Latest news with #RosiDagit
Los Angeles Times
10 hours ago
- General
- Los Angeles Times
Endangered fish saved from the Palisades fire were just returned to their Malibu home
Hundreds of tiny endangered fish slipped from orange plastic buckets into a glittering lagoon in Malibu on Tuesday, returning home five months after being whisked away from threats wrought by the Palisades fire. The repatriation of more than 300 northern tidewater gobies — led by the Resource Conservation District of the Santa Monica Mountains — marked a peaceful moment in a region still reeling from the aftermath of wildfires and now in turmoil due to federal immigration raids. 'In this time of total madness in our world and total upheaval in our environment, there's not many moments when we get a chance to do something as hopeful as bringing the gobies back to their home,' Rosi Dagit, principal conservation biologist for the conservation district, told attendees of a small ceremony. In January, Dagit orchestrated a successful rescue of 760 of the semi-translucent, swamp-colored fish from Topanga Lagoon, an unassuming biodiversity hotspot located off the Pacific Coast Highway that drains into the Santa Monica Bay. The Palisades fire that sparked Jan. 7 tore through the area, scorching all of the critical habitat for the gobies and an endangered population of steelhead trout that occupied the same watershed. Soon after, meteorologists predicted rains that could sweep massive amounts of sediment into the water, threatening to kill the fish. To save the gobies from that fate, scientists and citizen volunteers arrived on Jan. 17 and used giant nets that served as sieves to retrieve the fish that rarely exceed a length of two inches. Numerous partners participated in the effort, including the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Geological Survey, California State Parks and Cal State University Channel Islands. At the time, water from the firefighting effort had swept down the mountain creek and unnaturally breached a sandbar that separated the lagoon from the Pacific Ocean. Rescuers feared the fish would be flushed out to sea and difficult to find. But they caught several hundred more than they had aimed for. The fish were loaded into coolers and ferried by truck to the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach and Santa Monica's Heal the Bay Aquarium, where they've hunkered down ever since in comfort. In fact, their diets at the aquariums had to be scaled back because the fish were getting 'chubby,' said Dagit, of the conservation district. When the fish were plucked from the lagoon, it was far from certain they'd be able to return so soon. Watersheds scorched by fire can take years to recover. And the fish only live for about a year. 'We were really worried. We did not think [the habitat] was going to be good enough,' Dagit said. Then the breached sandbar closed and the lagoon started filling up with water, 'and all of the sudden there was habitat.' The lagoon is now about 2 meters deep — the deepest it's been since the conservation district began monitoring it 30-plus years ago. Last week, Dagit said she kayaked on the roughly one-acre lagoon. The watershed's Southern California steelhead trout, many of which were rescued in a separate operation in January, are still unable to return home. The part of the creek they inhabit is still too damaged, but they appear to be thriving in their news digs. In February, roughly 260 trout were transferred from a hatchery in Fillmore to a creek in Santa Barbara County. Two months later, they spawned — a process wildlife officials feared could have been disrupted by the trauma they endured. At the time, it was believed at least 100 baby trout were born. None of the gobies reproduced in captivity, but some of the females were 'gravid' — or full of eggs. 'With all the gravid ones that we have being released today … hopefully they'll be able to have [their babies] out in their natural environment,' said Stacy Hammond, a senior aquarist at Aquarium of the Pacific, who helped care for the gobies during their stay at the facility. Tidewater gobies are a hardy fish, able to withstand extreme temperature and salinity changes. They can even slurp air from the water surface if conditions force them to. They also have developed a reputation for cuteness, borne of their beady eyes and diminutive size. But their numbers plummeted amid habitat destruction from agricultural and coastal development, prompting their listing under the federal Endangered Species Act in 1994. The fish also are threatened by drought and invasive predators. The gobies were first documented in Topanga Lagoon in 2001. They swam over from Malibu Lagoon — located about five and a half miles to the north — where scientists planted 53 of them in 1993, Dagit said. They fish thrived in Topanga — a 2022 population estimate for the lagoon was in the tens of thousands. It's unknown where the figure stands after the fire, but recent surveys found there were still wild gobies. And the recent release adds to the tally. The Topanga gobies comprise the biggest, most stable population in the Santa Monica Bay area, according to Dagit. Bustling population centers like that can be used to repopulate areas that blink out elsewhere. Brenton Spies, a lecturer at Cal State University Channel Islands with goby expertise, said gobies play a critical role in the food chain. Removing them from an ecosystem can cause it to collapse. 'It's not just this one individual fish that we're trying to save, it's the health of these ecosystems,' he said at the fish release ceremony. Before the gobies were released, Robert Dorame, tribal chair of the Gabrielino-Tongva Indians of California, led attendees in a blessing. He directed the group to face different directions. 'We are the stewards of the four directions, Indian or non-Indian, religious or no religion,' he said. 'But we are all spiritual beings, so let's make this a special day for the gobies.' To acclimate the gobies to their new/old home, water from the lagoon was slowly added to two coolers where the fish were hanging out nearby. Once the right salinity and temperature was reached — roughly 1-2 parts per thousand and 66 degrees Fahrenheit respectively — the fish would be good to go. In a large, white Igloo cooler, the gobies teemed in one corner, blending into rocks and sand that lined the bottom. They were transferred to buckets and personnel wearing waders carried them into the lagoon. Someone threw fragrant sage as the fish disappeared into the water.
Yahoo
03-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Wildlife experts undertake critical rescue mission after devastating fires in Los Angeles: '[It] needs to happen now'
When wildfires burn, it's not just homes and forests at risk — endangered species are also caught in the crossfire. In the wake of the recent Palisades Fire in Southern California, fish and wildlife rescuers worked to save hundreds of endangered fish from fire-damaged waterways. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife recently removed more than 250 endangered southern steelhead trout from Topanga Creek after recent wildfires left the creek's watershed severely degraded. "Rescuing this genetically unique population of trout needs to happen now," Rosi Dagit, a conservation biologist involved in the effort, told local news station KTLA 5. More than 750 tidewater gobies — tiny and bony freshwater — were also rescued from nearby Topanga Lagoon, located downstream from Topanga Creek. Officials say the waters in these areas may remain uninhabitable for fish species for years. As the Environmental Protection Agency reports, ash and contaminants settle in streams, lakes, and other waterways during a wildfire. Meanwhile, vegetation around these bodies of water — key to holding soil and retaining water — burns away. When rain eventually falls, it flushes even more ash, sediment, and contaminants into waterways. The absence of healthy vegetation creates conditions ripe for harmful erosion and even flooding, per the EPA. This can upset the balance of the local ecosystem, causing toxic algae blooms and sickening or killing remaining wildlife, plant life, and healthy bacteria. The rescued southern steelhead trout were transported to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife Fillmore Hatchery in Santa Paula, while the tidewater gobies were transferred to the Heal the Bay holding facility in Santa Monica and the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach. Conservationists tell KTLA 5 that they plan to relocate the trout once a suitable habitat is identified. The gobies, on the other hand, will remain in human care for the foreseeable future until significant rain events flush out debris from the Palisades Fire, making the environment once again safe for wildlife. Even without the recent fire-caused habitat destruction, steelhead trout and tidewater gobies are species on the brink of extinction. Though vastly different in size, both species have been highly impacted by climate shifts and coastal development, which have negatively impacted their habitats and food chains, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Do you think America does a good job of protecting its natural beauty? Definitely Only in some areas No way I'm not sure Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. The recent L.A. fires are an extreme example of how planetary warming and climate instability can impact a region's delicate aquatic ecosystem. The devastating fires were fueled by a combination of dry conditions in the area — prompted by L.A.'s driest winter since the 1960s — and Santa Ana wind events. While weather events have always existed, the changing climate has made them more powerful and dangerous. The recent devastation caused by the fires has left experts and residents concerned about how Southern California will adapt to increasingly frequent and severe wildfires. It's easy to feel like the problem of wildfires is too big to tackle individually — especially if you live far from the impacted area. But it's important to remember that every climate-minded action can help support the planet, from recycling to switching to solar. Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
Yahoo
28-01-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Hundreds of endangered fish rescued from bodies of water damaged by L.A. fires
Hundreds of endangered fish were removed last week from bodies of water left damaged by the Palisades Fire. A removal of more than 250 endangered southern steelhead trout took place last Thursday at Topanga Creek in a rescue operation led by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. Fish and Wildlife, with assistance from other agencies including the Resource Conservation District of the Santa Monica Mountains, traveled with nets in hand to corral the endangered fish and remove them from Topanga Creek. Officials said the creek's watershed was severely degraded by the Palisades Fire, and it may remain uninhabitable for the species for years. 'Rescuing this genetically unique population of trout needs to happen now,' said Rosi Dagit, principal conservation biologist with the RCDSMM, adding that recent rainfall likely caused even further damaged to the creek's water quality. The trout were transported to the CDFW Fillmore Hatchery in Santa Paula for safekeeping while efforts are made to identify a new habitat. Plans are underway to relocate the trout to a suitable watershed in collaboration with the National Marine Fisheries Service. Wildlife rescuers and researchers also rescued more than 750 tidewater gobies from the Topanga Lagoon, located downstream from Topanga Creek in an inlet of the Pacific Ocean. The hundreds of freshwater fish have since been transferred to a Heal the Bay holding facility in Santa Monica and the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach for safekeeping. That rescue operation included RCDSMM, U.S. Fish and Wildlife and CSU Channel Islands. The gobies will remain in human care for the foreseeable future until significant rain events are able to 'flush out debris left over from the Palisades Fire, and they can be safely returned to the wild,' the Aquarium of the Pacific said. The Palisades and Eaton fires have devastated both human and ecological communities. The fires have destroyed over 12,000 structures and displaced thousands of residents, with extreme weather conditions linked to climate change worsening their impact. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
