Rainbow Trout

Rainbow Trout, or steelhead (Oncorhynchus mykiss) got its name from Dr. W. P. Gibbons, founder of the California Academy of Sciences. A keystone species of the Sausal Creek Watershed, they have lived here for many generations. Historically, Sausal Creek supported spawning migrations of steelhead. A keystone species is one on which many other species in the environment depend. After hatching, juvenile trout were reared in the creek for 2-3 years before migrating into San Francisco Bay and the Pacific Ocean, where they continued to grow before returning to spawn again in Sausal Creek. However, human fragmentation has destroyed stream connections within the creek watershed, as well as connections between Sausal Creek, San Francisco Bay, and the Pacific Ocean.