Rescued Tidewater Gobies Return to Santa Monica Mountains

By LILY TINOCO | Assistant Editor

After months of recovery following the Palisades fire, a group of rescued northern tidewater gobies has been successfully reintroduced to their native habitat, Resource Conservation District of the Santa Monica Mountains reported on June 18.

Biologists rescued the tidewater gobies from Topanga Canyon Lagoon—one of the species’ few remaining habitats—in January after the Palisades fire severely damaged their habitat.

The recovery effort was a collaborative venture involving California State University, Channel Islands, RCDSMM, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Geological Survey, and California State Parks.

Tidewater gobies live in small groups, spread across many lagoons along the coast.

“The ecological role tidewater gobies serve in their environment is similar to that of a keystone species,” according to a statement about the effort. “Their presence or absence can signal the health of the entire system, including coastal food webs and lagoon habitats. They help regulate the invertebrate population, including mosquito larvae, while serving as prey for native birds and large fish.”

The 750 fish, according to a March update from RCDSMM, received care at Aquarium of the Pacific and Heal the Bay Aquarium. The two aquariums each took in the fish to temporarily house them as the fire had heavily impacted their habitat in the wild.

“These groups are semi-connected, so if one lagoon becomes unsuitable—such as when debris, ash and sediment wash in after a wildfire—gobies from nearby lagoons can move in and recolonize once conditions improve,” the statement continued. “Since there were limited sites nearby for natural recolonization near Topanga Canyon after the Palisades fire, biologists stepped in to help relocate and reintroduce gobies to support the recovery of local populations.”

Though the Topanga Lagoon was significantly impacted by sedimentation from the fire, “sufficient” habitat is now available, and the fish have been safely returned to their habitat in the wild.

“Their return to Topanga Lagoon is significant because it supported the healthiest and most consistently abundant northern tidewater goby population in Los Angeles County until the Palisades fire broke out,” read the statement. “Not only is their return important for their local recovery, but their genetic traits may also be preserved so they can adapt to warmer, more variable conditions.”

Ongoing monitoring to support the species’ survival will be carried out by RCDSMM in collaboration with CSUCI students and faculty.

“After the devastation wrought by the Palisades fire, the return of the rescued tidewater gobies to Topanga Creek is a shining example of how collaboration makes our communities and coastline more resilient,” Los Angeles County Department of Beaches and Harbors Director Gary Jones said. “Caring for our coast is a team effort, and we are thrilled to see such a positive outcome.”