Mad River (California) - Ecology

Ecology

The river provides recreation and wildlife habitat for preservation of rare and endangered species including warm and cold freshwater habitat for fish migration and spawning. Flora of the area includes the Mad River fleabane (Erigeron maniopotamicus), a wildflower which was named for the river.

Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha), coho salmon (O. kisutch),steelhead and resident rainbow trout (O. mykiss), coastal cutthroat trout (O. clarki clarki), and the occasional sockeye salmon (O. nerka) and chum salmon (O. keta). The Mad River watershed also contains several non-salmonid fish species. Native resident fish include the Pacific lamprey (Lampetra tridentata), prickly sculpin (Cottus asper), coast range sculpin (C. aleuticus), Sacramento sucker (Catostomas occidentalis), Humboldt sucker (Catostomas occidentalis humboldtianus), three-spine stickleback (Gasterosteous aculeatus), and estuarine species such as longfin smelt (Spirinchus thaleichthy), starry flounder (Platichthys stellatus), and eulachon (Thaleichthys pacificus). California roach (Lavinia ssymmetricus), brown bullhead (Ictalurus nebulosus), largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides), and green sunfish (Lepomis cyanellus) represent non-native fish species introduced into the watershed.

Mad River estuary is recognized for protection by the California Bays and Estuaries Policy. The Mad River watershed was described as at carrying capacity with 22 colonies of North American beaver (Castor canadensis) in 1954, from the river mouth to well upstream. These beaver were re-introduced into the North Fork Mad River in 1946, or possibly were migrants from the Little River (Humboldt County). North American River Otter (Lontra canadensis) were also numerous.