California Trout

Founded in 1971, CalTrout’s mission is to protect and restore California’s wild trout, steelhead and salmon streams—streams that supply our state’s most precious resource: water. Under increasing threat from population growth, urban sprawl, pollution and the increasing impacts of global climate change, these cold, clean streams that sustain our fish and enable our state’s economy to thrive, require coordinated and strategic conservation efforts to endure. Our campaigns are organized around three key initiatives: Imperiled Native Trout; Steelhead and Salmon; and Blue Ribbon Waters. We accomplish our work through: 1) advocating for strong fish and water policies at the local, state, regional and federal level; 2) using existing law to protect and restore trout, steelhead and salmon waters; and 3) promoting and facilitating large scale restoration projects.

Central to getting this work done is CalTrout’s proven ability to work in partnership with diverse public and private organizations, including bringing together groups that might historically have been on opposing sides of the issue. Our decisions and recommendations are driven by sound scientific and economic rationale based on collaborative relationships with the leading institutions, including University of California, at Davis and Santa Barbara, Stanford University and the University of Nevada Reno. In this way, CalTrout effectively leverages the fish to protect water for people, the environment and our economy.