It was noticed in the early 1990s that as the steelhead marine survival was dropping the portion of older fish in the returning adult population (3-salts and repeats) dropped (related?). The loss of those older fish in the population as they contribute more eggs to the potential egg deposition. For example, on the Skagit basin in the early 1980s the 2-salt females averaged 5,000 eggs, while the 3-slat females had a fecundity of 6,400 and the repeat spawners avg. 8,500 eggs (some had more than 12,000). The result is the smaller numbers of spawners are producing even smaller numbers of eggs in the gravel.

Regarding the marine survival of PS coho and steelhead. During the late 1970s/early 1980s coho survival in deep south Sound dropped by nearly 75%. A few years later the steelhead survivals dropped over the next decade or so that lower survival for both species crept northward until all the PS stocks were doing poorly.

Finally, as the anadromous portion of a stream's O. mykiss population drops the more important the resident life history form becomes in maintaining a stable O. mykiss population. One of the easiest actions that managers could make to support the future of many of our steelhead populations is to eliminate the use of bait, require barbless hooks and the no retention of any wild steelhead or resident rainbows year-round. Yet there remains a reluctance to take such actions.

Happy holidays to all!

curt