EPA's Vessel General Permit and Small Vessel General

Status and Trends
NMFS listed Northern California steelhead as threatened on June 7, 2000 (65 FR 36074), and
reaffirmed their status as threatened on January 5, 2006 (71 FR 834). Long-term data sets are
limited for Northern California steelhead. Before 1960, estimates of abundance specific to this
DPS were available from dam counts in the upper Eel River (Cape Horn Dam; annual average
number of adults was 4,400 in the 1940s), the South Fork Eel River (Benbow Dam; annual
average number of adults was 18,000 in the 1940s), and the Mad River (Sweasey Dam; annual
average number of adults was 3,800 in the 1940s). According to California Department of Fish
& Game nearly 200,000 spawning steelhead may have comprised this DPS in the early 1960s
(Good et al. 2005). At the time of the first status review on this population, adult escapement
trends could be calculated for seven populations. Five of the seven populations exhibited
declines, while two exhibited increases with a range of almost 6% annual decline to a 3.5%
increase. At the time, little information was available on the actual contribution of hatchery fish
to natural spawning, there was and continues to be insufficient information to calculate an
overall abundance estimate for Northern California steelhead (Busby et al. 1996).
Recent time series data is also limited for this DPS, with recent abundance estimates available
for only four populations, three summer-run and one winter-run. Similarly, Good et al., (2005)
could only calculate the population growth rate for three populations. Population growth rates
are negative for two of the three populations, the South Fork Eel River winter-run and the
Middle Fork Eel River summer-run. Based on time series data for the Middle Fork Eel River,
both the long-term and short-term trends are downward. Due to the lack of adult data on which
to base their risk assessment, Good et al., (2005) also examined data on juvenile steelhead, and
found both upward and downward trends. The lack of data for the populations within this DPS,
particular winter-run fish is of continuing concern.
Critical Habitat
NMFS designated critical habitat for Northern California steelhead on September 2, 2005 (70 FR
52488). Specific geographic areas designated include the following CALWATER hydrological
units: Redwood Creek, Trinidad, Mad River, Eureka Plain, Eel River, Cape Mendocino and the
Mendocino Coast. These areas are important for the species’ overall conservation by protecting
quality growth, reproduction, and feeding. The critical habitat designation for this DPS identifies
primary constituent elements that include sites necessary to support one or more steelhead life
stages. Specific sites include freshwater spawning sites, freshwater rearing sites, freshwater
migration corridors, nearshore marine habitat and estuarine areas. The physical or biological
features that characterize these sites include water quality and quantity, natural cover, forage,
adequate passage conditions, and floodplain connectivity. The critical habitat designation (70
FR 52488) contains additional details on the sub-areas that are included as part of this
designation, and the areas that were excluded from designation.
In total, Northern California steelhead occupy 50 watersheds (fresh water and estuarine). The
total area of habitat designated as critical includes about 3,000 miles of stream habitat and about
25 square miles of estuarine habitat, mostly within Humboldt Bay. This designation includes the
stream channels within the designated stream reaches, and includes a lateral extent as defined by
114