Mateo
Steelhead Salvation: Why we must save southern Steelhead from extinction
Over the past months I have been doing research pertaining to the Southern Steelhead trout in order to determine whether the Southern California Steelhead is doomed to be extinct and if it is possible to save them why is it worth the immense effort it would take? I initially became interested in this topic after watching Patagonia’s documentary “DamNation” which details the destruction dams across the nation have done to river ecosystems. I also knew a bit about the local Southern Steelhead and had visited one of the featured dams in the documentary, the Matilija Dam (Located about 10 miles northwest of Thacher’s campus). I have found a lot of interesting information through my research which has only deepened my belief that not enough resources have been allotted to protecting the Southern Steelhead given how helpful they could be to humanity in the coming century. Some facts that highlight the importance of saving the Southern Steelhead species include that they are the only trout species that can survive 80 degree water temperatures due to their unique adaptations and they are one of the best species at surviving unpredictable flooding/intense weather. These are both issues that have increased in prevalency in the past century and will likely only continue to grow as issues in the coming decades. Given that these are issues that are only going to get worse it becomes clear that the Southern Steelhead is in fact, genetically speaking, the ideal fish to survive climate change. Seeing as Salmonids and Trout are some of the most popular types of fish when it comes to consumption, it would be a major blow to worldwide food supply if they were to die off. Saving Southern Steelhead would also improve the overall ecological health of Southern California and likely improve the economy as well.
WATCH HERE
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Over the past months I have been doing research pertaining to the Southern Steelhead trout in order to determine whether the Southern California Steelhead is doomed to be extinct and if it is possible to save them why is it worth the immense effort it would take? I initially became interested in this topic after watching Patagonia’s documentary “DamNation” which details the destruction dams across the nation have done to river ecosystems. I also knew a bit about the local Southern Steelhead and had visited one of the featured dams in the documentary, the Matilija Dam (Located about 10 miles northwest of Thacher’s campus). I have found a lot of interesting information through my research which has only deepened my belief that not enough resources have been allotted to protecting the Southern Steelhead given how helpful they could be to humanity in the coming century. Some facts that highlight the importance of saving the Southern Steelhead species include that they are the only trout species that can survive 80 degree water temperatures due to their unique adaptations and they are one of the best species at surviving unpredictable flooding/intense weather. These are both issues that have increased in prevalency in the past century and will likely only continue to grow as issues in the coming decades. Given that these are issues that are only going to get worse it becomes clear that the Southern Steelhead is in fact, genetically speaking, the ideal fish to survive climate change. Seeing as Salmonids and Trout are some of the most popular types of fish when it comes to consumption, it would be a major blow to worldwide food supply if they were to die off. Saving Southern Steelhead would also improve the overall ecological health of Southern California and likely improve the economy as well.
WATCH HERE
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