The Santa Ana sucker (Catostomus santaanae) is endemic to the Los Angeles, San Gabriel, Santa Ana, and parts of Santa Clara river watersheds. Populations range-wide have been negatively affected by habitat loss, degradation, and conversion through hydrological modifications, as well as non-native fish species. In particular, isolation by impassable barriers or unsuitable habitat limits gene flow within and between watersheds, thus increasing the risk of extirpation. Consequently, SAS populations have declined in Southern California, and their distribution has been greatly reduced in the watersheds where they occur.
Consistent with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 2017 Recovery Plan for the Santa Ana Sucker, the Santa Ana Translocation Plan (Plan) was prepared to guide the effort to reintroduce SAS in areas of its historic range where it has been extirpated and in other areas where suitable habitat is present but historical occupation is not documented. Specifically, the Plan provides a framework and methodologies to evaluate potential translocation sites, captive breeding and rearing (including genetics management), transport and release procedures, post-translocation monitoring objectives and methods, and adaptive management strategies. The Plan was developed in collaboration with resource agencies, species experts, and other interested parties.