Behind the Cause: CalTrout

For this installment of Behind the Cause, the Flylords team sat down with California Trout, the preeminent conservation organization focused on California’s freshwater ecosystem. CalTrout has more than sixty large-scale conservation projects underway and works through a four-pillared approach to conservation: science, restoration, community engagement, and advocacy. Follow along to learn more about CalTrout, exciting projects, and how you can get involved!

Flylords: How or why did CalTrout start?

CalTrout: California Trout was founded in 1971 by a small group of anglers and conservationists who were alarmed by the rapid decline of California’s native trout. At the time, dams, water diversions, and development were transforming rivers faster than science or policy could respond. CalTrout was founded to be a voice for wild fish— willing to zealously and loudly advocate for rivers and streams that couldn’t speak for themselves. These anglers recognized that the health of wild fish is interconnected with every aspect of California. By focusing on protecting wild fish, these anglers were excited by the opportunity to create a better California for all of its inhabitants, wildlife and people alike.

Flylords: Tell us about CalTrout’s work over the last 55 years. How has the organization grown and refined its work to protect California’s fish and habitats?

CalTrout: Over more than five decades, CalTrout has evolved from a small advocacy group into a statewide powerhouse conservation organization that blends science, restoration, policy, and community engagement. Early work focused on protecting individual rivers and fisheries; today, CalTrout leads large-scale restoration projects, conducts cutting-edge science, and advances policies that protect cold, clean water at a landscape-scale. While the tools have become more sophisticated, our mission has stayed the same: revitalize watersheds for resilient wild fish and a better California. Today, we work in 32 watersheds across California with nine regional offices enacting 61 active restoration projects, 8 recently completed projects, and 11 currently in or approaching construction. 

At our core, we understand this work is not just about the fish. California’s trout, salmon, and steelhead are iconic and culturally significant — but they also serve as critical indicators of ecosystem health. Their decline has had cascading effects on biodiversity, water quality, and the communities and economies that depend on them. Through science-driven conservation, restoration efforts, advocacy, and community engagement, we know we can recover these species and in turn, revive the health of entire habitats, watersheds, communities, and economies. Protecting these species is essential for a healthy and thriving California for all.

Flylords: I think that most people don’t realize just how large California is and how diverse its ecosystems are…How does CalTrout work across the state?

CalTrout: California is incredibly diverse; it’s actually the most biodiverse state in the country—from coastal streams and redwood forests to desert headwaters and alpine lakes—and CalTrout works statewide by focusing on priority and scientifically-identified watersheds and species. We pride ourselves on working in community. We have 10 offices that stretch from San Diego to the Oregon border, and with nearly seventy staff members, we try to live where we work. We also connect those efforts through shared science, policy, and strategy. That allows us to address local challenges while also tackling statewide issues like water management, climate resilience, and habitat connectivity. The diversity of our work matches that of California. We’re removing barriers and restoring floodplains in the redwoods, we’re creating pathways for fish to swim unimpeded under highways and railroads in the Bay Area and Southern California, we’re partnering with private landowners to ensure sufficient flow for both agriculture and fish across farmlands, and we’re studying and restoring meadows in the Sierra Nevada to improve source watersheds.

Flylords: What are some of the most pressing issues facing California’s wild fisheries and critical habitats?

CalTrout: Climate change is the overarching challenge, driving warmer waters, altered flows, and more frequent droughts and floods. On top of that, many rivers are still fragmented by dams, fish lack access to historical habitat, and competition for water continues to intensify. These pressures make it harder for native fish to survive—but they also underscore why protecting cold-water refuges, restoring floodplains, and reconnecting rivers is more important than ever. Finally, California lags on ensuring that our aquatic ecosystems balance the needs for fish, water, and people. Until our system adapts to allowing for ecosystems to have their fair share of instream flow and habitat, we’ll be fighting a losing battle on recovery.

At the end of the day, the fate of California’s wild fish is inextricably linked with our own fates. Salmon, steelhead, and trout are often considered “indicator species”—their health reflects the broader health of an entire ecosystem. Healthy fish populations can be directly correlated with a healthy ecosystem and flourishing food web. Alternatively, a decline in their populations can signal larger environmental problems that may also affect other plant life, wildlife, and ultimately humans and our economies, in the region. When we work to protect native fish, we are also protecting communities. For example, if we can implement a natural approach to reduce flood risk like restoring or mimicking a natural floodplain, our fish may benefit from connected floodplains for habitat along their arduous migrations, while California communities benefit from more flood-resilient homes. This is one example of many that showcases to us that it is not just fish who benefit from clean, free flowing water.

Flylords: I think most people here know something about all the work up on the Klamath to reconnect this iconic river. Can you briefly speak to CalTrout’s efforts around restoring the Klamath and where we are today?

CalTrout: CalTrout has been deeply involved in the Klamath River dam removal and restoration of the broader watershed for decades, advocating for dam removal, supporting science and monitoring, working with Tribal Nations, agencies, and partners to ensure fish can return to newly opened habitat, and restoring key Klamath River tributaries like the Scott and Shasta rivers. With the historic removal of the dams now complete, we’re seeing salmon and steelhead move back into stretches of river they haven’t accessed in generations. Today, CalTrout is focused on tracking fish response, leading the Klamath River Monitoring Program which will help uncover the response to dam removal. We continue to support habitat restoration throughout the larger Klamath River watershed, helping ensure this reconnection delivers long-term benefits for both ecosystems and communities.

Flylords: Let’s talk about some past projects or initiatives that CalTrout is particularly proud of.

CalTrout: Three efforts really stand out and highlight our holistic approach to conservation. One is CalTrout’s role in securing California Endangered Species Act protection for Southern California steelhead—a science-driven campaign that helped prevent extinction and laid the foundation for habitat and flow protections across the region. Another is our decades-long advocacy for removal of the Klamath River dams, which helped make possible one of the largest river restoration projects in U.S. history and the return of salmon and steelhead to hundreds of miles of habitat. And finally, our work on the Mono Lake cases, where CalTrout helped establish the legal principle that California’s water management must protect public trust resources and that our right to fish, swim, and enjoy our waterways is an essential right—setting a precedent that continues to benefit rivers and fisheries statewide. Together, these milestones show how CalTrout blends science, law, and advocacy to create lasting protections for California’s waters, wild fish, and communities.

Flylords: Similarly, can you tell us about some new and exciting initiatives y’all are working on?

CalTrout: In 2025, CalTrout announced the creation of a statewide dedicated science department. The new Science Team will produce the third edition of the State of our Salmonids (SOS) Report, a comprehensive, once-a-decade scientific assessment of the status of all 32 native salmon, steelhead, and trout species in California. Building on previous assessments released by CalTrout in 2008 and 2017, SOS III will deliver the most current, credible, and transparent evaluation of salmonid health across the state—at a time when California’s rivers and streams are undergoing rapid transformation. The science guiding this report is essential to ensure we are restoring the ecosystems, landscapes, and waterways that will have the highest impact on fish recovery. 

Regarding on-the-ground restoration, we have 11 projects across the state in or moving into the construction phase—some just recently completed. This winter, CalTrout completed a fish passage project on Alameda Creek in the Bay Area that allows salmon and steelhead uninhibited access to the entirety of mainstem Alameda Creek. This project is especially exciting because it reconnects a stream in a highly urban environment where native salmon and steelhead are often few and far between. We also are excited about building on the legacy of Klamath River dam removals. We expect California to lead the charge on large scale watershed reconnection, with the Eel River, Malibu Creek, and the Ventura River set for obsolete dam removal next. 

We believe that conservation is not possible without policy. CalTrout expanded its federal advocacy to protect California’s freshwater ecosystems and public lands, engaging top DC lobbyists, visiting policymakers, and strongly opposing public land sales. 

Finally, being in and engaging communities is core facet of our work, and we are launching the second year of CalTrout’s Fish Water People Film Festival this summer. Tickets will be available for purchase soon here and the film submission period extends until April 5, 2026.

Flylords: How can our readers learn more about CalTrout and get involved?

CalTrout: The best place to start is caltrout.org, where people can explore our projects, read stories from the field, learn about ways to get involved including local events and volunteer opportunities, subscribe to our mailing list, buy merch, and donate to support our work. Whether it’s becoming a member, supporting restoration work, attending events, or simply staying informed, there are many ways to help protect California’s rivers and wild fish for future generations. For more real-time updates you can also find us on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and YouTube. Give us a follow!