Many of California’s cold water fish are in trouble, and opportunities to fish for trout and salmon in California waters are diminishing or at risk in many areas.

Leading fisheries biologists in California estimate that 65 percent of the state’s native salmonid species will be extinct within 100 years if present trends continue. A combination of inadequate stream flows, water diversions, poor water quality, increased water temperatures, barriers to fish passage, habitat degradation, past and current land use practices, invasive species, hybridization of native species with non-native species, and the impacts of climate change (including longer and more severe periods of drought) are primary factors in this equation.

TU is an "equal opportunity" conservation business.  We will work with anyone to help protect intact habitat, restore degraded habitat, provide sufficient streamflows for fish, ensure good water quality and supply for both human and ecological purposes, and to make fish for trout and salmon better. To this end, we work cooperatively with other sportsmen's groups and conservation organizations; federal, state and local resource agencies; timber companies, row and dryland crop farmers, grape growers, wine producers, livestock ranchers, and other businesses and landowners. We focus on pragmatic, collaborative approaches to resolving the complex challenges associated with cold water fish conservation that deliver real on-the-ground improvements quickly.

In California, TU's goals are to protect rivers, streams and watersheds that remain fairly wild and intact; to restore and enhance habitat in rivers, streams and watersheds; to reconnect entire watersheds by removing barriers so salmon and steelhead can reach their historic spawning grounds and by providing adequate streamflows for fish passage; and, to develop and implement innovative tools, strategies and partnerships that both keep enough water in our streams for fish and deliver sufficient water for human needs throughout the state.

To help others learn about and get involved in fishing and cold water conservation, volunteers and staff also organize and sponsor events such as steelhead and salmon festivals; flyfishing and fly tying clinics; events and clinics for youth; Trout in the Classroom programs; and guided fishing outings for military service veterans. 

For those who want hands-on conservation experience, our chapters in California organize dozens of events every year to clean up rivers and restore habitat, for example by planting vegetation to stabilize streambanks and by placing woody debris in streams to provide shade, cover and resting habitat for fish. Our grassroots also help collect data and monitor streams to contribute scientific data to help recover, manage and sustain our trout and salmon fisheries.