Southern California’s rivers and creeks once teemed with large, silvery fish that arrived from the ocean and swam upstream to spawn. But today, these fish are seldom seen.

Southern California steelhead trout have been pushed to the brink of extinction as their river habitats have been altered by development and fragmented by barriers and dams.

Their numbers have been declining for decades, and last week California’s Fish and Game Commission voted to list Southern California steelhead trout as endangered.

Conservation advocates said they hope the designation will accelerate efforts to save the fish and the aquatic ecosystems on which they depend.

“Historically, tens of thousands of these fish swam in Southern California rivers and streams,” said Sandra Jacobson, director of the South Coast region for California Trout, an organization that advocated for the listing.

“Their numbers have dipped dangerously low due to impacts from habitat loss, fragmentation and urbanization,” Jacobson said. “This landmark decision provides critically important protections for this iconic species.”

The distinct Southern California population is one of eight varieties of steelhead trout in the state. They live in coastal waters and rivers from southern San Luis Obispo County to around the U.S.-Mexico border.

Steelhead trout are the same species as rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss, but unlike their freshwater-dwelling relatives, steelheads spend much of their lives feeding in the ocean and return to their natal streams to spawn.

Steelheads typically grow to 2 or 3 feet and sometimes larger.

The fish migrate upstream when winter and spring rains send high flows coursing through rivers and creeks. They travel to spawning habitats as far as 30 miles inland — as long as they don’t encounter a barrier along the way.

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