The Vern Freeman Diversion Dam on the Santa Clara River impedes steelhead migration to and from all suitable spawning and rearing habitat in the watershed.

In addition to working for the Coastal Conservancy on the Sisquoc River Steelhead Assessment and Recovery Project in 2003 (see separate project description), Stoecker Ecological also provided the Coastal Conservancy with additional fish passage data and reviewed and provided comments for this extensive inventory report of statewide fish passage barriers. The report identifies 13,016 coastal fish passage assessment sites and 175 high-priority fish migration barriers for modification or removal.