Only a few thousand now return each year to spawn. In the late 19th century, the Russian River supported its own commercial coho fishery, but that was gone before regulators closed down the rest of the region. Steelhead is not fished commercially, but few sport fish are more popular with anglers. The dwindling numbers prompted the Sierra Club and other conservation groups to petition the government to protect coho and steelhead. They later sued, and the Commerce Department listed the fish as threatened in response to a series of court-imposed deadlines.
Litigation seeking to extend the listing to still more streams is pending.
To restore salmon and steelhead to sustainable populations, experts say the river must be managed to ensure proper flows for migration and appropriate temperatures for spawning. In addition, barriers that prevent migration must be removed and diversions must be screened so fish aren't drawn into irrigation pipes. But few examples of successful restoration projects exist, and some biologists suggest the best plan may be to preserve remaining habitat from degradation. Federal regulators say they don't expect to return the Russian River to its historic appearance. ''What the river was like in 1900 or 1960 isn't really useful in establishing habitat restoration,'' said Jim Lecky, assistant southwestern regional administrator for the National Marine Fisheries Service. However, he said, the agency plans to exercise its authority to review projects requiring approval by other federal agencies.