Puget Sound steelhead management

In 2007, steelhead (Oncorhynchus mykiss) in the Puget Sound Distinct Population Segment (DPS) were listed by NOAA Fisheries as threatened under the federal Endangered Species Act (ESA). This DPS includes anadromous rainbow trout originating from rivers flowing into Washington's portion of the Salish Sea from the Elwha River eastward, including rivers in the Strait of Juan de Fuca, Hood Canal, North Sound, South Sound, Whidbey Basin, and the Strait of Georgia. 

Two people kneeling in the water while one holds a wild fish before releasing it.
Photo by Theodore Charles
Wild steelhead caught and released in the Skagit River Basin.

The Puget Sound steelhead population includes wild and hatchery fish from iconic watersheds such as the Skagit, Stillaguamish, Skykomish, Snoqualmie, Nooksack, Green, Nisqually, and other rivers and streams.

Despite being Washington’s State Fish, today Puget Sound steelhead returns are less than 5-10% of historical levels. Passions for steelhead across fishing, conservation, and other stakeholder groups have at times led to bitter disagreements on the path forward.

Beginning in 2017, WDFW staff and the Puget Sound Steelhead Advisory Group (PSSAG) — a group of anglers, scientists, conservation leaders, guides, and other steelhead supporters — embarked on an unprecedented task: develop a portfolio of watershed-specific conservation, fishery, and hatchery strategies for Puget Sound steelhead.

Part of the genesis of the PSSAG was the need to carefully manage fisheries and hatcheries while supporting the recovery of wild steelhead in the face of uncertain conditions.

PSSAG work spanned three years of meetings and included more than forty presentations from steelhead experts and scientists, and hundreds of hours of challenging discussions. With this information, PSSAG built a collective vision and broad consensus for a portfolio of proactive management strategies and actions, including: 

  • Watershed-scale experiments,
  • Population monitoring,
  • Fishery planning, monitoring, and adaptive management, 
  • and hatchery planning, production, and monitoring.

Released in 2020 and titled the Quicksilver Portfolio: Restoring Puget Sound Steelhead & Fisheries, this collaborative plan aims for a future where wild steelhead returning to the Puget Sound Basin are no longer threatened with extinction and are healthy enough to support sustainable fishing.

It envisions a future in which the rich tradition of “steelheading” is continued and passed on to future generations. It also lays out an important blueprint for regional collaboration on fisheries conservation, recovery, and angling opportunities. WDFW is now implementing the Quicksilver Portfolio recommendations.

Highlights of the Quicksilver Portfolio

The Quicksilver Portfolio focuses on using common sense coupled with solid science to direct steelhead management. It provides a diverse portfolio of steelhead rivers that achieve both conservation and fishery goals. The portfolio also seeks to navigate growing challenges for steelhead in the increasingly developed Puget Sound region, from widespread habitat loss and degradation from human development to the effects of climate change. 

Person holding a silver fish out of water.
Photo by Chase Gunnell
Angler with a hatchery winter steelhead caught in the Skykomish River near Gold Bar. 

The full Quicksilver Portfolio is available online. 

This work also supports the goals of WDFW's Statewide Steelhead Management Plan. 

WDFW leadership conducted conversations with tribal co-managers in the Puget Sound Basin regarding the Quicksilver Portfolio recommendations, and tribal co-managers generally support the initial actions and goals outlined.

Highlights of Quicksilver Portfolio work include:

  • Increased monitoring of wild steelhead presence and spawning activity in the Nooksack, Samish, Skagit, Stillaguamish, and Snohomish watersheds to better understand their population status and run timing.
  • Development of hydroacoustic/sonar and video monitoring tools on the Skagit, Samish and Nooksack to gauge steelhead returns in real-time.
  • Initiation of a wild summer steelhead broodstock program and fishery on the Skykomish River to replace the prior hatchery program which used out-of-basin Skamania steelhead stock.