Hundreds of endangered fish rescued from their habitat by the Palisades Fire have returned home after spending months in two local aquariums.
The endangered northern tidewater gobies returned to the Santa Monica Mountains this week after spending time in the care of the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach and the Heal the Bay Aquarium in Santa Monica since January.
Five months ago, biologists rescued as many small endangered fish as possible, removing them from their natural habitats in the Topanga Canyon Lagoon, which had been scarred by the Palisades Fire and contaminated by runoff.
Gobies are important to the local ecosystem, according to officials.
“Their presence or absence can signal the health of the entire system, including coastal food webs and lagoon habitats,” Aquarium of the Pacific officials explained. “They help regulate the invertebrate population, including mosquito larvae, while serving as prey for native birds and large fish.”
Gobies live in small “semi-connected” groups that spread across many local lagoons along the coast. Typically, if one lagoon becomes unsuitable for their survival, the fish can relocate to nearby lagoons and join other colonies.
However, there are few opportunities for natural recolonization near Topanga Canyon following January’s devastating fires, so biologists stepped in to “relocate and reintroduce gobies to support the recovery of local populations.”
Topanga Lagoon is still heavily impacted by fire sediment, but officials say there is now enough clear habitat for these fish to be reintroduced.
“Their return to Topanga Lagoon is significant because it supported the healthiest and most consistently abundant northern tidewater goby population in Los Angeles County until the Palisades Fire broke out,” officials said, adding that their survival may also help preserve their distinct genetic characteristics.
Several agencies and organizations worked together to coordinate the rescue, including Cal State Channel Islands, the Resource Conservation District of the Santa Monica Mountains, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, and California State Parks.
CSUCI and the Resource Conservation District will continue to monitor the survival of these resilient fish.
“This group of fish are small but mighty, and they have physically grown so much during their time here,” said Stacy Hammond from the Aquarium of the Pacific, who assisted with their release and care. “They’ve returned back to their homes more resilient than ever.”
The Palisades Fire also killed hundreds of southern steelhead trout, an endangered fish species, in Topanga Creek. Fish and Wildlife officials stated that their previous waters may be uninhabitable for many years.
