Actually, there is evidence from a number of PS streams that steelhead respond very positively to significant increases in salmon spawning escapement. Noted in BC, too. Much of that was on brood years through about 2005; looking to expand that view with more recent data and see if the pinnipeds overwhelmed them recently.

In my experience there is no one silver bullet to solve the salmonid problem. Actually, there is, but removal of 90% of the humans is not an option. They need good habitat, and that includes not only passage/etc. but spawning salmon. As Jeff Cederholm said "Salmon are habitat". They need decent spawning numbers made up of fish that evolved in that system. They need that the predators be in balance with their (the fishes) population. They need food in the estuary and ocean. They need a cooler world.... They absolutely need that the management agencies responsible for their survival and flourishing to be fully funded.

Taken as one action, killing all the pinnipeds won't save steelhead, closing all the hatcheries won't save steelhead, even removing all migration barriers won't save them. We need a holistic program, which means that every impact be dealt with.