Hundreds of endangered fish that were rescued from their habitat due to the Palisades Fire have returned home after being held for several months at two local aquariums.
The endangered northern tidewater gobies returned to the Santa Monica Mountains this week after being left in the care of the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach and Heal the Bay Aquarium in Santa Monica since January.
Five months ago, biologists rescued as many of the small endangered fish as they could, removing them from their natural habitats in the Topanga Canyon Lagoon, which was left scarred by the Palisades Fire and contaminated by runoff.
The gobies play an important role in the local ecosystem, officials said.
“Their presence or absence can signal the health of the entire system, including coastal food webs and lagoon habitats,” officials for the Aquarium of the Pacific said. “They help regulate the invertebrate population, including mosquito larvae, while serving as prey for native birds and large fish.”
The gobies live in small “semi-connected” groups spread across many local lagoons along the coast. Typically, if one lagoon becomes unsuitable for their survival, the fish can move to nearby lagoons and join other colonies.
But there are limited sites nearby for natural recolonization near Topanga Canyon after January’s devastating fires, so biologists stepped in to help “relocate and reintroduce gobies to support the recovery of local populations.”
Topanga Lagoon remains heavily impacted by sediment from the fire, but officials said there’s now enough of a clear habitat for these fish to be reintroduced to their natural homes.
“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 unique genetic traits.
The rescue operation was conducted with coordination by several agencies and organizations, including Cal State Channel Islands, Resource Conservation District of the Santa Monica Mountains, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and California State Parks.
CSUCI and the Resource Conservation District will continue to monitor the survival of these endangered yet hardy fish.
“This group of fish are small but mighty, and they have physically grown so much during their time here,” said Stacy Hammond, Aquarium of the Pacific, who helped with their release and care. “They’ve returned back to their homes more resilient than ever.”
Hundreds of southern steelhead trout, another endangered fish species, were also removed from Topanga Creek due to the Palisades Fire. Officials from Fish and Wildlife said their previous waters may remain uninhabitable for years.