The California Department of Fish and Wildlife said a coalition of tribal, local, state and federal entities is taking immediate steps to support the long-term survival of the Clear Lake hitch.

A large minnow found only in Northern California’s Clear Lake and its tributaries, the hitch, known as chi to Pomo tribal members, migrates into the tributaries to spawn each spring before returning to the lake.

Historically numbering in the millions, Clear Lake hitch now are facing a tough fight to avoid extinction.

On Thursday, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, or CDFW, announced a list of commitments designed to protect spawning and rearing areas, provide appropriate stream flows, remove barriers to migration and reduce predation. That list can be seen below.

CDFW expects these actions to provide a positive impact on the Clear Lake hitch population this spawning season and over the next few years.

Clear Lake hitch require adequate stream flows during spring for spawning. In some years, flows can become intermittent or can disappear, resulting in fish strandings and even fish kills.

Immediate actions are needed to ensure flows are sufficient for successful spawning conditions; tribal, local, federal and state leaders, as well as private landowners, are actively collaborating on interim efforts to ensure successful conditions through the end of the spawning period in June.

These same entities are also collaborating on long-term planning, restoration, monitoring and management actions.

Recent reports indicate hitch are migrating up tributaries from Clear Lake into Cole, Kelsey, Manning and Adobe creeks.

A recently installed fish ladder, designed by CDFW habitat specialists specifically for hitch, has allowed them to migrate up and over a barrier in Manning Creek that has prevented fish passage for several decades.

CDFW has made agreements with tribal governments for rescue of fish that may become stranded during spawning while also engaging with the local agricultural community to identify areas of fish stranding throughout the watershed.

On March 16, CDFW fishery biologists, local agricultural community members and tribal members rescued 450 adult Clear Lake hitch from a drainage canal along Cole Creek.

CDFW has also taken steps to hold fish at hatchery facilities should rescued fish need a safe haven for a short time.

In coordination with the State Water Resources Control Board, CDFW is evaluating permitting options for local agricultural stakeholders to provide pumped groundwater into areas of creeks that may become dry during spawning season providing immediate relief during low water conditions.

The broad coalition of partners is also gauging streams at multiple locations and reporting data to identify areas of poor spawning habitat conditions and to develop models for future use in predicting streamflow conditions.

Simultaneously, several key longer-term projects are advancing. CDFW recently approved a California Environmental Quality Act statutory exemption for the Wright Wetland Preserve Restoration Project in cooperation with Lake County and the Lake County Land Trust to restore 32 acres of Clear Lake hitch wetland habitat and connect it to 120 acres of existing wetland habitat.

The Big Valley Band of Pomo Indians is being supported by a CDFW grant to prepare environmental review and design for removal of the fish passage barrier along Kelsey Creek at the Main Street bridge and a coalition of partners is working to identify existing barriers on all the spawning tributaries.

On Thursday, CDFW is also committing $2 million to implement barrier removal projects over the next three years. Working with Tribes and the Lake County Land Stewards, CDFW will accept funding proposals submitted in the next 90 days to remove barriers to hitch migration.

CDFW has also committed to ongoing coordination with a coalition of Clear Lake tribes; state, local and federal resource agencies; landowners and others to help facilitate projects to protect and increase streamflow during Clear Lake hitch migration and spawning.

The coalition includes Big Valley Band of Pomo Indians, Robinson Rancheria Pomo Indians of California, Habematolel Pomo of Upper Lake, Scotts Valley Band of Pomo Indians, Middletown Rancheria of Pomo Indians California, Elem Indian Colony, Lake County Farm Bureau, Lake County agricultural community, Lake County Land Trust, Lake County, California Fish and Game Commission, State and Regional Water Boards, California Department of Water Resources, Blue Ribbon Committee on the Rehabilitation of Clear Lake, the California Natural Resources Agency, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

CDFW thanked all the partners in this coalition for the increased commitment and momentum to save Clear Lake hitch.


CDFW collaborative actions to ensure hitch survival:

• Convened a multi-agency state, federal, and tribal summit to highlight the needs of the hitch and its risk of extinction; the summit led to commitments by multiple agencies and tribes to take decisive actions to collect data, preserve streamflows, and enforce on illegal diversions and stream modifications.

Streamflow enhancement efforts:

• In cooperation with the State and Regional Water Boards and local agricultural stakeholders, CDFW is helping to evaluate and facilitate ways to increase stream flow during spawning season, including efforts to develop voluntary reductions in water diversions during critical Clear Lake hitch spawning season.

• CDFW is supporting a cooperative approach to increase streamflow gauging in the Clear Lake watershed, in collaboration with other state agencies, and is finalizing grant funding for the Big Valley Band of Pomo Indians to conduct stream flow and groundwater monitoring in Clear Lake hitch spawning areas.

Eliminating and fixing migration barriers:

When making their annual spawning runs up the Clear Lake tributaries in spring Clear Lake hitch encounter a variety of barriers both natural and man-made that inhibit their progress upstream.

• Evaluations of barriers to hitch movement have been done by CDFW, tribal governments, and the agricultural community to identify areas where action can be taken to remove these barriers.

• Through grant funding CDFW is supporting the Big Valley Band of Pomo Indians and Lake County to complete the removal of the Main Street barrier along Kelsey Creek.

• CDFW is collaborating with the local agricultural community to prioritize barriers on agricultural lands and provide resources for barrier removal.

• CDFW has committed two million dollars for barrier removal projects.

Advancing monitoring, science, and co-management:

CDFW is engaged in several actions with cooperating tribal governments to protect and monitor Clear Lake hitch populations in the lake.

• CDFW recently funded and permitted a carp and goldfish removal project with Robinson Rancheria Pomo Indians of California to reduce the risk of predation on Clear Lake hitch.

• CDFW is also funding a tagging project with the Habematolel Pomo of Upper Lake to understand the habitat usage, movement and survival of Clear Lake hitch in Middle Creek watershed.

Fish rescues:

• In cooperation with tribal governments CDFW has entered multiple memoranda of understanding with and trained tribal members to facilitate rescues of Clear Lake hitch that have become stranded during spawning runs.

• CDFW is also working toward a strategy to conduct fish rescues on agricultural lands with that community. Over the last few years, the cooperating rescue groups have been able to rescue thousands of Clear Lake hitch during spawning runs and are prepared to perform rescues if needed this season.

• To meet the needs of rescued Clear Lake hitch, CDFW has evaluated off site locations to properly house fish that have been rescued and may not be suitable for immediate release. These locations are prepped and ready to provide a home for these fish for however long is necessary to equip them to survive in the wild.

Environmental permitting:

• CDFW recently approved the California Environmental Quality Act, or CEQA, statutory exemptions for restoration projects for the Wright Wetland Preserve Restoration Project on Lake County Land Trust preserve lands with Lake County Community Development Department as CEQA lead agency.

Capacity for the interim and long-term:

• CDFW has tasked additional staff with meeting the commitments to save the Clear Lake hitch. One environmental scientist specialist has been tasked with spearheading the task force coordinating activities among the coalition of partners. One environmental scientist has been tasked with conducting on-the-ground management activities. One environmental scientist has been tasked with streamlining permitting activities for agreed commitments. One limited term environmental scientist will be hired to work on-the-ground conducting management activities over the next 14 months.