Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units Program: Idaho
Education, Research and Technical Assistance for Managing Our Natural Resources

Steelhead Oncorhynchus mykiss is one of the most ecologically and economically important species in the Pacific Northwest, particularly in Idaho. Steelhead fisheries in Idaho currently focus on hatchery fish that are reared and released to mitigate for the negative effects of the hydrosystem. Because hatchery fish use the same waters as wild fish, which are protected under the Endangered Species Act, Idaho’s fisheries are permitted and managed such that “impact rates” on wild steelhead populations are not exceeded.