The average rec steelhead angler could care less who is to blame for the change in timing of the winter steelhead run on the Cowlitz. They only know that steelhead opportunity on that river (and many other rivers) is much less that what it used to be.
Salmo, If memory serves me right (which is sometimes questionable) I thought many years ago the steelhead plant on the Cowlitz was about 1 million winter steelhead smolts and 750,000 summer steelhead smolts per year. I know it is less now.