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Government and private efforts are attempting to rebuild salmonid runs through stock management, supplementation, and habitat rehabilitation programs. Although efforts are ongoing to restore wild spawning populations, the major emphasis is the production of hatchery fish for harvest augmentation. With this emphasis, the rebuilding of wild stocks may be limited to some coastal waters and a few subbasin streams within California's major river systems. The role of supplementation may become more crucial in California if wild runs of Chinook salmon, coho salmon, and steelhead continue their statewide declining .trends. We reviewed 75 projects in California; 6 were considered true supplementation, only 3 were evaluated. steelhead steelhead are widely distributed throughout California. ,The majority of California's stocks from the larger river systems (Sacramento, Klamath/Trinity) are augmented or sustained by hatchery operations. Within these basins and in other coastal streams, numerous waters have remnant or depressed runs of wild winter steelhead. The winter run is the dominant form in California. The Middle Fork of Eel River has the only native run of summer steelhead in the state. This native stock is not supplemented. A Washougal River (Washington) stock of summer steelhead was introduced into the Mad River and has been established as a small naturally spawning run. In some years these adult fish enter the Mad River Hatchery and are propagated independently from winter steelhead. steelhead propagation ranks second to the Chinook salmon for all anadromous salmonid releases. The CDFG and FWS are the main producers of steelhead. The Indian tribes do not propagate steelhead. Coleman National Fish Hatchery (NFH) raises about one million winter steelhead annually. These fish are released as yearlings on-site and off-site (downstream or estuarine). Contribution rates for on-site releases ranged from 0.10 percent to 0.25 percent, and 0.10 percent to 0.50 percent for off-site releases.l The Forest Service operates two spawning channels, Kelsey and Indian Creek. Although intended primarily for fall Chinook salmon, these channels are also utilized by steelhead and ,coho salmon. Except for the Merced River Fish Facility, winter steelhead are raised in every CDFG anadromous hatchery. The estimated annual production is about 4.5 million from these facilities. The steelhead are released as yearling smolts. Release strategies vary by 1Gene Forbes, U.S. Fish. and Wildlife Service, Anderson, California,- pers. comm., March, 1990. 17