Much of the original evolutionary fabric of wild steelhead populations in the Pacific Northwest has been lost to history. But how much, exactly? A new report examining Olympic Peninsula steelhead sheds some light on that.
Steelhead Past to Present
In part two in the unveiling of our new report on OP winter steelhead, we dive deeper into understanding the shift in run and spawn timing, and how this research can help with recovery planning.
The Undeleted Steelhead Decades
New research shows historical catch records from 70 years ago unlock new insights about population changes in Olympic Peninsula wild steelhead.
Update: Emergency closure for some winter steelhead rivers and the Quileute Tribe’s perspective
It has been a tough stretch for wild winter steelhead on the West End of Washington’s Olympic Peninsula. Now, several months into the season, some of these runs appear to be even weaker than forecast. Given the alarmingly low returns of coastal wild winter steelhead so far this year, it’s not a surprise WDFW had to take additional action to protect these fish.