The Aquarium of the Pacific and several partners have successfully rehabilitated and released a group of crucial fish back into the Santa Monica Mountains, after they were rescued during the Los Angeles wildfires in January.
The northern tidewater goby plays a crucial role in the local ecosystem, according to the aquarium. Besides serving as prey for native birds and larger fish, the goby also helps regulate the population level of invertebrates — including mosquito larvae.
“The ecological role tidewater gobies serve in their environment is similar to that of a keystone species,” the aquarium said in a Wednesday, June 18, news release. “Their presence or absence can signal the health of the entire system, including coastal food webs and lagoon habitats. “
In addition to the detrimental impact on people, the Palisades and Eaton fires have taken a significant toll on Southern California’s environment, animals and other wild creatures.
The tidewater gobies were no exception — with one of their few remaining natural habitats, the Topanga Canyon Lagoon — being consumed by debris, ash and sediment because of the Palisades fire.
The Aquarium of the Pacific, alongside Heal the Bay Aquarium, Cal State Channel Islands, the Resource Conservation District of the Santa Monica Mountains, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the U.S. Geological Survey and California State Parks, collaborated to rescue about 300 of the endangered fish in the immediate aftermath of the fire.
The group of fish were then relocated to the Long Beach and Heal the Bay aquariums, where they have been rehabilitated over the past five months — until their return home to the Santa Monica Mountains on Tuesday.
“This group of fish are small but mighty, and they have physically grown so much during their time here,” said Stacy Hammond, Aquarium of the Pacific aquarist, who helped with the operation. “They’ve returned back to their homes more resilient than ever.”
Though the Topanga Canyon Lagoon is still recovering from the harm caused by the Palisades fire, the aquarium said, enough of the habitat has since recovered to allow for the fish to safely return there.
It’s a significant milestone for the environment’s recovery since the Palisades fire, the aquarium added, since the Topanga Canyon Lagoon was home to the most healthy and consistently abundant northern tidewater goby population in LA county before the fires.
“Not only is their return important for their local recovery,” the aquarium said, “but their genetic traits may also be preserved so they can adapt to warmer, more variable conditions.”