Steelhead Biology
Steelhead are the anadromous form of rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss that are native to the western coast of North America from southern California to Bristol Bay, Alaska. As anadromous fish, steelhead are born in the freshwaters and migrate to the ocean to feed for several years, and return like their cousins the Pacific Salmon to spawn in their natal rivers and streams.
The Skeena system boasts the most intact, largest remaining wild population of steelhead remaining in North America. Its forested, nearly pristine headwaters drain the rugged peaks of the Rocky Mountains in northern and central British Columbia and flow over 350 miles to Pacific Ocean. World-famous steelhead rivers that include the Bulkley, Morice, Babine, Kispiox, Copper and Sustut make up the giant network of rivers that ultimately flow together to form the Skeena River.
This rich ecosystem supports all five species of salmon including chinook, sockeye, chum, coho and pink salmon, the largest steelhead on the continent, and other salmonid species including arctic char, bull trout, and mountain whitefish. These epic journeys from ocean to headwaters by steelhead and salmon are in fact a mechanism of transporting hundreds of thousands of pounds of nutrients from the ocean far inland. The eggs and carcasses of these fish in turn fertilize these rivers, helping support a diverse fauna of bears, birds and other wildlife, and maintain a richer aquatic environment for juvenile steelhead and salmon to flourish.
While the steelhead of the Skeena River and its tributaries may exceed 40 pounds, they are actually the same creature as the smaller 1-2 pound rainbow trout that may live in the upper rivers their whole lives. Most of the rainbow trout in the Skeena watershed adopt what biologists call a migratory “life history” where they leave for the ocean, where these fish can grow large and fat on an ocean diet of eulachon (smelts), crustaceans and other forage fish. Steelhead adopt a silvery, “chrome” coloration in the ocean. As they enter freshwater, their coloration changes from a steely monotone to a mix of gray, green backs with black spots and bright red sides. The larger the steelhead, the more eggs it can produce, and the better it can negotiate the rapids and powerful currents in what can be a 350 mile journey upriver to spawn.
