During years of drought, these ponds can be lifesavers for species such as frogs and fish, he said. Overall, he said, it has been a tough year for fish and wildlife.

Martin Perales, an environmental specialist with the Napa County Resource Conservation District, has also seen the effects of the drought.

“It’s pretty dark,” Perales said. “There are a lot of fish that are stranded and dying. I haven’t seen a dying rainbow trout. But I saw California roaches and Threespine Sticklebacks.

Rainbow trout are born in freshwater, migrate to the ocean, and return to freshwater to spawn. The National Marine Fisheries Service wants to see the people of the Napa watershed make a comeback.

The Napa River watershed has historically supported a run of 6,000 and 8,000 rainbow trout. In modern times, it has been a few hundred to 1,000, the agency reported in 2017. The target is 4,700.

The drought is not helping the desired revival of the rainbow trout.

“They are by no means doing well during the drought conditions, but people should not give up hope just yet,” Perales said.

For example, when working in the local streams, he saw a handful of young rainbow trout. Some rainbow trout appear to have entered and laid eggs, he said.