Why have steelhead populations declined since the 1970s?
The restoration of lake trout and the naturalization of coho and chinook salmon, along with a major decline in smelt abundance have increased competition and have made steelhead more vulnerable to predation. Angling pressure for steelhead increased approximately 10-fold from the 1960s to the late 1980s and increased harvest significantly reduced the number of spawners. Land use changes have negatively impacted temperature regimes and stream hydrology degrading spawning and nursery habitats that are necessary for successful reproduction and juvenile steelhead survival.
