STEELHEAD TROUT 



Figures 112-117 



A total of 64 tagged steelhead trout were recovered 

 in inshore areas from high-seas tagging experiments 

 during 1956-69. All of these tag recoveries were in 

 North American waters; steelhead trout are not 

 known to be distributed in Asian streams. All 

 recoveries were in the areas from British Columbia to 

 northern California and were from releases in the 

 northeastern Pacific Ocean (Fig. 112). Although 

 steelhead trout are known in Alaskan streams 

 tributary to the Gulf of Alaska, lack of recoveries from 

 these areas is probably because of lack of recovery ef- 

 fort by commerical and sports fishermen. 



Coastal Recoveries in Year of Tagging 



Steelhead trout tag recoveries made within the 

 year of tagging (maturing fish) were almost entirely 

 from releases throughout the northeastern Pacific 

 Ocean east of long. 160°W and were north of lat. 44°N 

 (Fig. 113). A few recoveries were from tagging in the 

 northern part of the Gulf of Alaska. One fish came 

 from a release in the central Aleutian Islands area. 

 These inshore recoveries included those made 

 throughout the winter following the summer of tag- 

 ging since maturing steelhead trout enter streams 

 during the winter for the spring spawning period. 



North American stocks (Figs. 113-116). — Based 

 on the returns of tagging experiments, maturing 

 steelhead trout from British Columbia and those from 

 Washington, Oregon, and northern California were 

 distributed in different areas of the northeastern 

 Pacific Ocean. Returns to British Columbia were 

 mainly from waters north of lat. 50° N and extending 

 westward to about long. 150°W (Figs. 114, 115). 

 Steelhead trout from Washington, Oregon, and 

 California were from areas primarily south of British 

 Columbia, fish with releases concentrated between 

 lat. 45°N and 50°N (Figs. 115, 116). Exceptions to this 

 were some returns to the Columbia River and Oregon 

 which came from north of lat. 50° N. The westward 

 range of release points varied between States, with 

 that from Washington being the farthest west (to 

 long. 160°W) and those from California the least (to 

 about long. 145° W). A segment of maturing steelhead 



trout may also range into more northern waters since 

 one recovery in Oregon came from the Gulf of Alaska 

 north of lat. 55°N. An unusually distant return (Fig. 

 113) was recovered in Washington from a steelhead 

 trout tagged south of the central Aleutian Islands. 

 The specific area of recovery in Washington is un- 

 known. 



The longest migration was recorded for a steelhead 

 trout tagged in the summer of 1970 and recovered 

 during spring of 1971.* This fish was tagged on 6 Sep- 

 tember south of Kiska Island in the western Aleutian 

 Islands area and recovered in the Wynoochee River 

 (which empties into Grays Harbor, Wash.) the follow- 

 ing spring, 5 March. This particular fish traveled a 

 minumum of about 4,800 km during the approximately 

 180 days (a minumum of 27 km per day) it was at 

 liberty. 



Coastal Recoveries Subsequent to 

 Year of Tagging 



Recoveries of tagged steelhead trout subsequent to 

 year of tagging (immature fish) were relatively few 

 (Fig. 117). Three recoveries were made in British 

 Columbia, one each in the Nass and Skeena rivers and 

 one in the Queen Charlotte and Johnstone straits 

 area. These were from taggings close to the recovery 

 area and from near the central Gulf of Alaska. The 

 three recoveries from the Washington coast and 

 Columbia River were from releases made well offshore 

 in the northeastern Pacific Ocean. Recoveries from 

 Oregon and California were from tagging throughout 

 the northeastern Pacific and showed long migrations 

 as immature fish. 



One recovery (not illustrated) was made in the high 

 seas, far to the west near lat. 47°N and long. 167°30'E. 

 This steelhead trout had been tagged near lat. 

 51°30'174°W. 



The available tag recoveries fail to illustrate the 

 complete ocean distribution of steelhead trout; main 

 concentrations of steelhead trout are located in the 

 northeastern Pacific Ocean but they also range far 

 westward to the central and northwestern Pacific 

 (Sutherland 1973). 



This fish was tagged by Japan in 1970, a date beyond the period 

 encompassed in this report. Because of the unusual migration for 

 this species, the tagging data are included here. 



84 



