The ESA listing was long overdue, unfortunately I don't think it will do much to change the decline of wild steelhead populations. I share the sentiments of Todd, Salmo g., and others that recovery is a nice idea but unlikely to happen. Steelhead will probably become part of the Shared Strategy for Puget Sound plan to recover chinook. As Salmo g. pointed out this is popular politically but doesn't have much promise for success. We only have to look at the Columbia for a model not to follow. BPA was directed by congress in 1980 to take steps to recover fish and wildlife impacted by the dams. In the 20 years between 1982 and 2002 about $1.2 billion was spent directly on recovery work (not including the cost of fish passage facilities) and additional costs such as lost power sales and debt interest brought the total cost to about $6.5 billion. A large part of the money went to local groups for recovery projects and how well has it worked? The good returns of salmon in the past few years can probably be attributed to good ocean conditions and not billions of spent dollars.

Salmo g. also points out that his analysis indicates Skagit (and the other Puget Sound watersheds) steelhead runs may have been at their historic highs in the early 1970's and then crashed around 1975. I had the good fortune to fish all the Puget Sound streams in that period and I agree. It may be hard to imagine but it was not unusual to dig clams at Dosewallips state park, take a nap, then get out the steelhead gear and and expect to catch a fish or two on the incoming tide, just above the highway bridge. About 1976 fishing dropped off everywhere. It is easy to blame WDFW or the tribes for policies that lead to over harvest. They can't be blamed for letting shopping malls, subdivisions, and all the roads be built in the Puget Sound region. And they are not responsible for the one big thing that happened at that time. In 1977 the PDO (Pacific Decadal Oscillation) flipped and ocean waters in the southern Gulf of Alaska went from a cold phase that had persisted for about 30 years to a warmer phase. This was good for Alaska salmon but not for Washington and Oregon fish. Add global warming on top of the PDO flip and it doesn't look good for steelhead and chinook in our region. It is not just that warmer ocean temperatures effect fish survival, it also effects the weather systems that can lead to low rainfall in summer and then flooding rains in the fall and winter. The PDO has happened for an unknown number of years, probably as long as there has been salmon, and the fish have evolved to survive it. The added stresses of global warming and habitat loss may be too much. These stresses are human caused and it takes all of us and a lot of time to begin to reduce them.

Gill Popper - "Steelhead Salmon" is the correct term. Several years ago Steelhead were added to the salmon genus, Oncorhynchus, from the trout genus, Salmo. Also, the scientific name of steelhead changed from Salmo gairdneri to Oncorhynchus mykiss.