05-08-2012, 07:10 PM
Interesting.
I think some of you are missing what the article said. It is talking about a WILD steelhead that runs up a small stream is likely to cross with the native smaller rainbows in the stream that didn't travel out to the ocean. Thus a good healthy native rainbow population helps the steelhead population.
In my opinion, and I have no research to back this up, I think many of the wild native rainbow smolts from the streams just head out and become steelhead. Who knows what the trigger is that sends them out and back.
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I think some of you are missing what the article said. It is talking about a WILD steelhead that runs up a small stream is likely to cross with the native smaller rainbows in the stream that didn't travel out to the ocean. Thus a good healthy native rainbow population helps the steelhead population.
In my opinion, and I have no research to back this up, I think many of the wild native rainbow smolts from the streams just head out and become steelhead. Who knows what the trigger is that sends them out and back.
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