 In 2004 it was proposed to trap adult steelhead below Bradbury Dam and truck them to the river above Gibraltar Dam so they could be allowed to complete their natural migration, but this plan was not implemented.Despite the fragmentation of certain aquatic habitats, the dam has also inadvertently created new riparian habitat along the Santa Ynez River as the upstream end of Gibraltar Reservoir gradually fills in with sediment.A wide floodplain with a well defined stream channel was created, and is now home to typical California riparian woodland (willow, cottonwood and oak).