| Steelhead
Facts
Steelhead
Life Cycle
Steelhead typically spawn in the spring, ranging from January
to June.
Returning to their stream from the sea, they travel as high in
the watershed as they possibly can, decreasing the amount of sediment
and increasing the amount of gravel and cool, high-oxygen water
in the upper reaches of streams. They lay their eggs in pools
beneath riffles, where the eggs will be safe nestled among the
gravel and receive plenty of oxygen.
The eggs hatch in the summer, and young steelhead gather in their
pools to eat passing nutrients and insects that are carried downstream.
Young steelhead spend one to three years in freshwater, then migrate
to the ocean, where they spend another few years. After they mature,
they migrate back to freshwater, often repeating the cycle several
times in their lives. They can live up to eight years.
|
