User:Kelseyhicks38/Steelhead

During spawning, the fish will lay their eggs on gravel bottoms of freshwater tributaries. The female digs out a hole called a redd. The preferred depth for steelhead spawning is 6 in to 14 in. She then lays the eggs, and a male fertilizes them. The females will then cover the eggs with the gravel. Depending on the size of the female she may lay up to 9,000 eggs. The female then buries the eggs in a foot of gravel. The eggs remain in the gravel until they hatch. Unlike salmon who can only spawn once, steelhead may return to the ocean, and come back up stream several times for spawning season.

Poikilotherms
The temperature of the water these fish swim in is crucial for their development and survival. Salmonoids are considered poikilotherms meaning temperature influences their life events, like spawning. Water temperature is one of the most important environmental influences on the salmonoid biology. Temperature determines when the Steelhead will begin migrating upstream, which also determines their spawning time, which ultimately effects the time the fry will hatch. The development of steelhead eggs are also dependent on a certain temperature of the water. The temperature steelhead prefer to spawn in range from 3.9 - 9.4 degrees Celsius. No salmonids species can survive in temperatures exceeding more than 25 degrees Celsius (77 degrees Fahrenheit). Unfortunately in California, there has been longer-drier seasons than cold-wet seasons and that will cause and increase in California's river system temperatures to rise. Climate change is warming our waters and that leaves the future for Steelhead lethal.

Parasites and Pathogens
There are many pollutants and pathogens throughout our waterways. This can cause freshwater to have a high pH level. When pH levels are too high it can cause damage internally and externally which eventually kill the steelhead. Having an increase in water temperature then makes Steelhead unable to handle further stressors and makes them more susceptible to parasites and pathogens. This is considered a potential factor in the decline of wild pacific salmon populations. These warmer waters magnifies the biotic relationships and increases parasitism. A study was done experimenting why there were experiencing lesions on their bodies in a river of West Virginia and the results showed a correlation of lesions on the fish when water is low the pH levels were high.

Dam Installments
Due to human involvement, dams have been been built and have caused a barrier for Steelhead and other anadromous fish trying to migrate upstream to spawn. Some dams have fish ladders that are engineered to help fish migrate upstream past the dam, some dams have engineered a method of helping them get downward to the ocean, and there are some dams that are simply too tall to have a ladder. Dam-related impacts are the single largest cause of diminished populations of Central Valley salmon and Steelhead relative to pre western settlement conditions. The Cougar Dam in Oregon has historically altered the temperature of the water downstream which altered the time the fish migrated, spawned and when the eggs hatched. Ideas being proposed to manage these issues are to install more wind turbines and tearing down the dams that are directly impacting the ecology of our river systems. There are methods scientists and engineers have designed to help transport migrating fish over these dams such as a fish ladder, or long vertical tubes that go from water to over the dam is one design that essentially pumps water and the fish over the dam. This seems to work on small scale dams maxing 30 feet.

Natural Disasters
Natural disasters are occurring more frequently due to climate change. Fires being more frequent means more obstacles for these Steelhead to complete their journey back upstream. Fires burning alongside our rivers and watersheds cause river pollution with debris and runoff. These reoccurring fires are also burning key vegetation alongside the rivers and watersheds that keep the water temperature cool while constantly being shaded. Vegetation alongside the water also helps with less evaporation occurring because of less direct sunlight beaming on it.

Lead
Steelhead are capable of spawning multiple times in comparison to salmon that die after one spawn. When the females ley their eggs, it is called a redd.

Article body
Water temperature is one of the most important environmental influences on salmonoid biology (Carter, K. 2005). Temperature determines when the Steelhead will begin migrating upstream, which determines their spawning time, and effects the time the fry will hatch. Salmon and trout runs have shown a delay in response to either colder or warmer waters while heading back upstream. Steelhead are considered poikilotherms meaning temperature influences their life events. Their internal temperature is constantly changing and Steelhead must adapt to their environment in order to have a chance of survival. The temperature steelhead prefer to spawn in range from 3.9 - 9.4 degrees Celsius.