Years ago as I was pounding away on the decline of a single species and a rather smart lady destroyed my day. Seems she took the time to explain to me that streams that have Chinook, Coho, Chum, and Steelhead are interlocked with one being key. You see if Coho crash we stagger on but if you blow Chum it will be followed by Coho followed by with Steelhead just diving in the dumpster. Thing about it is Steelhead are a taker in the natural order. They only take from the watershed while Chum and Chinook carcasses put more into the natural order with the very short fresh water cycle and basically are a watershed fertilizer. Coho can cover their take in a watershed but it is limited by our desire to harvest them. Steelhead can not and will not prosper until the natural balance is restored and not planting twigs or broodstocking to boost numbers but by restoring the nutrient level which requires that salmon harvest be drastically reduced.

I simply have never been able to understand why folks do not get the fact that humans messed up the natural order to be sure but on the coast habitat has stabilized. Simply put we have a harvest problem that many think we can " restore " our way out of and frankly is a load of BS of epic proportions. Healthy Steelhead populations require that we kill less salmon as they are all interlocked in the ability to survive and prosper.