THE FLY FISHING PLACE BLOG: RESEARCH SHOWS WILD RAINBOW TROUT POPULATIONS ARE CRITICAL TO STEELHEAD POPULATIONS

THE FLY FISHING PLACE BLOG

RESEARCH SHOWS WILD RAINBOW TROUT POPULATIONS ARE CRITICAL TO STEELHEAD POPULATIONS

Genetic research is showing that healthy steelhead runs in Pacific Northwest streams can depend heavily on the productivity of their stay-at-home counterparts, wild rainbow trout.

Steelhead and rainbow trout look different, grow differently, and one heads off to sea while the other never leaves home. But the life histories and reproductive health of wild trout and steelhead are tightly linked and interdependent, more so than has been appreciated, a new Oregon State University study conclude. READ MORE..

Worth noting, the researchers said, is that most other salmonids, such as coho or chinook salmon, do not have this type of fall-back system to help produce fish with a higher capability of surviving. As such, they may be more vulnerable than steelhead to the concerns about genetic weaknesses produced by hatchery fish.