Monday May 19, 2025
Northwest Sportsman —
WDFW scientists examined wild winter steelhead in rivers on the western Olympic Peninsula and flowing into Grays Harbor, including the Chehalis, Hoh, Humptulips, Queets, Quillayute, and Quinault. WDFW used data collected since the early 1980s, including estimates of spawner abundance, harvest-related mortality, and individual fish ages, to assess whether recent declines in survival of multiple coastal steelhead populations were connected with changes in ocean ecosystem conditions.
Steelhead, which can exceed 30 pounds, are the state fish and a highly regarded game fish. They are the same species as rainbow trout, but while rainbow trout remain in fresh water, steelhead are “anadromous” and travel to the ocean before returning to spawn in fresh water. This study focuses on winter-run steelhead, which return to fresh water between November and April and spawn in late-winter and spring.
“Our team’s findings provide evidence that increased temperatures and intensified competition at sea have contributed to negative trends in survival for many steelhead populations, outside of freshwater factors that may affect individual populations,” said Jan Ohlberger, a WDFW research scientist and the study’s lead author. “The study adds to our understanding of why coastal steelhead survival rates have declined over the last five decades and highlights the potential impacts of climate and ecosystem change on salmon and steelhead populations.”