⚠ 96% decline 2017–2022 · ~100-fold decline overall
★ Record. 11-yr avg: 1,032.
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Tributaries run dry before juveniles emigrate. 9 documented barriers. Big Valley groundwater pumping under CA State Water Board reporting orders (Jan 2024).
~20 introduced species. Bass and catfish prey on juveniles; carp and goldfish consume hitch eggs.
Dr. Peter Moyle (UC Davis): hitch is "extremely likely to be driven to extinction by 2100." Three consecutive drought years caused near-complete spawning failure.
Severe annual cyanobacterial blooms crash dissolved oxygen and devastate juvenile fish survival.