River specific:
The Nisqually. Has never had hatchery steelhead plants, and I can't remember how long it's been closed. Seems to have had and maintained the same declining number trends as the other So. PS rivers. Until the last few years has any sign of any recovery occurred. I have buddy that works at Centralia PUD and they trap and count them at their diversion dam.

For the Nisqually, Thirty to forty years ago, steelhead spawning runs averaged in the range of 6,000 fish, but the population crashed by 90 percent in the 1990s and continued on a downward spiral through the first decade of this century. No hatchery-origin winter steelhead have been released into the watershed since 1982, and the number of wild steelhead spawning in the river increased to more than 1,000 fish in 2015 and more than 2,000 in 2016 from a low of 269 in the 2012.

The Puyallup, hasn't been planted since 08 ?? I think, man time flies! and has shown little sign of recovery. Has closed the last 10yrs by Dec. 31st. The Puyallup Tribe (with WDFW) does run a small supplementary hatchery program that plants a modest number of 30,000 broodstock winter steelhead on the White River system, in an effort to boost the winter steelhead population there.Those steelhead smolts are released in a tributary of the Clearwater River. Seems the White/Stuck has always sucked since I can remember from back in the 70's.

Puyallup River steelhead
The wild winter steelhead escapement estimate for steelhead spawning in the mainstem of the Puyallup River is 197 fish. An estimated 1,366 steelhead spawned in the Carbon River in 2016.
This estimate includes fish spawning in the mainstem of the Carbon River, South Prairie,Wilkeson, and Voight’s creeks.

White River steelhead
Estimates of steelhead spawning below Mud Mountain Dam via redd surveys (295 fish) were combined with the number of fish transported upstream at Buckley trap (533 fish) for an estimated 828 White River steelhead returning. Of these fish, 34 originated from the wild brood
program and 23 natural origin steelhead were used for broodstock at White River hatchery. The progeny of these fish will be marked with blank wire tag and reared in acclimation ponds in the
upper White River consistent with previous years.

The Green, gets a measly winter plant of 10-50k and also closes by Dec. 31st. It's wild run has also struggled similarly. I think they still operate a broodstock program and not sure of it's success.

Ton's of hatchery/brood play in this river.. Looks like a mess on paper...

I'm not advocating for eliminating hatchery steelhead. I just want to get to the bottom of what the cause of population declines and the fact that very little if anything changes the population rebound until all hatchery / brood interactions are halted in a river basin... Just seems to add up when you really start spending time reading and spending time on the water confirming results..

Keith