With regards to summer run steelhead do the steelhead return 2 years or 3 years after the plant? Another question; what is a typical return percentage. In other words if there is a 30,000 smolt plant, is a return of 5% normal. Thanks for the help.

Most hatchery fish return two years after being released, but there are some thres.

Id say you could expect a return of 1% to 2% if you got anthing more than that its a bonus

Shawn,

Rich is correct about smolts returning 2 years after release, with some 3s and the odd 4. An average smolt to adult survival rate is around 3%, generally higher for coastal rivers and lower for Puget Sound rivers.

Sincerely,

Salmo g.

Shawn-
The majority of the hatchery summer steelhead on the coast return as 2-salts with some as 1-salt fish and a few as 3-salt fish. That means that smolts planted in the spring of 2002 would return in the summer of 2003 as 1-salts after a little more than a year at sea, most would return in the summer of 2004 as 2-salts and the 3s in 2005.

The hatchery winter steelhead smolts released at the same time in 2002 would return mostly during the winter of 2003/04 as 2-salts (two summers of growing) with the rest (maybe 15%) coming back during the winter of 2004/05. A small handful may return as jacks and in this case they would have retruned in 2002/03.

The other aspect that confuses folks is the spawning time of the summers and winters. For wild steelhead (either summers or winters) are spring spawners (mostly March through May). However with the hatchery fish (non-local brood stock) their spawning time is earlier with the Puget Sound summers spawning in Janaury to March and the winters December to February.

Tight lines
Smalma