Dave,

Although I also prefer salmon, and early chinook and sockeye above all, I do eat steelhead. I wouldn't call it inferior. In fact, it can be pretty good, as is coho salmon. And I've known people who prefer steelhead to salmon, so I think it does come down to personal taste preferences.

I think a better approach than food quality is to suggest that consumers avoid buying wild steelhead because, unless you know exactly where they came from, you cannot be sure they were from a healthy population, since most wild steelhead populations are depressed, if not threatened, endangered, etc.

Sincerely,

Salmo g.