The Big Sur Wildlands Project is a series of classes taught each summer since 1996 as part of the Wildlands Studies Program. of San Francisco State University. Each class maps and measures pool characteristics along Big Creek and Devil's Creek, and counts fish using wet suits, masks and snorkels. The class has assembled an extensive database and sets of maps and sketches. Some results are shown below. Other data from Devil's Creek shows that it takes an avarage of about 1-2 cubic meters of pool volume to support one juvenile steelhead.

The average number of steelhead per pool, for 4 size classes for 5 years, in lower Big Creek. Many factors affect numbers of fish per pool, including pool volume and fish abundance.

Note that there is no evidence of a decline in fish abundance after the September 1999 wildfire.