How many times does a steelhead spawn

While I normally weigh between pounds and grow to about two feet long, some of my species have grown up to 55 pounds 25 kg and 45 inches cm in length!

In freshwater we steelhead usually have dark-olive backs, a silvery-white underside, and are heavily speckled with a pink to red stripe along our sides. During our lives in the ocean we are torpedo-shaped, very silvery and even brassy in color on our upper bodies.

As a sea-run trout, I have a truly unique lifecycle. We are born and spend the first part of our lives in freshwater, then migrate out to the ocean where we grow to adulthood. We then migrate back to freshwater, to the same river where we were born, to spawn a new generation of fish. Because our life cycles are so complex and dependent upon good habitat both in the ocean and in freshwater , some populations across our native range in North America are healthy, while others may be declining or of concern.

NOAA-Fisheries, the federal agency in charge of our species, has designated 12 Distinct Population Segments of steelhead on the west coast of the United States to help conserve our species. Steelhead trout are the same species as rainbow trout but have different lifestyles. Steelhead trout are anadromous, meaning they spend part of their lives migrating to, from, and within the ocean. Steelhead numbers in the Russian and San Lorenzo Rivers, which support the largest runs in the area, have declined seven-fold since then.

Most coastal streams in the region have remnant runs of fish or fewer. Unlike other Pacific salmon, steelhead don't necessarily die after spawning and may spawn as many as four times. Unlike their salmon cousins, which die after spawning, steelhead can return to the sea and live to spawn another day.

Cool, clean water is essential for the survival of steelhead during all portions of their life cycle, and they need access to good spawning sites for reproduction. Due to habitat loss, the Central California Coast steelhead population which includes San Francisco Bay is considered threatened under federal law.

Every story from Bay Nature magazine is the product of a team of people dedicated to connecting our readers to the world around them and increasing environmental literacy.