Chapter 3 - Natural Resources - Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton

Integrated Natural Resources Management Plan [March 2012 - Update]
Management Status
Federal Status
The evolutionarily significant unit (ESU) of the Southern California Steelhead
(Oncorhynchus mykiss) was federally listed as an endangered species by the National
Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) on 18 August 1997 (NMFS 1997), and by the USFWS
on 17 June 1998 (USFWS 1998d). On 1 May 2002, the NMFS issued a final rule to extend
the southern-most range of the steelhead from its then southern boundary of Malibu Creek,
to the U. S./Mexico border (NMFS 2002). Critical habitat was designated for the original
Southern California ESU of steelhead on 16 February 2000 (NMFS 2000a). As the result of
a court-approved consent decree, the NMFS issued a final rule effective 30 April 2002, that
removed critical habitat designations for 19 salmon and steelhead ESUs, which included
the Southern California Steelhead DPS (NOAA 2003). On 2 September 2005, NOAA
published a final rule designation of critical habitat for the steelhead (Oncorhynchus
mykiss) in California (NOAA 2005). Critical habitat was not proposed for designation on
Camp Pendleton because Base lands are subject to a qualifying INRMP prepared under
Section 101 of the Sikes Act (16 U.S.C. 670a) (NOAA 2005). Currently, the NMFS is in
the process of finalizing a draft recovery plan, with the assistance of public review and
comment. The final recovery plan will serve as a guide for those interested in restoring
steelhead runs within Southern California. It will not be a regulatory document, but a
blueprint which describes the unique biological characteristics of Southern California
steelhead (NCTimes 2010).
California Status
The southern steelhead trout is listed as a fish Species of Special Concern in California by
the CDFG (CDFG 2005).
Regional Status
The southern steelhead trout is not a covered species in any of the southern California
NCCP documents.
MCBCP Status
A programmatic BA for the steelhead on the Base is being drafted to initiate consultation
with the NMFS. Until the BA is completed and the subsequent BO is issued, steelhead and
its habitat receive protection from avoidance and minimization programmatic instructions
and management efforts provided by the Estuarine and Beach Ecosystem Conservation
Plan (Appendix B) and the Riparian Ecosystem Conservation Plan (Appendix C). Camp
Pendleton’s Base Order P3500.1N (Range and Training Regulations) disseminates these
instructions to users of the Base. Management details, presence/absence information, etc.,
for the steelhead are located in Appendix F, Section F.17.
DISTRIBUTION
Global
Historically, the steelhead ranged throughout the eastern Pacific Ocean from the
Kuskokwim River in Alaska to the Rio del Presidio in Baja California. Southern steelhead
Chapter 3 – Natural Resources 3-59