This episode of The Adipose explores our complicated, emotional, and increasingly urgent relationship with the Pacific Northwest’s most iconic fish. Through a reflective letter written after a rare encounter with a wild steelhead, the story traces the species’ extraordinary life cycle, their legendary strength, and the sobering decline that has pushed many runs to the brink.

This is a meditation on why these fish matter, what they reveal about the health of our watersheds, and what we stand to lose, or save, in the years ahead.