, Waddell Creek, Scott Creek, San Vincente Creek, the San Lorenzo River, Soquel Creek, and Aptos Creek (Hassler et al. 1991; Bryant 1994; NOAA-NMFS 2001).

Since the 1976-1977 drought, the only known naturally spawning coho populations occur in San Vicente, Gazos, Waddell, and Scott Creeks (J. Smith of SJSU, personal communication 2004; M. Gingras of CDFG, personal communication 2003; and C. Ambrose of NOAA Fisheries, personal communication 2004). With respect to the San Francisco Bay, no coho populations are known to spawn in streams emptying into the bay. Although there are no historical records indicating spawning populations on the bayside of San Mateo County, coho were recorded in 1936 and 1981 from streams in northern San Francisco Bay (Marin County) (Brown and Moyle 1991).

San Mateo and Santa Cruz County coho are part of the Central California Coast ESU and are listed as threatened under the federal ESA (as of 1996) and endangered under the California ESA (as of 1995). In May 2004, NOAA announced intent to change the status of the Central California Coast coho from threatened to endangered under the federal ESA. NOAA's proposal was published in the Federal Register in June 2004 and will be open for public comment until October 20, 2004 (NOAA Fisheries 2004). For more information on coho population trends see the following NOAA resources:

Status Review for Coho Salmon in Washington, Oregon and California (Weitkamp et al. 1995)
Status Review Update for Coho Salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) from the Central California Coast (NOAA-NMFS 2001)
Southern Oregon/Northern California Coasts Evolutionarily Significant Units (NOAA-NMFS 2001)
Status Review for Coho Salmon in Scott and Waddell Creeks, Santa Cruz County, California (Bryant 1994)
Coho Recovery (CDFG 2003)

In addition, the California Department of Fish and Game's (CDFG) Coho Salmon Web page has several documents related to coho status in Central California.

Commercial fishing ended in 1994, and since 1996 recreational fishing for coho salmon has been prohibited within the entire California Central Coast ESU, including San Mateo and Santa Cruz County streams. If a coho is unintentionally hooked, the fish must be released with the least amount of handling and harm possible (see the CDFG's Sport Fishing Regulations Web site for more information).

map of historic steelhead streams in San Mateo and Santa Cruz Counties

Historically, steelhead trout have run in the following streams in San Mateo and Santa Cruz Counties: San Pedro Creek, San Vicente Creek, Denniston Creek, Frenchmans Creek, Pilarcitos Creek, Lobitos Creek, Tunitas Creek, San Gregorio, Pomponio Creek, Pescadero Creek, Butanos Creek, Gazos Creek, Whitehouse Creek, Ano Nuevo Creek, Finney Creek, Waddell Creek, Scott Creek, Liddell Creek, Laguna Creek, Majors Creek, Baldwin Creek, San Lorenzo River, Arana Gulch, Soquel Creek, Arroyo Leon, and Aptos Creek.

Steelhead Decline

Historically, steelhead trout (O. mykiss) spawned in most of the streams emptying into the Pacific Ocean and San Francisco Bay, with populations observed as far south as Rio del Presidio, Mexico (Busby et al. 1996). Today all coastal steelhead populations from Redwood Creek (Mendocino County) to San Mateo Creek (Orange County) are listed as threatened under the federal ESA. This includes the populations in 14 coastal streams in San Mateo County and 15 in Santa Cruz County that have been petitioned for listing under the ESA (Busby et al. 1996).

Coastal populations in San Mateo and Santa Cruz Counties have experienced substantial declines since the mid-1960s. In the San Lorenzo River, it is estimated that the spawning population in the early 1990s was only 1percent of the 1960 population (Busby et al. 1996). Bayside San Mateo County currently has one self-sustaining steelhead spawning population in San Francisquito Creek. In San Mateo and Santa Cruz Counties, all of the ocean and bay draining streams are part of the Central California Coast ESU, with the exception of the Pajaro River, which is part of the South/Central California Coast ESU. Steelhead within both ESUs were listed as threatened under the federal ESA in 1997. For more information on steelhead population trends see NOAA's "Status Review of West Coast Steelhead from Washington, Idaho, Oregon and California" (Busby et al. 1996) or visit CDFG's Steelhead Trout Web page.

Although commercial and recreational fishing is not allowed for steelhead throughout San Mateo and Santa Cruz Counties, the non-anadromous form of O. mykiss – known as rainbow trout – are not listed under the state or federal ESA and have limited recreational angling seasons. Fishing for rainbow trout is highly regulated and guidelines are provided by CDFG (see CDFG's Sport Fishing Regulations Web site for more information). Within anadromous waters, rainbow trout are differentiated from steelhead by a length criterion. O. mykiss that are 16 inches or greater are considered to be steelhead; O. mykiss larger than 16 inches must be immediately released with efforts made not to remove them from the water. San Mateo and Santa Cruz Counties fall within the CDFG South Central District. Fishing is highly restricted in this area and the majority of the anadromous stream areas are off-limits to anglers. In most areas that permit rainbow trout fishing, anglers are required to use barbless hooks and "catch and release" fishing practices.

Fishery Reports

Several coho and steelhead population surveys have been conducted in local streams in San Mateo and Santa Cruz Counties since the early 1990s. Some of these reports are available as PDF files and are listed below (click title to access document).

References

Brown, L.R., and P.B. Moyle. 1991. "Status of Coho Salmon in California." Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Biology, University of California, Davis. Report to the National Marine Fisheries Service., 114 (plus appendices) pp. View on-line document.

Bryant, G.J. 1994. "Status Review of Coho Salmon Populations in Scott and Waddell Creeks, Santa Cruz County, California." National Marine Fisheries Service, Southwest Region, Protected Species Management Division. 102 pp. View document (PDF).

Busby, P.J., T.C. Wainwright, G.J. Bryant, L.J. Lierheimer, R.S. Waples, F.W. Waknitz, and I.V. Lagomarsino. 1996. "Status Review of West Coast Steelhead from Washington, Idaho, Oregon, and California." U.S. Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. NOAA Technical Memorandum NMFS-NWFSC-27, 275 pp. View on-line source. View document (PDF).

California Department of Fish and Game (CDFG). 2002. "Status Review of California Coho Salmon North of San Francisco." Report to the California Fish and Game Commission. 336 pp. View on-line document.

California Department of Fish and Game (CDFG). 2003. "Recovery Strategy for California Coho Salmon." Report to the California Fish and Game Commission. Public Review Draft. Species Recovery Plan Report 2003-1, 786 pp. View on-line document.

Hassler, T.J., C.M. Sullivan, and G.R. Stern. 1991. "Distribution of Coho Salmon in California." U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, California Cooperative Fishery Research Unit, Humboldt State University. Final report submitted to California Department of Fish and Game, Contract No. FG7292. View on-line document.

Kaczynski, V.W. 2004. "Were Coho Salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) South of San Francisco Ever Native, Indigenous?" Central Coast Forest Association. Independent Review. View on-line source.

Monterey Bay Salmon and Trout Project. 2004. Welcome to the Monterey Bay Salmon and Trout Project [Web site] [cited 2004]. View on-line source.

Myers, J.M., R.G. Kope, G.J. Bryant, D. Teel, L.J. Lierheimer, T.C. Wainwright, W.S. Grand, F.W. Waknitz, K. Neely, S.T. Lindley, and R.S. Waples. 1998. "Status Review of Chinook Salmon from Washington, Idaho, Oregon, and California." U.S. Department of Commerce. NOAA Technical Memorandum NMFS-NWFSC-35, 443 pp.

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries. 2004. Update on the Alsea Valley Alliance v. Evans U.S. District Court Ruling (Alsea decision); August 24, 2004 [Web page]. NOAA, Department of Commerce [cited 2004]. View on-line source .

NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS). 1991. Notice of policy: Policy on applying the definition of species under the Endangered Species Act to Pacific salmon. Federal Register [Docket No. 910248-1255, 20 November 1991] 56 (224):58612-58618.

NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS). 2001. Status Review Update for Coho Salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) from the Central California Coast and the California Portion of the Southern Oregon/Northern California Coasts Evolutionarily Significant Units. Santa Cruz, CA: Southwest Fisheries Science Center, Santa Cruz Laboratory. View on-line document.

Weitkamp, L.A., T.C. Wainwright, G.J. Bryant, G.B. Milner, D.J. Teel, R.G. Kope, and R.S. Waples. 1995. "Status Review of Coho Salmon from Washington, Oregon, and California." U.S. Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. NOAA Technical Memorandum NMFS-NWFSC-24, 266 pp. View on-line source.

General Reference

Alley, D. 2003. Memorandum to NOAA. December 2003.

McCrary, H.T. 2004. "Addendum to the Petition to Redefine the Southern Extent of the Central California Coho ESU, Submitted to NOAA Fisheries on November 2, 2003." Central Coast Forest Association. 22 pp. View on-line document.

McEwan, D., and T.A. Jackson. 1996. "Steelhead Restoration and Management Plan for California." California Department of Fish and Game. 234 pp. View document (PDF).