Wild Steelheaders United

Welcome to the Wild Steelheaders United Steelhead 101 Quiz! Take your best shot at the following 12 questions, and if you need help, check the Wild Steelheaders United Science Friday blog posts from our Science Director John McMillan. Once you’ve completed the 12 quiz questions, you’ll receive a discount coupon for 20% off our new Wild Steelheaders United webstore.

Thank you for your support!

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* 1. Steelhead do not necessarily die after spawning—some will survive and spawn again. Which sex is most likely to survive and spawn again?

Females

Males

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* 2. Some offspring from steelhead never go to the ocean, and instead mature and remain in freshwater where they then may spawn with larger-bodied steelhead. Which sex is most likely to become a resident fish and spawn with returning adult steelhead?

Females

Males

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* 3. Male steelhead have evolved many different behavioral tactics to try and mate with female steelhead, and the tactics differ according to the size of the male – bigger males use one tactic and smaller males another. What are the two tactics called?

Sneaking and Guarding

Spawning and Sparring

Shimmying and Shaking

Aggression and Avoidance

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* 4. Steelhead have the most diverse life history of any salmonid. How many (known) life history phases can steelhead express?

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* 5. Many steelhead populations are now at risk across their native range. What is the rarest Distinct Population Segment of steelhead and what is its historic range?

Middle Columbia River Steelhead, native to Washington and Oregon watersheds including the Deschutes, John Day, Yakima, and Umatilla.

Puget Sound Steelhead, native to Northwest Washington systems from the Nisqually in the south to the Nooksack in the north, and as far west as the Elwha.

Klamath Mountains Province Steelhead, native to Southern Oregon and Northern California in the Klamath, Chetco, and Rogue watersheds.

Southern (California Coastal) Steelhead, native to coastal streams between the Santa Maria River in California and Baja California.

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* 6. What is the largest steelhead ever landed on sportfishing tackle, and where was it caught?

51lbs, caught by Jessica Garcia, in the Eel River in Northern California

47lbs, caught by Sterling Robbins, in the Hoh River on Washington’s Olympic Peninsula

42lbs, caught by 8-year old David White, in ocean near Ketchikan, AK

34lbs, caught by 93-year old Rudy Bearden, in the Skeena River, BC, Canada

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* 7. Washington’s Olympic Peninsula has some of the most legendary steelhead rivers in the world, including the Hoh River. In 2015, what was the angler catch-rate of steelhead on the Hoh River?

100%, meaning each steelhead was caught once

80%, meaning 8 out of every 10 steelhead were caught

0.001%, steelhead are the fish of a thousand casts and they hardly ever get caught

140%, meaning every steelhead was caught 1.4 times on average

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* 8. What does the term “escapement” mean and why is it important in managing steelhead fisheries?

The number of fish that survive and “escape” the fishery and predation to spawn. Escapement is important because managers often set escapement “goals” that determine how many fish a watershed needs to use the habitat and continue to be productive.

The number of anglers who do not catch a steelhead for a given unit of measurement, usually 8 hours to represent one angler-day of effort.

The number of times a seal or sea-lion has to chase a steelhead or salmon before successfully catching one.

Getting out of the house at 4am for a fishing trip without waking any significant others, spouses, or children.

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* 9. Which couple known for their wild steelhead conservation efforts were honored in 2019 with the passage of the John D. Dingell Conservation, Recreation and Management Act, and on what steelhead river were new habitat protections established in the couple’s name?

Shirley and Eugene Robbins and California’s Eel River.

Steve and Jane Johnson and Washington’s Toutle River.

Frank and Jeanne Moore and Oregon’s Umpqua River.

Susan and Peter Montoya and Idaho’s Salmon River.

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* 10. True or False: “Mudbugging,” “bobber-dogging,” and “swinging” are all fishing techniques for steelhead.

True

False

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* 11. True or False: Resource management agencies always know how many steelhead return to a specific river system in any given year.

True. Managers need to know how many steelhead return each year in order to set fishing regulations and understand how hatcheries, harvest, and other impacts are affecting population health over time.

False. Managers use a variety of tools to estimate returns of salmon and steelhead, but those estimates can vary widely in their accuracy.

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* 12. What key factors play into management of wild steelhead fisheries, so they can be sustainably managed?

Annual return and escapement estimates

Angler catch and harvest rates

Streamflows and water temperatures

Redd counts, snorkel surveys and DIDSON sonar data

All of the above

None of the above

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* 13. Please provide your contact information to receive future updates.

Name

ZIP/Postal Code

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