Bay Area Fish Study

The first ever comprehensive assessment of fish in Bay Area streams is now available to the public. From 1992 to 1998, EPA biologist Robert A. Leidy investigated 79 streams that empty directly into the Bay, and found 37 different species of fish. One remarkable finding of this study was that native fish were the dominant presence in 75 percent of the 263 sites that Leidy sampled. More-over, we still have at least 19 of the estimated 25 steelhead runs for which there is historical evidence (though the overall number of fish is way down). According to Robin Grossinger, historical ecologist at the San Francisco Estuary Institute (SFEI), these are some of the hopeful findings in the data from Leidy’s seven-year survey, which is now available on the Institute’s new Bay Area Stream Fishes page. The site, designed by Grossinger and others at SFEI, contains an interactive map that allows you to zoom in on any of the streams and find out which fish are present as well as see complete data sheet reports for each of the sampling stations. This accessible baseline research and data will be an invaluable tool for ongoing and future watershed restoration projects around the Bay Area.