Skyrise,

Recover to what? I can argue that PS rivers are at their contemporary carrying capacity for wild steelhead based on the habitat conditions that exist these days. Freshwater production of smolts varies slightly according to how wet or dry the years are during their juvenile residence time. Adult returns vary dramatically according to marine survival conditions that include all manner of natural predation. Harvest of wild steelhead has been so low over the last 20 years or more that it is not a factor affecting wild steelhead abundance. Therefore, what does recovery mean? If it means increasing to a level of abundance that existing habitat conditions cannot support, well then, prepare for disappointment.

Sg